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:



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


              GREAT WESTERN OBSTRUCTS CONSENT CERTIFICATION PROCESS


      IRWINDALE, CA, April 24, 1997 -- H.F. Ahmanson & Company (NYSE:AHM) today
announced that it has been notified by the independent inspector, CT Corporation
Systems, that Great Western (NYSE:GWF) has refused to agree to a count by CT on
Ahmanson's stockholder consent proposal number one.  This proposal urges the
Great Western Board of Directors to negotiate with Ahmanson and place its merger
proposal on a level playing field with Washington Mutual's merger proposal.

      On April 11, Ahmanson announced that it had delivered consents to Great
Western representing the requisite majority of Great Western shares endorsing
proposal number one.  Shortly thereafter, Great Western appointed CT to count
the votes, but failed to disclose the fact that it would not authorize CT to
count the consents for proposal number one.  Great Western claims that there is
no valid record date for this proposal, but Ahmanson sees no basis for this
claim.  In any event, the stockholders have expressed their will, and Great
Western's questionable legal machinations do not change this fact.

      Ahmanson stated, "Great Western's refusal to authorize the independent
inspector to undertake the certification of proposal number one is an outright
rejection of the will of Great Western's own stockholders, and a denial of the
principles of fundamental fairness and good corporate governance.  The holders
of a majority of Great Western shares have voted in favor of this consent
proposal, and Great Western knows it.  With the results in for over two weeks,
and with no further excuses to hide behind, Great Western is resorting to this
kind of tactic to stonewall its stockholders and to attempt to justify its Board
of Directors' extraordinary decision not to hold discussions with Ahmanson
despite the higher market value of Ahmanson's offer and the stockholders' demand
to do so.

      "Great Western stockholders deserve better from their company and from
their Board," Ahmanson concluded.

      H.F. Ahmanson & Company, with more than $48 billion in assets, 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 non-binding resolutions 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 April 23, 1997, Ahmanson is the beneficial owner of 3,420,600 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 April 23, 1997, 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 April 23, 1997, CSFB held a net long
position of 24 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.

                                       ###