EXHIBIT 23.1(b)


                        CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT AUDITORS



The Board of Directors
Golden State Holdings Inc.


     We consent to the use of our report dated February 23, 1998, incorporated
herein by reference, relating to the consolidated balance sheets of First
Nationwide Holdings Inc. and subsidiaries as of December 31, 1997 and 1996, and
the related consolidated statements of income, comprehensive income,
stockholders' equity and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year
period ended December 31, 1997, which report appears in the December 31, 1997
annual report on Form 10-K of First Nationwide Holdings Inc.


                                                  /s/ KPMG Peat Marwick LLP
                                                  KPMG Peat Marwick LLP


Dallas, Texas
September 24, 1998