Guardian Ranks Best Among 34

Guardian Savings & Loan Assn. was the standout county-based thrift last year in a ranking of return on assets, a key measure of the health and profitability of thrifts and banks.

Return on assets represents net income as a percentage of an institution’s total assets. A return on assets of 1% is considered good; anything below 0.5% is considered poor.

Only four S&Ls; topped 1%, led by Guardian’s 3.06%, according to data compiled by Sheshunoff Information Services Inc. Twenty-seven of the 30 others were below 0.5%.

The average for all thrifts in the state was 0.2%.

Guardian was also one of the fastest-growing thrifts in the county, with a 51% increase in assets in the year ended Dec. 30. Three other institutions made the top 10 in both return on assets and asset growth: Western Financial Savings Bank, Beach Savings Bank and San Clemente Savings & Loan.

TOP THRIFTS IN ASSET GROWTH

1988 Total assets % Increase 12/31/88 Savings & Loan in assets in millions Charter Savings 122.9 $438.7 Standard Pacific 101.0 191.5 Beach Savings 51.9 91.0 Guardian Savings 51.0 552.2 Household Bank 46.6 4,971.4 Western Financial 39.2 2,443.0 United California 32.9 676.1 Lincoln Savings 26.9 5,458.7 Far West Savings 25.9 4,728.8 San Clemente Savings 25.4 313.9

Source: Sheshunoff Information Services Inc. COUNTY-BASED SAVINGS AND LOANS RANKED BY RETURN ON ASSETS Based on data as of Dec. 31, 1988

Return Net % Change in on Avg. Income Net Since Savings and Loan Assets Dec. ’87 Guardian 3.06 14,794 142.8 Sterling 2.34 4,115 17.5 Fullerton 1.69 5,749 31.8 Plaza 1.23 717 -- Downey 0.85 28,959 -12.8 Butterfield** 0.78 3,866 -- Western Financial 0.57 11,992 24.7 Newport Balboa 0.49 2,701 -42.7 Beach 0.47 360 566.7 San Clemente 0.44 1,253 -13.5 Huntington 0.34 374 -8.1 Malibu 0.27 502 8.2 Mercury 0.27 6,684 -14.5 Lincoln 0.25 12,339 -70.0 Westport 0.25 396 -73.3 Standard Pacific 0.24 328 -- Far West 0.22 9,287 -56.8 Charter 0.19 569 -71.5 Constitution 0.18 151 -89.5 Cornerstone 0.03 19 -90.6 New West* 0.00 0 -- American Savings Bank* -0.02 -1,492 -- Household Bank -0.02 -1,002 -113.4 United California -0.11 -687 -185.1 Irvine City -0.44 -385 -289.7 Security -0.83 -681 -- Delta -1.00 -573 -- Pioneer -1.72 -317 -- American Interstate -2.45 -780 -772.4 Perpetual -2.58 -993 -- Pacific -4.21 -47,073 -- First California -5.30 -9,877 -523.9 Beverly Hills -6.31 -96,310 -- Western Empire -7.30 -8,903 --

* American Savings Bank and New West Federal Savings are successor firms to American S&L;, which was sold by federal regulators on Dec. 28. ** Butterfield was bought at the end of the third quarter by Downey S&L.; Source: Sheshunoff Information Services Inc.