Countrywide’s 2nd-Quarter Profit Rises 27%

Countrywide Credit Industries Inc., the largest independent home mortgage company in the U.S., said fiscal second-quarter earnings rose 27%, as low interest rates prompted a boom in home buying. Countrywide said net income rose to $95.1 million, or 81 cents a diluted share, in the quarter ended Aug. 31, from $74.7 million, or 67 cents, before a one-time gain from the sale of a subsidiary in the year-ago quarter. The results are in line with the 80-cent average forecast by analysts surveyed by First Call Corp. Calabasas-based Countrywide’s income from new loans more than doubled to $157 million. Loan production revenue more than doubled to $368 million. Countrywide shares fell $2.69 to close at $41.94 on the NYSE.