Washington Mutual Ads Lack a Key Statement

Washington Mutual’s ads [Ad Reviews, Oct. 29] are very clever and well-executed. However, I assumed that Washington Mutual is a company akin to Northwest Mutual or PaineWebber. Nowhere does the ad tell me it is a bank!

I realized this because I was recently shopping for a home loan and the broker mentioned Washington Mutual. My response was, “Why would they be in the home loan business?”

Maybe someone should tell the ad company [McCann-Erickson, Seattle] to at least mention banking. They may be a household name in Washington state, but they have a way to go here.

KATHERYN JOOSTEN, Los Angeles