SEATTLE, WA -- (Marketwire) -- 03/30/09 -- The Board of Directors of Washington Federal, Inc. (NASDAQ: WFSL), parent company of Washington Federal Savings, today announced a quarterly cash dividend of 5 cents per share. The dividend will be payable April 24, 2009 to common stockholders of record on April 10, 2009. This will be Washington Federal's 105th consecutive quarterly cash dividend.

Washington Federal Savings operates 150 offices in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, Texas and New Mexico. Established in 1917, the Company provides residential real estate loans, commercial real estate financing, consumer deposit accounts and business banking. On December 31, 2008, the Company reported $12.5 billion in assets, $7.3 billion in deposits and $1.6 billion in stockholders' equity.