BANKS AND BANKING

Western Savings loaned Frank Ares $240 million for a 25,000-acre development near Colorado Springs. That, among other ill-advised decisions, put Western under the control of the government's thrift bailout agency, the RTC. Illus. Ports.

The story of the Valley National Bank

Ranked by assets

Valley Nat'l Bank, "the only large independent bank left" in Arizona, is struggling to regain financial stability before someone buys it out. The bank's new officers discuss the past, present and future. Ports