The nation’s leading savings and loan operator,...

The nation’s leading savings and loan operator, H.F. Ahmanson & Co., said profit fell 2%, citing lower net interest income and lower gains on sales of loans and mortgage-backed securities.

Great Western Financial Corp., the second-largest thrift company, reported a solid profit, reversing a year-earlier loss stemming from mass sales of soured loans and repossessed real estate.

Both Ahmanson, parent of Home Savings of America, and Great Western, which operates Great Western Bank, said their bad loans and foreclosures continued to decline.

Ahmanson’s net income for the third quarter slipped from $70 million, or 50 cents a share, to $68.5 million, or 47 cents a share.

Chairman Charles R. Rinehart said lower costs for handling foreclosed property and lower administrative expenses helped offset the decline in interest income and income from loan sales.

Chatsworth-based Great Western earned $57.2 million, or 38 cents a share, compared to a loss of $17.5 million, or 18 cents a share, during the third quarter of 1993.

Great Western Chairman James F. Montgomery also reported growth in income from fees and commissions charged customers.