US federal regulators recently called a number of banks asking if they would consider buying Washington Mutual Inc should it eventually falter, the New York Post said, citing sources. Federal banking regulators, in recent days, contacted Wells Fargo & Co, JPMorgan Chase & Co, HSBC and several other financial institutions to gauge their interest in a possible acquisition of WaMu, the paper said. Its shares have fallen 49 percent over the past month and are off 83 percent for the entire year. During the second quarter, Washington Mutual lost $3.33 billion, or $6.58 per share, as it set aside more than $8 billion to cover souring loans in its mortgage portfolio. Washington Mutual's net charge-offs, or loans written off as not being repaid, totaled $2.17 billion during the second quarter. Non-performing assets at the bank rose sharply during the second quarter as well to 3.62 percent of total assets, from 2.87 percent just three months earlier.
