H. F. Ahmanson & Co.

H.F. Ahmanson & Co. was a California holding company named after millionaire Howard F. Ahmanson, Sr. It is best known as the parent of Home Savings of America, formerly one of the largest savings and loan associations in the United States.

In 1998, Seattle-based thrift Washington Mutual (WaMu) purchased HF Ahmanson and its Home Savings unit for $10 billion. As a result of this takeover and those of American Savings and Great Western Financial, Washington Mutual became California’s second largest bank. At the time, HF Ahmanson had $55 billion in assets [http://www.businessweek.com/1998/47/b3605121.htm] .

The acquisition also gave Washington Mutual control over a part of the Ahmanson Ranch, a hotly-disputed undeveloped area northwest of Los Angeles. After initial considerations of developing a new city on the large space, WaMu eventually sold off their share, now known as the Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve.