Golden West Financial Corporation

Golden West Financial was the second largest savings and loan association in the United States, operating branches under the name of World Savings Bank.

The business was founded in 1929 as Golden West Savings and Loan Association, a small savings and loan in Oakland, California. Golden West Financial's subsidiary, World Savings, was established in Madera, California, in 1912.

Golden West Savings and Loan Association was purchased in 1963 for $4 million by Herbert Sandler and Marion Sandler, through their newly created corporation, Golden West Financial. Some of the capital for the acquisition came from bank loans, with the balance coming from Marion's family money. Marion Sandler, a former Wall Street analyst, and Herbert, a real estate attorney, would operate the company in tandem. In 1968 the Sandlers took Golden West Financial public. In 1969 Modesto Savings was acquired and became part of Golden West Savings.

The expanding popularity of savings and loan corporations in the 1970s led the Sandlers to acquire World Savings in 1975. World Savings had been growing with other mergers in Colorado, so this acquisition expanded Golden West Financial out of California and 107 offices. The corporation began operating all of its savings and loans offices under the name World Savings.

Lessening restrictions on savings and loans by the United States government in the early 1980s saw a rapid growth in the industry, and Golden West profited from it by careful examination of the market as it fluctuated and not over-extending its reach during the savings and loan crisis. Golden West continued to expand its portfolio, and remained marginally profitable for its investors.

Marion and Herbert Sandler continued to serve as co-CEOs, with Marion overseeing the operations and Herbert working on the lending practices side. In 1990 The New York Times called the company "the Nation's Best-Run S.&L." saying that "the core of their business is decidedly - some might say refreshingly - old-fashioned". As the mortgage market revived in the mid-1990s, Golden West Financial Corporation expanded its reach to the east coast of the United States as struggling savings and loan associations were put up for sale. By 1995 Golden West held $31 billion in assets, making it the third largest mortgage lender in the country. In 1997 Catalyst, a nonprofit women's research group, found that Golden West Financial had one of the highest percentages of women on their board of directors within any Fortune 500 company, with 5 women and 4 men.