Countrywide Financial Runs Out Of Money
Countrywide Financial Corp, the nation’s largest mortgage lender, is having serious trouble funding it’s loans. This is part of the overall mortgage crisis. Lenders are going out of business. Others can’t fund loans. All have restricted their lending guidelines. The mortgage market has gotten a lot tougher for homeowners:
Credit crisis puts squeeze on top lender
Friday, August 17, 2007
By STEPHEN BERNARD
ASSOCIATED PRESSNEW YORK — The nation’s largest mortgage lender borrowed $11.5 billion from a group of 40 banks to fund loans, in a move that shows just how deep the lending crisis has become.
Countrywide Financial Corp. on Thursday said it made the move amid a credit crunch that has driven a number of its smaller peers to bankruptcy. Shares opened down more than 12 percent Thursday, before rebounding somewhat late in the day.
“Countrywide has taken decisive steps which we believe will address the challenges arising in this environment and enable the company to meet its funding needs and continue growing its franchise,” said David Sambol, president and chief operating officer of Countrywide.
The credit worries have grown as the secondary market for mortgages all but disappeared in recent weeks. Investors have worried about the value of loans and rising delinquencies and defaults.
Mortgage lenders rely on the secondary markets to borrow money to make more loans. The problems started as subprime mortgages — loans given to customers with poor credit histories — started going delinquent and defaulting at faster rates.
The problems have spread to the broader mortgage market, making investors nervous about nearly all types of loans that cannot be purchased by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac.
Such “conforming” loans are considered safer because Fannie and Freddie are government-sponsored entities. Countrywide said some 90 percent of the loans it originates from now on will be conforming loans or will meet its internal bank criteria.
By adjusting its product mix to originate Fannie- and Freddie-approved loans almost exclusively, Countrywide will be cutting out most subprime, alt-A and jumbo loan products.
Alt-A mortgages are given to customers who have minor credit problems or cannot provide full income documentation required to get a traditional prime loan. Jumbo loans are mortgages for more than $417,000, the cap at which Fannie and Freddie will purchase loans. Jumbo loans typically are given to customers with excellent credit histories.
On Wednesday, a Merrill Lynch & Co. analyst downgraded Countrywide to “sell,” just days after calling it a “buy,” attributing the change to the rapid deterioration of the credit market. Friedman, Billings, Ramsey Group Inc. said Thursday a continued liquidity crunch for more than three months could send Countrywide into bankruptcy.
Asian stocks plunged overnight, and European markets fell sharply Thursday as U.S. credit worries continue to spread to other countries.
Credit rating agency Moody’s Investors Service downgraded Countrywide’s senior debt rating to “Baa3” from “A3,” citing Countrywide’s funding problems.
A ratings downgrade essentially makes it more expensive for a company to borrow money. Countrywide could be further downgraded if it continues to face liquidity problems, Moody’s said in a statement.
The new rating is Moody’s lowest investment-grade mark. Any downgrade would take Countrywide into “junk” status, which would keep many large institutional investors from owning its debt.
Countrywide shares fell $2.64 to $18.65 in early trading, with more than 12.6 million shares turning over in the first two minutes of trading.