American Savings and Loan Association was an American savings and loan based in Stockton, California. In 1988 it was the largest thrift failure and the federal government's costliest resolution during the savings and loan crisis at an estimated cost of $5.4 billion.[1]
History
The thrift was founded in 1922 as State Savings & Loan Association in Stockton.[2] It was owned by Irvine, California based Financial Corporation of America (FCA). The thrift experienced rapid growth in the 1970s and early 1980s. In 1983, it acquired First Charter Financial Corporation in Los Angeles for $700 million. First Charter was the parent company of American Savings & Loan, and was controlled by real estate developer Mark Taper.[3] State Savings changed its name to American Savings after the acquisition. In 1984, the thrift suffered a run of nearly $7 billion on its deposits after posting a $1.1 billion loss on bad investments and real estate loans.[2]