Washington Mutual closing 28 Chicagoland branches

For a while there, it looked as if Washington Mutual, the friendly, almost kooky bank, with the comfortable lobbies and sassy ATMs, would rival Starbucks for quick proliferation. The company opened 172 Chicagoland branches in short order, and most north lakefront neighborhoods seem to have at least one Wa Mu. But according to a story in today’s Chicago Tribune, the Seattle-based bank might have overreached in the Chicago market. It’s closing 28 branches, mostly in outlying suburbs.