They were seized and SOLD to the 'highest' bidder. They didn't have a chance. Regulators jumped the gun and JPM was right there locked and loaded ready to pull the trigger.
There had to be an example made to get TARP to pass. The wamu takeover instilled fear in lawmakers. Fear was the fuel behind passing TARP. The notion that 'we can't have another WAMU' along with failures and takeovers from other large firms was why TARP passed.