TRUST AGREEMENT



     This TRUST  AGREEMENT,  dated as of May 25, 1999 (this "Trust  Agreement"),
among Downey Financial Corp., a Delaware  corporation  (the  "Depositor"),  (ii)
Wilmington  Trust  Company a  Delaware  banking  corporation,  as  trustee  (the
"Delaware Trustee"), and (iii) Daniel D. Rosenthal, Thomas E. Prince and Paul G.
Woollatt,  each an individual,  as trustees (the "Administrative  Trustees" and,
together  with the Delaware  Trustee,  the  "Trustees").  The  Depositor and the
Trustees hereby agree as follows:

     1. The  trust  created  hereby  (the  "Trust")  shall  be known as  "DOWNEY
FINANCIAL  CAPITAL TRUST I" in which name the Trustees,  or the Depositor to the
extent provided herein, may engage in the transactions contemplated hereby, make
and execute contracts, and sue and be sued.

     2. The Depositor  hereby assigns,  transfers,  conveys and sets over to the
Trustees  the sum of Ten  Dollars  ($10.00).  The  Trustees  hereby  acknowledge
receipt  of such  amount  in  trust  from  the  Depositor,  which  amount  shall
constitute the initial trust estate.  The Trustees hereby declare that they will
hold the trust  estate in trust for the  Depositor.  It is the  intention of the
parties hereto that the Trust created  hereby  constitute a business trust under
Chapter 38 of Title 12 of the Delaware  Code,  12 Del. C. Section  3801, et seq.
(the "Business  Trust Act"),  and that this document  constitutes  the governing
instrument of the Trust.  The parties hereto hereby ratify the Trustees'  filing
of a  Certificate  of Trust with the Delaware  Secretary of State under the name
"DOWNEY FINANCIAL CAPITAL TRUST I."

     3. The  Depositor  and the Trustees will enter into an amended and restated
Trust Agreement,  satisfactory to each such party and  substantially in the form
included  as an  exhibit  to the 1933 Act  Registration  Statement  (as  defined
below),  to provide for the  contemplated  operation of the Trust created hereby
and the issuance of the Capital  Securities  and Common  Securities  referred to
therein.  Prior to the execution and delivery of such amended and restated Trust
Agreement,  the Trustees shall not have any duty or obligation hereunder or with
respect to the trust estate,  except as otherwise  required by applicable law or
as may be necessary to obtain prior to such execution and delivery any licenses,
consents or approvals required by applicable law or otherwise.

     4.  The  Depositor  and  the  Trustees  hereby  authorize  and  direct  the
Depositor,  as the  sponsor of the Trust,  (i) to file with the  Securities  and
Exchange  Commission (the  "Commission") and execute,  in each case on behalf of
the  Trust,  (a)  the  Registration   Statement  on  Form  S-3  (the  "1933  Act
Registration   Statement"),   including  any   pre-effective  or  post-effective
amendments to the 1933 Act Registration Statement,  relating to the registration
under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended,  of the Capital  Securities of the
Trust and possibly certain other securities and (b) if required,  a Registration
Statement on Form 8-A (the "1934 Act Registration Statement")





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(including all pre-effective and post-effective  amendments thereto) relating to
the  registration  of the Capital  Securities of the Trust under the  Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended;  (ii) to file with the New York Stock Exchange
or a national stock exchange  (each, an "Exchange") and execute on behalf of the
Trust one or more listing  applications and all other applications,  statements,
certificates,  agreements  and  other  instruments  as  shall  be  necessary  or
desirable to cause the Capital  Securities to be listed on any of the Exchanges;
(iii) to file and  execute  on behalf of the Trust such  applications,  reports,
surety  bonds,  irrevocable  consents,  appointments  of attorney for service of
process and other  papers and  documents  as shall be  necessary or desirable to
register the Capital  Securities  under the  securities or blue sky laws of such
jurisdictions  as the Depositor,  on behalf of the Trust,  may deem necessary or
desirable;  and (iv) to execute on behalf of the Trust that certain Underwriting
Agreement relating to the Capital Securities, among the Trust, the Depositor and
the Underwriters named therein, substantially in the form included as an exhibit
to the 1933 Act Registration Statement. In the event that any filing referred to
in clauses (i), (ii) and (iii) above is required by the rules and regulations of
the Commission,  an Exchange or state securities or blue sky laws to be executed
on behalf of the Trust by one or more of the Trustees,  each of the Trustees, in
such Trustee's  capacity as a trustee of the Trust, is hereby authorized and, to
the extent so  required,  directed  to join in any such filing and to execute on
behalf of the Trust any and all of the foregoing,  it being  understood that the
Delaware Trustee in its capacity as a trustee of the Trust shall not be required
to join in any such  filing or execute on behalf of the Trust any such  document
unless required by the rules and regulations of the Commission,  the Exchange or
state  securities or blue sky laws. In connection  with the filings  referred to
above,  the  Depositor  and Daniel D.  Rosenthal,  Thomas E.  Prince and Paul G.
Woollatt,  each as  Trustees  and not in  their  individual  capacities,  hereby
constitutes and appoints  Daniel D. Rosenthal and Thomas E. Prince,  and each of
them, as the Depositor's or such Trustee's true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and
agents, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for the Depositor or
such Trustee or in the Depositor's or such Trustee's  name,  place and stead, in
any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments (including post-effective
amendments) to the 1933 Act Registration Statement and the 1934 Act Registration
Statement  (if required) and to file the same,  with all exhibits  thereto,  and
other documents in connection therewith,  with the Commission,  the Exchange and
administrators  of the state  securities  or blue sky laws,  granting  unto said
attorneys-in-fact and agents full power and authority to do and perform each and
every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in connection  therewith,
as fully and to all intents and purposes as the  Depositor or such Trustee might
or  could  do  in  person,   hereby  ratifying  and  confirming  all  that  said
attorneys-in-fact  and agents or any of them, or their respective  substitute or
substitutes, shall do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

     5. This Trust Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts.

     6. The number of Trustees  initially  shall be four (4) and  thereafter the
number of Trustees shall be such number as shall be fixed from time to time by a
written  instrument  signed by the Depositor  which may increase or decrease the
number of  Trustees;  provided,  however,  that to the  extent  required  by the
Business  Trust  Act,  one  Trustee  shall  either be a natural  person who is a
resident of the State of Delaware or, if not a natural  person,  an entity which
has its principal place of business in the State of Delaware and otherwise meets
the requirements of applicable Delaware





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law.  Subject to the  foregoing,  the Depositor is entitled to appoint or remove
without cause any Trustee at any time.  The Trustees may resign upon thirty (30)
days' prior notice to the Depositor.

     7. This Trust  Agreement  shall be governed by, and construed in accordance
with, the laws of the State of Delaware  (without  regard to conflict of laws of
principles).

     IN WITNESS WHEREOF,  the parties hereto have caused this Trust Agreement to
be duly executed as of the day and year first above written.

                           Downey Financial Corp.
                           as Depositor


                           By:/s/ Donald E. Royer
                              ------------------------------------------------
                                  Donald E. Royer
                                  Executive Vice President and General Counsel


                           WILMINGTON TRUST COMPANY
                           as Trustee


                           By:/s/ W. Chris Sponenberg
                              ------------------------------------------------
                           Name:  W. Chris Sponenberg
                           Title: Assistant Vice President



                           By:/s/ Daniel D. Rosenthal
                              ------------------------------------------------
                              Daniel D. Rosenthal, as Administrative Trustee


                           By:/s/ Thomas E. Prince
                              ------------------------------------------------
                              Thomas E. Prince, as Administrative Trustee


                           By:/s/ Pual G. Woollatt
                              ------------------------------------------------
                              Paul G. Woollatt, as Administrative Trustee





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