Washington Mutual Inc. Shareholder Requests Equity Committee in Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Case
DALLAS, June 1, 2009 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Michael Rozenfeld, a Washington
Mutual Inc. stockholder has requested that the Department of Justice revisit a
previous request for an Equity Committee in the Chapter 11 Bankruptcy case of
Washington Mutual Inc. Michael previously filed a request for an Equity
Committee November 10, 2008, shortly after the seizure of Washington Mutual Bank
and numerous subsidiaries. That request was denied on January 9, 2009, after a
brief investigation and review by Joseph J. McMahon Jr., Department of Justice.
The primary reason it appears to have been denied was that anticipated lawsuits
had not been filed yet, and the WMI assets were less than their liabilities. Mr.
McMahon stated at that time, that the request for an Equity Committee could be
revisited at some future point.
In the November request, Michael had conjectured that lawsuits would be filed
against the FDIC and JPMorgan. Those lawsuits have since been filed, but there
is no resolution of them as yet. Shareholders are very positive about a
favorable resolution of those suits but are concerned there may not be enough
time to organize an official Equity Committee to protect the shareholders when
resolution is reached. WMI appears to be in negotiations regarding this, based
on a review of the attorney bills on file in the Bankruptcy Court in Delaware.
Judge Mary Walrath is presiding over that case.
Michael is a member of the Washington Mutual Equity Group, which could be
considered an ad hoc Equity Committee. It currently consists of approximately
500 members, and Michael made the current request on their behalf. Getting an
Equity Committee is the sole purpose of that organization. Their website is
www.WaMuEquity.org. Shareholders and the general public are encouraged to visit
that website to get more information on the seizure and Equity Committees.
Another popular shareholder website is
www.wamustory.com where a plethora of
official documents regarding the seizure and sale can be found.
The reason for an Equity Committee is to protect shareholder interests in the
resolution of the Chapter 11 Bankruptcy that was filed. Currently the
shareholders are not formally protected. Many shareholders have modified their
holdings to include shares of WAHUQ, WAMPQ, WAMKQ and WAMUQ, in an attempt to
protect themselves at least partially. The company's net cash flow for April was
48.8 million.
J. Presnall
WaMuEquity.org
1-360-790-1149
JPresnall@WaMuEquity.org