The bank should walk away from the deal, an analyst says. BofA says the transaction will proceed. Countrywide Financial Corp. shares took a hit Monday after an analyst questioned the value and wisdom of Bank of America Corp.'s takeover of the Calabasas mortgage lender, but Bank of America insisted the deal would go through.

LOS ANGELES - Credit-rating agency Standard & Poor's today cut Countrywide Financial's rating to junk status, citing new concerns that Bank of America may not take on all of the troubled mortgage lender's debt once its proposed takeover of Countrywide closes.

May 2 (Bloomberg) -- Bank of America Corp. , the second- biggest U.S. bank, said it may not guarantee $38.1 billion of Countrywide Financial Corp. 's debt after taking over the mortgage lender, increasing the likelihood of a default.

Shares rise on a predicted return to profitability for the lender, though doubts remain. IndyMac Bancorp Chief Executive Michael Perry came out swinging Thursday against Wall Street's increasingly dim view of the mortgage lender's future, and that gave the stock a pop.

Victor Correa approached the abandoned house with caution. The lawn was overgrown, and various pieces of junk — a broken charcoal grill and rusted push lawnmower included — littered the backyard. A mortgage lender hired Correa, 25, to clean the foreclosed home. Other than the address, ...

A group is said to be in talks to buy a $5-billion stake in the lender. Shares of Washington Mutual Inc. soared almost 30% on Monday on news that private investors are close to a deal to pump $5 billion into the battered mortgage lender, offering hope that the financial industry's fortunes could be turning around.

What is a "short sale"? It's when a homeowner facing foreclosure sells his or her property for less than what is owed to the mortgage lender.

Countrywide Financial Corp., the largest U.S. mortgage lender, is trying to block a Justice Department official from investigating its actions in cases filed by homeowners in bankruptcy, court papers show.

LOS ANGELES - Two California couples are suing KB Home and mortgage lender Countrywide Financial, claiming the companies schemed with real estate appraisers to inflate prices paid for homes as the housing market began to tank.

LOS ANGELES - Two California couples are suing KB Home and mortgage lender Countrywide Financial Corp.