August 17, 1984

With conservatives in full control of the debate, the Republican platform committee today crushed an attempt to endorse the proposed Federal equal rights amendment. The panel then also defeated a statement saying the party respected the views of those who support the amendment. In a long day of debate, the committee also turned aside attempts by party moderates to soften language supporting voluntary prayer in the public schools and barring Federal financing of virtually all abortions. The committee completed a platform draft this evening. It will be officially adopted Friday and will be presented to the party's national convention here next Tuesday.

An article yesterday on candidates' campaign airplanes omitted the most recent restriction on reporters aboard. The campaign of Representative Geraldine A. Ferraro has stated that all activities aboard Mrs. Ferraro's plane are ''off the record'' - not to be reported without special permission.

As depositors inundated the American Savings and Loan Association with inquiries today about the safety of their money and made what appeared to be an abnormally high number of withdrawals, the question of a possible Federal bailout of the nation's largest thrift institution became the most pressing issue within the industry. The Financial Corporation of America, parent of American Savings and Loan, reported on Wednesday that the thrift unit had less than the required minimum cash on hand to meet demand for payment on 5 percent of its deposits. It added that the situation was not likely to get any better this month. Financial also reported on Wednesday a loss of $107.5 million for the quarter ended June 30. The loss is believed to be the largest ever reported for one quarter by an American thrift institution.

Housing starts fell 6.6 percent in July, to an annual rate of 1.761 million, the Commerce Department announced today, signaling that this sector of the economy is slowing down because of the rise in mortgage interest rates. The month-to-month decline in single-and multi- family starts followed a 5.1 percent increase in June and a 11 percent drop in May. It put the annual rate well below the 1.933 million average registered in the first six months of the year. Starts of single-family homes dropped for the third month in a row, plummeting 10.1 percent to an annual rate of 982,000. July is the first time since December of 1982 that single- family starts have dipped below an annual rate of one million.

Citibank, which has said that it wants to add insurance to its array of financial products, began offering life insurance policies yesterday through an insurance company at two of its New York City branches. Under the arrangement, term, universal and whole-life policies will be sold at Citibank by salaried employees of the American International Life Assurance Company of New York. The company, a member of the American International Group, which took in more than $1 billion in life insurance premiums last year, has leased space in Citibank branches.