Southland

Great Western Meeting: One subject likely to pop up at Great Western Financial Corp.’s annual shareholder meeting Tuesday is whether the nation’s second-largest savings and loan would be better off as a commercial bank. In March, Great Western applied for national banking charters because federal policy-makers have proposed charging lower deposit insurance fees for banks than for S&Ls.; Great Western called that arrangement unfair, and soon other thrifts joined Great Western in threatening an exodus from the savings and loan deposit insurance fund. Great Western’s shareholder meeting will begin at 11 a.m. Tuesday at the company’s employee center, 19809 Prairie St., Chatsworth.