Countrywide Expands Into Florida

Countrywide Financial Corp., Calabasas, Calif., has announced that its primary subsidiary, Countrywide Home Loans, has purchased two buildings near the Tampa International Airport to expand its corporate offices into Florida.Countrywide said it expects to make a capital investment of $20 million to $25 million, including the purchase of the building shells and property for more than $15.9 million. Patrick Benton, the company's managing director of corporate real estate administration, said the move was part of Countrywide's growth strategy to search for new office locations in business-friendly states. "In addition to the government support of targeted business development in Florida, we were attracted by the proximity of these two buildings to the airport, allowing for the convenient handling of documents that will come to this location from Countrywide offices around the country," Mr. Benton said. The company can be found online at http://www.countrywide.com.