Country Wide played a dirty little game:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/26/bu...hp&oref=slogin

Started as Countrywide Credit Industries in New York 38 years ago by Angelo R. Mozilo, a butcher’s son from the Bronx, and David Loeb, a founder of a mortgage banking firm in New York, who died in 2003, the company has become a $500 billion home loan machine with 62,000 employees, 900 offices and assets of $200 billion. Countrywide’s stock price was up 561 percent over the 10 years ended last December.

Mr. Mozilo has ridden this remarkable wave to immense riches, thanks to generous annual stock option grants. Rarely a buyer of Countrywide shares — he has not bought a share since 1987


A huge warning sign. That we dont often get to hear about till after the degredation occurs. CEO's etc... that sell their own stock and never buy any back.