JPMorgan Chase Talking to WaMu?

JPMorgan Chase & Co. is talking to Washington Mutual about possibly buying the nation's largest thrift, according to industry sources. One source close to WaMu said, "there's a lot of suits walking around the hallways" at the lender's headquarters in Seattle. The JPMorgan-WaMu rumors are not new. In years past the two parties have engaged in sale talks, investment bankers said. Among residential lenders, Chase Home Finance ranks third and WaMu sixth, according to the Quarterly Data Report. Both depositories do not comment on market rumors. WaMu has a market cap of $13 billion based on Friday's share price.