FINANCIAL CORP &lt;FIN> UNIT BUYS BRANCHES

  Financial Corporation of
  America's American Savings and Loan Association unit said it
  signed a definitive agreement to buy three retail savings
  branches from Gibraltar Financial Corp's &lt;GFC> Gibraltar
  Savings unit.
      The purchase, which must be approved by the Federal Home
  Loan Bank and the California Department of Savings and Loans,
  would increase American Savings' deposits by about 40 mln dlrs.
      The branches are in La Jolla, La Mesa and San Juan
  Capistrano, Calif.
  

