OC'S WEALTHIEST

Orange County Business Journal, Aug 9-Aug 15, 2004 by Padilla, Mathew, Lyster, Michael, Simons, Andrew, Cruz, Sherri, Bellantonio, Jennifer

Driving Ameriquest's growth: low mortgage interest rates and soaring home prices, which have prompted borrowers to swap credit card debt for a refinanced or second mortgage.

Like some others on our list, Arnall doesn't live here. In 2002, he and wife Dawn paid $30 million for Engelbert Humperdinck's ??-acre compound in Holmby Hills. Earlier this year, the Arnalls paid $46 million for an Aspen, Colo., get-away estate.

We're including Arnall on our list because his company is based in Orange County. Industry speculation values Ameriquest at a ballpark $2 billion, and Arnall is believed to be the primary owner.

We're conservatively estimating Arnall's wealth at $1.2 billion to allow for debt and any ownership stake offered to management or outside investors.

Ameriquest is a somewhat low-key, privately held company. Last year, the company became the nation's largest lender to borrowers with less-than-perfect credit.

Arnall generally shuns the limelight. But his company is working hard to be noticed by homeowners and buyers.

Ameriquest has expanded into more traditional home loans and is spending big on sponsorships and advertising tied to Major League Baseball. The company in May agreed to pay $2.5 million a year for 30 years for naming rights to the stadium home of the Texas Rangers, now known as Ameriquest Field in Arlington, Texas.

The company said it is gaining brand recognition via baseball and national advertising.

Arnall has been a big donor to Democrats, including former Gov. Gray Davis, and Hillary Clinton and John Kerry during their 2000 Senate runs. Davis even officiated at Arnall's wedding. Arnall gave to the anti-recall effort but backed Arnold Schwarzenegger once he was elected governor.

Last summer, Arnall hosted a fundraiser for President Bush at his home with Vice President Dick Cheney, in support of the administration's stand on national security. The take: $1 million for the Bush campaign.

Arnall is said to be a "super ranger"-one of 160 or so fundraisers who have collected at least $28 million for Bush's reelection efforts, according to the Republican National Committee.

He's also a big charitable giver. Arnall and his wife have donated millions to local and national nonprofit groups, including the Siegal Glaucoma Research Professorship at the University of Tennessee and the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, D.C.

Locally, the Arnalls support Olive Crest Homes and Services for Abused Children, The Fulfillment Fund and Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, among others.

-Mathew Padilla

No. 6

GEORGE ARGYROS

Ambassador to Spain;

Owner, Arnel & Affiliates;

Limited partner, Westar Capital LLC

Estimated worth: $1 billion

George Argyros has had other things on his mind besides getting richer.

We've kept his estimated worth at a round $1 billion as Argyros has focused more on diplomacy than business in the past few years.

He's had a tough time at the tail end of his ambassadorship to Spain as the U.S.'s key European ally switched gears after the Madrid bombing earlier this year.