Ax Falling Hard at WaMu

Washington Mutual Inc., Seattle, eliminated the equivalent of 4,500 jobs from its home loans group in the fourth quarter, and more cuts are on the way, a company executive said on a conference call to discuss fourth-quarter results (see item below).Chief administrative officer Craig Chapman said an additional 1,800 workers have been notified that their positions will likely be eliminated in the first quarter of this year. He said lowering the company's head count is "necessary and integral" to WaMu's ambitious plan to reduce its cost structure by $1 billion. WaMu can be found online at http://www.wamu.com.