California Home Loan 360

Mortgage finance company Freddie Mac said today its first quarter loss widened to $151 million as the U.

Production and legal expenses contribute to a $46.6-million deficit. Mattel Inc. reported a surprise first-quarter loss Monday, saying sharp increases in production costs and litigation expenses -- some stemming from product recalls last year -- hurt its bottom line.

LOS ANGELES - Countrywide Financial reported a $422 million fourth-quarter loss Tuesday, as an increase in missed payments and a lack of buyers for its mortgages left it unable to return to the profit its chairman, Angelo R.

WASHINGTON - Fannie Mae's third-quarter loss more than doubled to $1.4 billion, reducing year-to-date profits by more than half, as credit losses and mounting mortgage delinquencies sour its outlook into 2008, the company said Friday.

Feeling the mortgage pinch, the S & L's parent will record a quarterly deficit of $23 million. In the latest grim warning from a home lender, Newport Beach-based savings and loan operator Downey Financial Corp. said Wednesday that it would report a third-quarter loss because of California's weakening housing markets.