Washington Mutual begins bankruptcy showdown

Washington Mutual Inc begins a showdown with shareholders and dissident hedge funds on Wednesday as it seeks bankruptcy court approval for its proposal to repay creditors, though a dispute about who owns billions in securities could still threaten the plan. The company's lending business known as WaMu was seized in September 2008, the biggest bank failure in U.S. history, and sold to JPMorgan Chase & Co for about $1.9 billion. ABC News, 12/2/2010

• A Hells Angels appeal of the seizure of the Nanaimo chapter's clubhouse by the director of the British Columbia Civil Forfeiture office was dismissed Tuesday by a B.C. Court of Appeal panel. The ruling means the clubhouse will remain under a seizure order until the matter can be heard at a civil trial. Vancouver Sun, 12/1/2010

• The investigative arm of the Homeland Security Department appears to be shutting down websites that facilitate copyright infringement. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has seized dozens of domain names over the past few days. The Hill, 11/26/2010