Into the Fray

Talk about bad timing. Bozell Worldwide, the Costa Mesa-based unit of Bozell, Jacobs, Kenyon & Eckhardt, won the $15-million account for Great Western Bank one week before a takeover battle ensued for the thrift. Great Western has agreed to sell itself to Washington Mutual, but H.F. Ahmanson, the parent of Home Savings, is trying to elbow its rival out.

The account might survive a Washington Mutual takeover, because that thrift has pledged to keep the Great Western name. The uncertainty comes at a bad time for Bozell, which lost the Taco Bell business to TBWA Chiat/Day.

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Denise Gellene can be reached via e-mail at denise.gellene@latimes.com or fax at (213) 237-7837.