Countrywide Net Up 15% in Period

Countrywide Credit Industries, the nation's second-largest mortgage lender, reported Tuesday that profits in its first quarter rose 15%, to $70 million.

Loan production for the quarter decreased 15%, to $9.4 billion, while the company's servicing portfolio, at $163 billion, was 14% larger than the year before.

Countrywide's production margins were the highest since the refinancing boom of 1994 as the company continued to expand its subprime and home equity loan divisions.

Monday, Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. analyst Jonathan Gray upgraded Countrywide shares to "outperform" from "market perform."

In a research note, Mr. Gray said he believes the company will earn $2.69 a share in fiscal 1998 and $2.90 a share in fiscal 1999.

And despite lower volume so far this year, Mr. Gray estimated that Countrywide would originate $39 billion of loans in fiscal 1998, a 3% gain from last year. Countrywide's fiscal year ends in February.

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