A Message to all CFC Employees from Angelo Mozilo, Chairman and CEO
As you know, the unprecedented and worldwide dislocation of the credit markets combined with actions taken by regulators, rating agencies, legislators, the media and others have strained the housing and housing finance sectors as never seen since the Great Depression. Almost without exception, every financial institution, both large and small, has been negatively impacted by the events that drained liquidity from all sectors of the financial services industry. Countrywide has been weathering this storm through the dedication and hard work of our management and employees. However, we have come to recognize that those companies with reliable sources of capital and liquidity and significant scale will be the ultimate winners in this environment and in the longer term as the mortgage markets normalize. We also recognize that, as the industry changes and consolidates, we must embrace these changes.
In order to enhance what we have all worked so hard to build over the past 40 years, we have taken a decisive step to ensure our continued industry leadership. Today, we have announced that Bank of America, which has been an important financial partner of Countrywide for many years, will be acquiring our Company. BofA is one of the largest and most influential financial institutions in the U.S. and internationally, and we firmly believe that the combination of Countrywide and BofA will create the most powerful mortgage franchise in the world. I, as well as many of our senior managers, have worked closely with Bank of America for many years and in fact it was Bank of America that provided me with the necessary funds to start the operations of Countrywide in 1968.
As you will see in the attached press release announcing this transaction, BofA has announced that it plans to operate Countrywide separately under the Countrywide brand, with integration occurring no sooner than 2009. We are confident that both our servicing and origination businesses, as well as other aspects of our operations, will be substantially enhanced as a result of this transaction.
Most importantly, I want to express my deep and sincere appreciation to all who have labored so hard for so many years to build the most important mortgage franchise in the history of America. We have provided over 25 million families with an opportunity to have a home of their own, to build equity and to utilize that equity to educate their children and to have the best life possible in our great country. I have always been proud of the fact that we have made such a positive difference in the lives of millions of families through three generations of homebuyers. The fact that we are now financing homes for the grandchildren of our first generation of mortgagors is not only a testimony to customer satisfaction but to our ability to be the lender of choice for over 40 years. We have accomplished what many thought could never be done, and all of you should be proud of the part that you have played and will continue to play as we move forward into the next stage of Countrywide’s history.
We are already commencing the process of developing a detailed and well-organized integration plan, and we will be updating you as this process moves forward. Dave Sambol will be working closely with me and the entire senior management team to ensure an efficient and effective transition. Dave will be spearheading all of these initiatives to ensure not only a smooth transition but, as importantly, the continuation of Countrywide’s leadership in mortgage finance.
Finally, I want to thank everyone who has stood by my side during the past four decades to make the dream that Dave Loeb and I had 40 years ago become a reality. When we join together with Bank of America, I am counting on your commitment and dedication to continue to realize this dream.
Friday, January 11:
The Dollyrots (8:30 PM), Mere Mortals (9:00 PM), The Start (10:00 PM) at Troubadour. $12
Jon Brion at Largo.
Marty and Elayne (9:00 PM) at Dresden Room.
Main Stage: Loverlee (8:00 PM) at The Derby.
Midnight Happy Hour Charlie Wadhams (7:45 PM) at The Mint. $12
The Gray Kid, DJ Dia, DJ Markk, DJ Larryy (8:30 PM) at The Echo… $7
The Moon Upstairs, The Black Heart Procession (8:30 PM) at Spaceland.
JCs Birthday The Ignorant, Stab City, Midnight Shakes (9:00 PM) at Old Towne Pub. $5
Playing the best in Big Hair Rock and Roll DJ Apollo Staar, Trans Am (6:00 PM) at Beauty Bar.
https://www.afstrinity.com/
On January 13, the world of hybrids will change forever.
AFS Trinity Power Corporation
150 MPG – Saturn Vue
https://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/tech/2008/01/11/hunter.extreme.hybrid.cnn
The Experience Music Project – Bob Dylan – Amercan Journey 1956-1966 is coming February 8 through June 8, 2008(Getty Gallery) to the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, located near the Getty, off the 405, at the top of the Sepulveda pass. With convenient parking at the center.
This exhibition is organized by Experience Music Project, Seattle Washington, and is presented at the Skirball by Steve Tisch. Photo by Barry Feinstein.
Learn more about the exhibit at:
https://www.skirball.org/index.php?option=com_ccevents&scope=exbt&task=detail&ccmenu=v2hhdcdzie9u&oid=24
and
https://www.empsfm.org/exhibitions/index.asp?categoryID=21&ccID=83
More details:
Bob Dylan’s American Journey, 1956-1966Experience Music Project presents Bob Dylan’s American Journey, 1956-1966, which has traveled to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, the Morgan Library & Museum in New York City and the Weisman Art Museum in Minneapolis. >> Click here for detailed exhibition specifications and logistical information. Few figures in the history of American popular music have reached the status of Bob Dylan. As the man who showed the world that popular music could be classified as art, Dylan has created a distinctly American body of work to match the legacies of Walt Whitman, Louis Armstrong, and his early musical hero, Woody Guthrie. Many people have declared Dylan’s lyrics to be poetry; his songs also unearth and revitalize the American folk and blues tradition, serving as a key link in the chain that extends from Southern work songs, blues and Anglo American ballads to the many contemporary singer-songwriters for whom Dylan is a main influence. But Dylan’s story is not simply that of a musical evolution. As a public figure and artistic innovator, he has taken and chronicled a journey emblematic of modern America’s own development. Bob Dylan’s American Journey, 1956-1966, features more than 150 artifacts, including Dylan’s 1949 Martin 00-17 guitar, typed and handwritten lyrics, rare concert posters and handbills, signed albums, and dozens of photographs, as well as unique artifacts from artists such as Joan Baez, Woody Guthrie, Carolyn Hester, Bruce Langhorne and D. A. Pennebaker. The exhibition features five films exploring different facets of Bob Dylan’s career, with rare performance footage and interviews with Dylan and other key artists such as Baez, Langhorne and Robbie Robertson. In addition to the films, two viewing stations allow visitors to watch excerpts from the Dylan films Dont Look Back and Eat the Document, as well as excerpts of interviews with Dylan reflecting on his early career. Throughout the exhibition space are six listening stations that enable visitors to hear Dylan’s musical evolution and innovations during this 10-year period. Each station includes tracks from his first seven albums, as well as outtakes, bootlegs, cover versions and other songs that influenced Dylan’s work. An hour-long audio tour features Bob Dylan and other artists and individuals such as Joan Baez, Allen Ginsberg, Al Kooper, Robbie Robertson, Mavis Staples and Izzy Young, sharing their stories and insights about Dylan, music and the turbulent sixties. Click on a thumbnail for a larger image:
Exhibition design by Wonder Mine
Exhibition Includes:
Five exhibition films featuring rare performance and interview footage of Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, The Byrds, John Cohen, Pete Seeger, Dave Van Ronk and others
Six listening stations featuring Bob Dylan’s first seven albums
A viewing station featuring excerpts from two Dylan documentaries: Dont Look Back and Eat the Document Bob Dylan’s 1949 Martin 00-17 guitar Woody Guthrie’s Martin guitar, with “Woody” and “This machine kills fascists” carved in the back Typed and handwritten lyrics for songs, including “Blowin’ in the Wind,” “Chimes of Freedom” and “Mr. Tambourine Man,” among others
Never-before-released recording of Dylan’s first concert, at Carnegie Chapter Hall
Albums signed by Dylan with song lyrics
Dozens of images by photographers such as Barry Feinstein, Daniel Kramer, John Cohen and others
Large-scale map of Greenwich Village showing the key folk clubs where Dylan and others played
Exhibition Schedule 3 times per year in 13-week cycles Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Cleveland, OHMay 20, 2006 – September 4, 2006 The Morgan Library & Museum, New York, NYSeptember 29, 2006 – January 6, 2007 Weisman Art Museum, Minneapolis, MNFebruary 2, 2007 – April 29, 2007 Skirball Cultural Center and Museum, Los Angeles, CA, February 8, 2008 – June 8, 2008, last venue Tour closes
Exhibition Materials
Approximately 150 artifacts
Wall text
Structures for mini-theaters, six listening stations and one viewing station
Marketing collateral
Educational curriculum upon request
Exhibition Space Requirements 2,500-3,000 square feet
Shipping One 12 foot climate control truck for artifacts One 48-53 foot non-climate trailer for non-artifacts
Shipping Fees Hosting institution pays one-way shipping
Insurance Hosting institution is responsible for Certificate of Insurance prior to shipping
Fees Exhibition fee $90,000 plus shipping
Collateral Items Art work for exhibition poster available upon request Art work for exhibition postcard available upon request
ContactFor more information, please contact our Traveling Exhibitions Program at travelingexhibits@empsfm.org or 206.262.3170.
Bank of America is set to acquire Countrywide. More details to follow.
Mozilo stands to make $115 million from the deal.
Does Countrywide have a choice? What is in for the employees of Countrywide? Many have lost their jobs over the last year as the mortgage crises continues.
Seeing the stock price of Countrywide tumble to under $8 having gone as high as almost $43 last year. Over 80% off the high.
We will see how things develop in this move. I have a Bank of America mortgage and have had no problems. I previously had a CountryWide mortgage and was not happy with the way I was treated. In addition to the class action lawsuit that is ongoing Countrywide is facing some challenges.
Make life a little sweeter this Valentine’s Day. Featuring popular “Always Free” Shipping offer. These delicious offers are sure to please a deserving hearts.
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The $129 Kodak EasyShare M763 has a 2.7-inch LCD and face detection technology. The camera comes in 6 colors, and the rep told me it’s Kodak’s answer to Canon’s SD1000, though about $50-$70 cheaper.
PANIC AT THE DISCO GOES COAST-TO-COAST IN ECO-FRIENDLY FAST LANE
AS HEADLINER OF 8TH ANNUAL HONDA CIVIC TOUR
Honda Civic Hybrid Customized by Panic At The Disco to Be Won by Lucky Fan
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 10, 2008 — Start your engines as Panic At The Disco leaves Sin City for center stage as headliner for the 8th annual Honda Civic Tour. American Honda Motor Co., Inc. announced the participation of the platinum-selling, MTV Video Music Award-winning band today at the company’s U.S. headquarters in Torrance, Calif. The event featured the unveiling of the Panic At The Disco customized and autographed Honda Civic Hybrid and a surprise performance by the Las Vegas-bred quartet which was hosted by Honda Civic Tour alum Mark Hoppus of +44 and Blink-182.
The Honda Civic Tour (HCT) continues to provide fans with a unique, interactive concert experience, allowing them to get up close and personal with their favorite bands. Panic At The Disco (PATD) will take the stage with material from their highly anticipated sophomore album, PRETTY. ODD., the follow-up to 2005’s A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out. Advance word on the new disc promises songs particularly well suited to live performance, which Honda Civic Tour fans will be the first to confirm as the band brings their dynamic stage show to intimate venues throughout the U.S. The tour kicks off April 10th in San Francisco at the Warfield Theatre and will close with an unforgettable performance at The Honda Center in Anaheim, Ca. on June 14th. Full schedule, on-sale dates and support acts will be announced at a later date.
Over the past seven years nearly two million fans have enjoyed the HCT experience, and the tour has developed a reputation for putting fans first as an entertainment brand backed by Honda. The eighth year demonstrates the consistent annual commitment Honda has made to developing and supporting emerging music artists. This commitment will be demonstrated yet again with tickets priced for maximum affordability.
Said Panic At The Disco lead singer Brendon Urie: “We’re taking advice from Fall Out Boy, who headlined the Honda Civic Tour last year, on how to make this year’s tour even better. Those guys set the bar pretty high, but we’re really looking forward to hitting the road again and are definitely up for the challenge.” Guitarist Ryan Ross commented: “We were just kids when we went to see Good Charlotte and New Found Glory in Vegas during the ’03 Civic Tour so it’s pretty amazing to now be headlining.”
Beyond great music, this year’s Honda Civic Tour is also deploying an environmental action plan. In the tradition of the past three Honda Civic Tours featuring the Civic Hybrid, the ’08 trek is aimed at effecting positive environmental change. New for this year, nonprofits Reverb (a leader in the “greening” of concert tours) and Global Inheritance (a champion of progressive causes with a tight connection to youth subcultures) have been selected by Panic At The Disco. They are collaborating to engage audiences in fun, fan-friendly, interactive exhibits during the tour. Additionally, this collective will make a substantial contribution to a cause to be determined by the end of the tour. The concept chosen will be selected on its merit to make a lasting impact on the generation-defining environmental movement in the name of the 2008 Honda Civic Tour with Panic At The Disco.
Tickets will equal action. For every Honda Civic Tour Panic At The Disco ticket purchased, $1 will go into a fund designated for non-profit tour partners Reverb and Global Inheritance. Being green does not get any easier than buying a ticket to the ’08 Honda Civic Tour!
In keeping with one of the Honda Civic Tour’s most exciting traditions, Panic At The Disco has designed a special, one-of-a-kind Honda Civic Hybrid to be showcased at each stop of the tour. Fans will have the opportunity throughout the tour to enter to win this green machine, which has been autographed by the band, making it the ultimate in HCT memorabilia. The PATD-personalized hybrid was unveiled to select Honda associates and the press at today’s announcement event.
The most up to date HCT news can be found at www.hondacivictour.com, and, on Jan. 30, beginning at 10 a.m. PST fans can register online to participate in a ticket pre-sale.
Panic At The Disco’s platinum-selling debut, A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out (Decaydance/Fueled by Ramen), spawned multiple radio and video hits, among them “I Write Sins Not Tragedies,” which went to #1 on MTV and was named Video of the Year at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards. The band has previously been featured on the covers of Rolling Stone, Spin and Alternative Press and is nominated for a Grammy in the “Best Boxed or Limited Edition Package” for A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out at the upcoming awards ceremony taking place on February 10th.
Past Honda Civic Tour headliners include The Black Eyed Peas, Blink-182, Everclear, Incubus, Good Charlotte and New Found Glory, Dashboard Confessional, Maroon 5, and most recently, Fall Out Boy.
Produced by Marketing Factory, the Honda Civic Tour brings innovation and environmental consciousness to the masses by combining the hottest in automotive technology with the hottest in music.
For more information, visit the official Honda Civic Tour website at www.hondacivictour.com.
About Honda
Honda, the most fuel efficient car company in America, began operations in the U.S. in 1959 with the establishment of American Honda Motor Co., Inc., Honda’s first overseas subsidiary. Honda now employs more than 35,000 associates in North America. Honda currently has 14 manufacturing plants in North America, producing automobiles, light trucks, motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles, personal watercraft, engines, transmissions and other components. Nearly 8 of 10 Honda and Acura cars and light trucks sold in America are assembled in North America as well. Many of these products are now designed and developed at one of Honda’s U.S. R&D centers. Honda annually purchases more than $17 billion in parts and materials from suppliers in North America.
About Reverb
Reverb is a nonprofit organization helping make concert tours and the music industry safer for the environment. Aside from “greening” tours by fueling vehicles with biodiesel and promoting other earth-friendly products and practices, Reverb engages fans with its traveling, interactive Eco-Village, home to a fan carbon-offset program, green contests and educational outreach.
About Global Inheritance
Global Inheritance is a 501c3 nonprofit organization working to reinvent activism for today’s youth. Global Inheritance’s Tour de Panic allows Honda Civic Tour audiences to power their cell phones by riding bikes equipped with the latest in eco-efficient technology. By focusing on the power of creativity to communicate and push for progressive social change, Global Inheritance’s programs are able to educate and empower the individual.
Media Contacts:
Honda Civic Tour (ROGERS & COWAN)
Fran Curtis / Lauren Ceradini / Heather Lewandoski
212-445-8423 / 212-445-8418 / 310-854-8147
fcurtis@rogersandcowan.com / lceradini@rogersandcowan.com / hlewandoski@rogersandcowan.com
Panic At The Disco
Christina Kotsamanidis
212-707-224
1
Christina.Kotsamanidis@atlanticrecords.com
American Honda Motor Co., Inc.
Chris Martin
310-783-3164
chris_martin@ahm.honda.com
Marketing Factory
Matthew Berkson
310-314-8008
matt@marketingfactory.com
Reverb
Brian Allenby
207-221-6553
brian@reverbrock.org
Global Inheritance
Eric Ritz
323-854-7061
ericritz@globalinheritance.org
Urban Network Magazine Turns 20
Company Preps for Annual Entertainment-Marketing Summit, March 26-29
Premiering with its first issue back in February of 1988, the Los Angeles-based Urban Network Magazine, is celebrating its 20th Anniversary.
Originally, launched as a trade publication, servicing the Urban radio, music retail and record company landscapes, Urban Network has expanded its brand both as a print magazine and integrated website to target the consumer and music/entertainment industry enthusiast.
The Urban Network is once again proud to announce its return to the Newport Beach Hyatt in Newport Beach, California—the site of the 18th Annual Urban Network Entertainment-Marketing Summit. This year’s conference, March 26-29, 2008, promises to be bigger and better than ever.
The Summit will feature an array of seminars discussing such issues as the Music Industry’s New Business Models, the State of Urban Radio, Operating a Successful Independent Label, Effectively Marketing Your Music Thru Social Networks, Radio Alternatives for the Indie Artist (i.e. Cable, Satellite and Internet), Survival as an Indie Retailer, Hip-Hop’s Shrinking Market, and a New Media Digital Panel & Breakout Sessions. Starbucks Entertainment President, Kenneth Lombard, is signed on to be a keynote speaker.
The Urban Network Entertainment-Marketing Summit will continue its tradition of celebrating the genre of Gospel Music on Thursday, March 27 with events hosted by Universal-Fontana, Verity-Zomba, and a Midnight Gospel Showcase, including some of the best independent and inspirational talent on the scene.
SonyBMG, EMI-Capitol Music Group, and Warner Elektra Atlantic Distribution are hosting showcases throughout the four-day event—highlighting many of their respective top recording artists.
The Hip-Hop community will take part in a Power Panel and Mix-show DJ seminar on Friday, March 28—while indie and unsigned artists will perform at the Annual Independent Music Festival, Saturday, March 29—capping off with an Urban Network 20th Anniversary Gala & Awards celebration Saturday evening.
“To be around for 20 years—especially in today’s unpredictable marketplace—is a milestone to be celebrated, “says Miller London, Urban Network’s President & CEO. “We at the Urban Network are very grateful to the industry and to those who have given their ongoing support; and, we look forward to you all joining us for our Summit in Newport Beach. I suggest you register for your Hotel rooms as well as your Conference registration, immediately; as we have a lot of great surprises in store at this year’s Summit. This is an event you certainly won’t want to miss.”
For more information, an updated schedule of events, panelists, speakers, performers at the Urban Network Entertainment-Marketing Summit, and registration, continue to visit www.urbannetwork.com
NEW CAKE BATTER MUSCLE MILK! Exclusive Flavor. Only at Bodybuilding.com!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Bodybuilding.com Releases Exclusive Muscle Milk Cake Batter Flavor!
Boise, ID – January 1, 2008 – Bodybuilding.com, the Internet’s most- visited bodybuilding and fitness site and largest retailer of nutritional supplements, has teamed with CytoSport to release their much-anticipated exclusive Cake Batter Muscle Milk.
On November 5, 2007, Bodybuilding.com’s Vice President Jeremy DeLuca asked Bodybuilding.com Forum members to nominate a taste for a brand- new flavor of CytoSport Muscle Milk. When CytoSport extended the rights for an exclusive Bodybuilding.com flavor, they felt it was a decision only their customers could rightfully make. With over 500 Bodybuilding.com Forum posts and 11,000+ views, the votes came in and Cake Batter was declared the official Muscle Milk flavor winner.
For those of you not familiar with Muscle Milk, it is an evolutionary muscle formula that promotes efficient fat-burning, lean muscle growth, and fast recovery from exercise. Metabolically favorable ingredients stimulate growth and recovery in a similar manner to mother’s milk nourishing a baby. Bodybuilding.com offers more than twenty different Muscle Milk flavors on their website, but Cake Batter is their first exclusive flavor with CytoSport.
“Muscle Milk is one of our most popular supplements, so to be able to offer another flavor option that is exclusively available at Bodybuilding.com is a great opportunity. Not to mention, this stuff tastes amazing,” says V.P. DeLuca.
To find out more about new Cake Batter Muscle Milk, visit: NEW CAKE BATTER MUSCLE MILK! Exclusive Flavor. Only at Bodybuilding.com!
Bodybuilding.com offers more than 6,000 health and fitness supplements & accessories to help people achieve their fitness goals. They offer more than 19,000 pages of FREE bodybuilding and fitness information, including more than 9,000 articles (written by 385+ writers), video & audio segments, and new content added daily.
NEW CAKE BATTER MUSCLE MILK! Exclusive Flavor. Only at Bodybuilding.com!