Great Western Financial Corp.: The Beverly Hills-based...

Great Western Financial Corp.: The Beverly Hills-based financial services company reported first-quarter earnings of $57.2 million, compared to $56.1 million for the 1988 period. The firm’s net interest income, the primary source of operating income, reached a new quarterly high of $230 million, a 14% increase. The firm said it generated a 63% increase in new real estate loan volume during the quarter, at a time rising interest rates and weak deposit flows resulted in the withdrawal of many companies from the mortgage lending market.