Washington Mutual opens 20 more branches in area Bank's 112 locations here now rival LaSalle's number

Washington Mutual Bank opened another 20 branches Thursday, for atotal of 112 branches opened in the Chicago area since the Seattlebank blew into town last summer.

In what is probably the most aggressive expansion in Chicago byone bank in a year's time, Washington Mutual now rivals the size ofLaSalle Bank by number of bank branches, according to research firmSNL Financial. By year-end, it will close in on Harris Bank, whichhas the third-largest number of branches in the Chicago area, behindBank One and TCF Bank.

It will open 13 branches in the city and the rest in suburbsincluding Calumet Park, Naperville and Romeoville.

But lots of new bank branches don't …