BANKING/FINANCE

Meanwhile, fresh from its purchase of a troubled Los Angeles thrift, Charter Savings Bank is aggressively looking for more ailing S & Ls to acquire.

Charter, also in Huntington Beach, wants to use the real estate expertise of its parent, Mola Development, to buy S & Ls beset with foreclosed properties and work out the problems.

Late last month, it came close to buying Tahoe Savings in South Lake Tahoe, but talks fell apart, said Jon Maddox, Charter’s president.

Negotiations may also be over to buy Independence Savings in Vallejo in Northern California.

Maddox and James E. Marks, president of Independence, said the owners of the S & Ls have had preliminary discussions about a deal but are far from agreement. Maddox said Independence’s problems involve mortgage-backed securities, problems that don’t fit the profile of the kind of S & L Charter wants to buy.

Marks said an earlier public disclosure of the talks has killed the deal. Maddox said Charter was leaning away from further talks with Independence, but he did not rule out a possible deal.

Early last week, Charter completed its $3.5-million acquisition of financially troubled Merit Savings Bank, which more than doubled Charter’s size to $440 million in assets.