Countrywide, Realtor Form Joint Venture

Countrywide Home Loans Inc., Calabasas, Calif., and Starck & Co., a Chicago-area Realtor, have announced the formation of a joint venture that will offer a variety of home financing programs and simplify the process of buying or selling a home.The venture, First Freedom Mortgage, will be an operating division of Countrywide Mortgage Ventures LLC. It will offer more than 130 programs that include zero-downpayment options, fixed- and adjustable-rate loans, and "optimum flexibility" on rates and terms, the companies said. John W. Stewart, Countrywide's executive vice president of strategic business development, said the venture will offer customers one-stop shopping. Andy Starck, chief executive officer of Starck & Co., said customers "can get pre-approved in our offices, saving the time and hassle of seeking pre-qualification and pre-approval elsewhere before coming to us." The companies can be found online at http://www.countrywide.com and http://www.homesbystarck.com.