Great Western Financial said fourth-quarter earnings will...

Great Western Financial said fourth-quarter earnings will be “substantially below” the $45 million to $55 million that financial analysts had been predicting. The Beverly Hills savings and loan company said the lower figure would result from a $10-million after-tax loss on the sale of an insurance subsidiary and a larger than normal charge of about $35 million for loan-loss reserves. Great Western, which earned $196 million in the first nine months of 1987, said it still expects to report the second most profitable year in its history.