SCHEDULE 14A
(Rule 14a-101)
INFORMATION REQUIRED IN PROXY STATEMENT
SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION
Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Filed by the registrant / /
Filed by a party other than the registrant /x/
Check the appropriate box:
/ / Preliminary proxy statement / / Confidential, for Use of the
Commission Only (as permitted by
/ / Definitive proxy statement Rule 14a-6(e)(2))
/ / Definitive additional materials
/x/ Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-11(c) or Rule 14a-12
GREAT WESTERN FINANCIAL CORPORATION
(Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
H. F. AHMANSON & COMPANY
(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement)
Payment of filing fee (Check the appropriate box):
/x/ No fee required
/ / Fee computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and 0-11.
(1) Title of each class of securities to which transaction applies:
(2) Aggregate number of securities to which transaction applies:
(3) Per unit price or other underlying value of transaction computed
pursuant to Exchange Act Rule 0-11:
(4) Proposed maximum aggregate value of transaction:
(5) Total fee paid:
/ / Fee paid previously with preliminary materials.
/ / Check box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Exchange Act
Rule 0-11(a)(2) and identify the filing for which the offsetting fee was
paid previously. Identify the previous filing by registration statement
number, or the form or schedule and the date of its filing.
(1) Amount previously paid:
(2) Form, Schedule or Registration Statement No.:
(3) Filing Party:
(4) Date Filed:
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H. F. AHMANSON & COMPANY HOME SAVINGS OF AMERICA NEWS
SAVINGS OF AMERICA
4900 Rivergrade Road, Irwindale, California 91706 * (818) 814-7922
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACTS:
- --------------------- Media: Mary Trigg
(818) 814-7922
Investor: Steve Swartz
(818) 814-7986
AHMANSON GRANTED EARLY TERMINATION
OF HART-SCOTT-RODINO WAITING PERIOD
IRWINDALE, CA, March 7, 1997 -- H.F. Ahmanson (NYSE:AHM) today announced
that it has been granted early termination of the Hart-Scott-Rodino waiting
period applicable to its stated intention to purchase in excess of $15 million
of common shares of Great Western Financial Corporation (NYSE:GWF) effective
immediately.
H.F. Ahmanson stated, "Today's action by the FTC enhances our flexibility
as we move forward with our merger proposal for Great Western. We are committed
to achieving this merger proposal."
H.F. Ahmanson & Company, with assets of nearly $50 billion, is the parent
company of Home Savings of America, one of the nation's largest full-service
consumer banks.
SHARES OF GREAT WESTERN FINANCIAL CORPORATION ("GWF")
COMMON STOCK HELD BY H.F. AHMANSON & COMPANY
("AHMANSON"), ITS DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
AND CERTAIN EMPLOYEES, OTHER REPRESENTATIVES OF AHMANSON
AND CERTAIN OTHER PERSONS WHO MAY SOLICIT PROXIES OR
CONSENTS, AND CERTAIN TRANSACTIONS BETWEEN ANY
OF THEM AND GWF
Ahmanson and certain other persons named below may solicit proxies (a) to elect
three nominees and one or more alternate nominees (the "Nominees") as directors
of GWF at the annual meeting of stockholders of GWF to be held on a date to be
announced (the "Annual Meeting") and (b) in favor of the adoption at the Annual
Meeting of a non-binding stockholder resolution and seven proposals to amend the
By-laws of GWF. Ahmanson and certain other persons named below are also
soliciting consents from stockholders of GWF to approve proposals, without a
stockholders' meeting, to adopt a non-binding resolution of stockholders and
amendments to the By-laws of GWF. The participants in this solicitation may
include Ahmanson; the directors of Ahmanson (Byron Allumbaugh, Harold A. Black,
Richard M. Bressler, David R. Carpenter, Phillip D. Matthews, Richard L. Nolan,
Delia M. Reyes, Charles R. Rinehart, Frank M. Sanchez, Elizabeth A. Sanders,
Arthur W. Schmutz, William D. Schulte, and Bruce G. Willison); the following
executive officers and employees of Ahmanson or its subsidiaries: Kevin M.
Twomey (Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer), Madeleine
A. Kleiner (Senior Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer and
General Counsel), Anne-Drue M. Anderson (Executive Vice President and
Treasurer), Tim S. Glassett (First Vice President and Assistant General
Counsel), Linda McCall (Senior Vice President and Director of Corporate Taxes),
Stephen A. Swartz (Senior Vice President and Director of Investor Relations),
Barbara Timmer (Senior Vice President and Director of Government and Legislative
Affairs), Mary A. Trigg (Senior Vice President and Director of Public
Relations), Eric Warmstein (Senior Vice President and Director of Corporate
Development), Samantha Davies (Vice President of Public Relations), Adrian
Rodriguez (Vice President of Public Relations), and Peter Bennett (Assistant
Vice President of Public Relations); and the following Nominees: Lawrence A. Del
Santo, Robert T. Gelber, Wolfgang Schoellkopf, Hugh M. Grant and John E. Merow.
As of the date of this communication, Ahmanson is the beneficial owner of 60,200
shares of GWF Common Stock. Other than Mr. Gelber, who owns 332 shares of GWF
Common Stock, none of the Nominees is the beneficial owner of any GWF Common
Stock.
Other than set forth herein, as of the date of this communication, neither
Ahmanson nor any of its directors, executive officers or other representatives
or employees of Ahmanson, any Nominees or other persons known to Ahmanson, who
may solicit proxies has any security holdings in GWF. Ahmanson disclaims
beneficial ownership of any securities of GWF held by any pension plan or other
employee benefit plan of Ahmanson or by any affiliate of Ahmanson. Ahmanson
further disclaims beneficial ownership of any securities of GWF held by Ahmanson
or any of its subsidiaries for the benefit of third parties or in customer or
fiduciary accounts in the ordinary course of business.
Although Credit Suisse First Boston Corporation ("CSFB") and Montgomery
Securities ("Montgomery"), financial advisors to Ahmanson, do not admit that
they or any of their directors, officers, employees or affiliates are a
"participant," as defined in Schedule 14A promulgated under the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934 by the Securities and Exchange Commission, or that such
Schedule 14A requires the disclosure of certain information concerning CSFB or
Montgomery, CSFB and Montgomery may assist Ahmanson in such a solicitation.
Each of CSFB and Montgomery engages in a full range of investment banking,
securities trading, market-making and brokerage services for institutional and
individual clients. In the normal course of their respective businesses, each
of CSFB and Montgomery may trade securities of GWF for their own account and the
account of their customers and, accordingly, may at any time hold a long or
short position in such securities. As of March 6, 1997, CSFB held a net 4,124
shares of GWF common stock and Montgomery held no shares of GWF common stock.
Except as disclosed above, to the knowledge of Ahmanson, none of Ahmanson, the
directors or executive officers of Ahmanson, the employees or other
representatives of Ahmanson who may participate in this solicitation or the
Nominees named above has any interest, direct or indirect, by security holdings
or otherwise, in GWF.
