Bank of America Still Eyeing Countrywide

Bank of America CEO Kenneth Lewis says his company is still committed to buying money-losing lender Countrywide Financial Corp., even though the global credit crisis continues.

Lewis says the $3.1 billion Countrywide purchase was an important strategic move, giving Bank of America more than a 20 percent share of the mortgage marketplace. It remains a financially attractive deal, he says, even with credit and legal costs that may top $10 billion.

"We think we've got it right," he told a Wall Street conference. "We still have room to make it a financially attractive transaction."

Source: Reuters News, Joseph A. Giannone and Jonathan Stempel (06/11/08)