100 WaMu workers lose jobs, more cuts expected - 2003-11-26
Washington Mutual this month eliminated more than 100 information-technology jobs and said more cuts would follow.

During the mortgage boom, WaMu added temporary workers and expanded overtime to process record loan demand spurred by the lowest interest rates in decades. Some were expected to be let go when loan demand fell.
Read the full story at Seattle Times

Growth in GDP surges, strongest since 1984 - 2003-11-26
The U.S. economy jumped in the third quarter, growing even faster than originally expected, according to government data released Tuesday that bolster hopes for a sustained recovery in 2004.

Temporary boosts such as the income tax cuts and a mortgage refinancing boom helped spur the expansion. Economists cautioned that growth in the nation's economic output will probably slow to a more modest but healthy pace of around 4 percent in the fourth quarter and into 2004.
Read the full story at Contra Costa Times