La Opinión named Countrywide Home Loans, Inc. "Corporation of the Year" for their outstanding work in the Latino community, during the Negocios 2000 awards presentation held on June 13 at Union Station in Los Angeles. Accepting the award were Countrywide’s Chairman Angelo Mozilo and Antonio Valdez, Vice President of Countrywide’s Retail Business Development.

"As the leading home lender to Hispanics nationwide, Countrywide is dedicated to going above and beyond traditional marketing efforts to reach Hispanic consumers, an important market segment," said Antonio Valdez. "Countrywide’s goal is to demystify the home buying process for the Hispanic consumer. This award acknowledges our efforts, and is a good indicator that the business community as well as key community leaders believe that we are doing the right thing."

For the third consecutive year, Countrywide Home Loans, Inc., has been the nation’s leading lender to Hispanics (HMDA data: 1996-1998). From 1995 to 1998, Countrywide made over 75,000 loans to U.S. Hispanics, helping them realize their "sueño dorado."

Countrywide has developed a "seamless" Spanish-language customer service process, whereby consumers desiring to communicate in Spanish can do so from their initial contact with Countrywide through the mortgage process and to the actual loan servicing. Countrywide has over 100 branches across the U.S. with Spanish-language capabilities and bilingual, bicultural home loan experts recruited through Countrywide’s extensive Human Resources initiative. In addition, Countrywide offers Spanish-language counseling to consumers through its national House America counseling center. Here, consumers who are not quite ready to become homeowners can work with loan experts who can provide them with credit and budget counseling, as well as information about the home buying process.

Countrywide’s Hispanic consumer marketing efforts strive to partner with media entities that will empower the Hispanic community by educating the consumer on how to become a homeowner. Key broadcast media partners include the Radio Unica network (Countrywide sponsors a weekly homebuyer education show called "Su Casa Propia con Countrywide") and local Univision stations (Countrywide has sponsored home buyer education segments and news features in New York, Los Angeles, San Antonio, and Miami).

Additionally, Countrywide has partnered with local newspapers in key Hispanic markets providing homebuyer education tips, as well as a weekly column in which consumers can ask questions and get answers from a Countrywide expert. Newspaper partners include La Opinión (Los Angeles), El Diario/La Prensa (New York), El Nuevo Herald (Miami), Vida en el Valle (Fresno), El Sol de San Diego and Hispanos Unidos (San Diego), El Popular (Bakersfield) and La Prensa (Orlando).

Founded in 1969, Countrywide Home Loans, Inc. is the largest subsidiary of Countrywide Credit Industries (NYSE: CCR), a member of the S&P 500. As the largest direct online lender, the company offers online loan applications (www.countrywide.com) in addition to a nationwide network of more than 550 branch offices providing personalized mortgage finance services. The company, headquartered in Calabasas, California, was founded on the principle of affordable homeownership for all Americans and is a leading lender to lower income and minority home buyers nationwide. For more information on Countrywide’s products and services, consumers may visit the company’s website at www.countrywide.com , or call (888)SU-CASA5.

Countrywide is aided in its Hispanic market efforts by Español Marketing & Communications, Inc., headquartered in Cary, NC. Español has been Countrywide’s Hispanic agency of record since 1995.

Countrywide Credit Industries, Inc.

Countrywide Credit Industries, Inc.

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