Refis Up at Countrywide; B&C Down

Thanks to a strong refinancing market, Countrywide Home Loans originated $40.4 billion of home mortgages in April, an 11% gain from its volume in the same month last year.However, its nonprime fundings plunged by 48% to just $1.68 billion. The company released its April results on May 9, a day after its stock ran up 7.2% on takeover rumors. Countrywide's policy is not to comment on takeover talk, but investment banking sources familiar with the company told MortgageWire that they do not think the firm is in play. In April, refinancings accounted for 61% of its production, compared with 54% for the same month last year. About 0.69% of all the loans Countrywide services ($1.4 trillion) are in some form of foreclosure. The company can be found online at http://www.countrywide.com.