Angelo R. Mozilo CEO – Countrywide Financial |
Gretchen Morgenson
NY Times
ON June 27, 2006, Countrywide Financial, the nation’s largest mortgage lender, was about to close its books on a record-breaking six-month run. The housing market was on fire and Countrywide’s earnings were soaring. Despite all the euphoria inside the company, some executives noticed that Angelo R. Mozilo, the company’s brash and imperious chief executive, seemed subdued.
At a town hall meeting that day with 110 of the company’s highest-ranking executives in Calabasas, Calif., Mr. Mozilo sat alone on a stage, fielding questions and offering rosy predictions about his company’s prospects. But then he struck a sober note in response to a question from one of his colleagues.
The questioner wanted to know what, if anything, worried Mr. Mozilo, according to a participant.
“I wake up every day frightened that something is going to happen to Countrywide,” Mr. Mozilo said.
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