Golden West Financial, the Oakland-based parent of...

Golden West Financial, the Oakland-based parent of World Savings & Loan, reported its third-quarter profit rose 15% to $70 million, or $1.10 a share.

The thrift, consistently one of the nation’s most profitable, attributed the results to its growing mortgage portfolio and a wider spread between what it pays for deposits and what it earns on loans.

Despite the slow state economy, Golden West reported new mortgage originations in the quarter rose 11% from the same period of 1991, and that home refinancings were especially strong. Golden West’s ratio of non-performing assets to its total assets was a low 1.28%.

Deposits, however, declined to $16.3 billion as of Sept. 30, down from $16.8 billion a year earlier. Golden West attributed the decline to low interest rates.