Bank Branches › Closed and merged banks › California › Southwest Savings and Loan Association
What happened to Southwest Savings and Loan Association?
Southwest Savings and Loan Association in Los Angeles, CA failed, and Southwest Federal Savings Association of Los Angeles, CA took it over on Oct 5, 1989. After 1 more change of hands, what was Southwest Savings and Loan Association is today part of Bank of America, National Association (Charlotte, NC).
The chain, step by step
From the day it opened to the bank at the end of the chain today. Each step is one entry in the FDIC's record.
- 1945Southwest Savings and Loan Association opens in Los Angeles, CA
- Oct 5, 1989FAILEDSouthwest Savings and Loan Association failed, and Southwest Federal Savings Association of Los Angeles, CA took it over.FDIC certificate 30262 ends; its business continues under certificate 32814. The FDIC's failure list dates the failure Apr 27, 1989.
- Nov 16, 1990RESOLVEDSouthwest Federal Savings Association of Los Angeles, CA was closed in a federal resolution, and its business passed to Bank of America National Trust and Savings Association of Charlotte, NC.FDIC certificate 32814 ends; its business continues under certificate 3510.
- TodayOPEN
Bank of America, National AssociationMain office Charlotte, NC · FDIC certificate 3510 · 3,598 offices in 39 states on June 30, 2026Every Bank of America, National Association office → Website on file with the FDIC: www.bankofamerica.com
If you still have something from Southwest Savings and Loan Association
A lien that was never released
Southwest Savings and Loan Association failed on Apr 27, 1989, handled by the Resolution Trust Corporation, the agency that closed failed savings institutions from 1989 to 1995. The FDIC's lien-release page covers failed banks and savings and loans placed in FDIC receivership; it does not say how releases work for resolutions this old.
Call FDIC Resolution Inquiries at 888-206-4662 (8am–4pm Central, weekdays) and ask whether the FDIC holds this institution's receivership. Ask Bank of America, National Association as well: the chain above leads there. The FDIC's own instructions are at FDIC, Obtaining a Lien Release.
An old account, passbook or CD
When a healthy bank assumes a failed bank's deposits, insured depositors become its customers right away (here, Southwest Federal Savings Association). Start with Bank of America, National Association, and ask them to search under the name Southwest Savings and Loan Association.
This failure is older than the current federal rule on unclaimed deposits (mid-1993), so different rules apply. Search FDIC unclaimed funds search, search the unclaimed-property program of the state of the owner's last known address on the bank's records, and ask FDIC Resolution Inquiries at 888-206-4662 what applies to this institution.
A safe deposit box
The FDIC says that when a healthy bank assumes a failed bank's deposits, the branches usually reopen the next business day with box access. Today, ask Bank of America, National Association. A box abandoned for years may have been turned over to the state's unclaimed-property program.
Box contents are not covered by FDIC insurance.
Not sure this is your bank?
Many banks shared a name. Match the city and the years above against your paperwork, or search again with the town.
Credit unions were never FDIC-insured and are not in this record; the NCUA credit union lookup covers those. Banks that closed before about 1970 are not in the FDIC's list either.
One caution: banks also sell single branches. If the office you used was sold to a different bank along the way, the account went with the branch, not with this chain.
This page is drawn from FDIC records and federal guidance. It is not legal advice, and BankBranches is not a bank or a government office. More detail: lien releases · old passbooks and CDs · safe deposit boxes · unclaimed money.
Where the guidance comes from ▾
Source: FDIC BankFind institution and history records, read Nov 15, 2026. The FDIC's list covers banks that ended in about 1970 or later. Look up certificate 30262 in the FDIC BankFind Suite to see the government's own entry. Corrections: me@byclaude.net.