UPDATE 1-Chase replacing WaMu brand in California

NEW YORK, Jan 13 (Reuters) - JPMorgan Chase & Co will convert Washington Mutual branches in California to Chase branches on March 30 and all other WaMu branches by the end of the year.

WaMu's California franchise is the 'crown jewel' of JPMorgan's acquisition, Chief Executive Jamie Dimon said in a statement on Tuesday. JPMorgan acquired Washington Mutual's banking operations after the Seattle-based thrift failed in September.

The rebranding of 708 California branches and 1,900 automatic teller machines is part of a $375 million investment in the state.

Chase will open 20 more branches in California this year, along with nine regional counseling centers to help families struggling with mortgage payments, the company said in a statement.

(Reporting by Elinor Comlay; Editing by Tim Dobbyn) Keywords: JPMORGAN/CALIFORNIA ([e-mail]; [phone]) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2009. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.