CALABASAS, Calif., Nov. 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- With the ringing of
today's opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange by Countrywide Financial
Corporation (NYSE: CFC) Chairman and CEO Angelo R. Mozilo and Executive
Managing Director and COO Stanford L. Kurland, the diversified financial
services provider begins trading under its new ticker symbol -- CFC.

Earlier this week, it was announced that Countrywide Credit Industries, Inc.
(NYSE: CCR), which has traded on the NYSE under the ticker symbol CCR since
1985, had changed its operating name. "Countrywide Financial Corporation"
more accurately reflects the breadth of the 34-year-old firm's family of
companies, which have expanded to include banking, insurance, capital markets,
closing services and global endeavors, surrounding and leveraging the
company's core competencies as a leader in residential mortgage banking.

Coinciding with its new name, Countrywide Financial is unveiling a new
design and portal page for its acclaimed, mortgage industry-leading Web site at www.countrywide.com to make online shopping and transactions even easier
and more efficient for consumers.

"This name change accentuates Countrywide's evolution from a mortgage
lending powerhouse into a comprehensive diversified financial services
provider. The newly redesigned Web site provides customers with an Internet
experience that more completely represents the financial products and services
offered by our business units," said Kurland. "Customers have come to rely on
the Countrywide Web site for valuable educational resources and financial
management tools. We are confident that consumers will appreciate the latest
functionality, enhanced navigation, and substantive and timely information our
redesigned site offers."

The most commonly accessed features of the Countrywide site are now easily
accessible from the home page, enabling quick entry to the site's most popular
areas. The new home page organizes content around product groupings with
links for purchase, refinance and home equity mortgages, plus personal
financial services including banking and insurance offered by the Countrywide
family of companies. In addition, the site provides simplified shortcuts to
high interest areas such as calculators, rate and cost information and
streamlined application for home loans, certificates of deposit or insurance;
as well as log-in to a secure personal home page, where an existing customer
can manage his or her Countrywide accounts.

In addition to redesigning the look and feel of the site to represent the
comprehensive Countrywide experience, the following enhancements were made:
-- Account Aggregation - In the "Your Accounts" section of the site,
customers have the ability to review information on all of their
Countrywide accounts in one area. This new functionality provides
existing customers with a one-stop checkpoint for their Countrywide
mortgage, banking, insurance and investment activities.
-- Global Navigation - The community of over 800,000 unique monthly users
of Countrywide.com may utilize a global navigation bar at the top of
the site to seamlessly traverse through various product lines and
business divisions.
-- Corporate Information Accessibility - The "About Us and Investor
Relations" sections of the site have been enhanced to present
corporate information in a clear and accessible format. Consumers,
media, analysts and investors can quickly obtain financial
information, including annual reports, earnings announcements,
investor presentations and news releases. An interactive timeline
provides a historical view of the company. In keeping with the
company's increased commitment to transparency, the Investor Relations
site now contains substantially enhanced financial information.

About Countrywide Financial Corporation

Founded in 1969, Countrywide Financial Corporation (NYSE: CFC), formerly
Countrywide Credit Industries, Inc. (NYSE: CCR), is a member of the S&P 500,
Fortune 500 and Forbes 500. Countrywide, through its subsidiaries, provides
mortgage banking and diversified financial services in domestic and
international markets. Consumer businesses include mortgages, insurance and
other financial products. Business-to-business activities encompass capital
markets, transaction processing and insurance. The company is headquartered
in Calabasas, California and has more than 25,000 employees with over 500
offices nationwide.

Principal subsidiaries include Countrywide Home Loans, Inc, which
originates, purchases, securitizes, sells and services prime-quality loans;
Full Spectrum Lending, Inc., a sub-prime residential lender; LandSafe, Inc., a
provider of loan closing services; Countrywide Insurance Services, Inc., a
national insurance agency offering home-related insurance products; Balboa
Life & Casualty Group, whose companies are national providers of property,
liability and life insurance; Balboa Reinsurance, a captive mortgage
reinsurance company; Countrywide Capital Markets, a mortgage-related
investment banker; and Treasury Bank, N.A., a banking entity offering
customers CDs, money market accounts, and home loan products. In addition,
Countrywide owns 70 percent of Global Home Loans, Ltd. a European mortgage
banking joint venture.

For more information about the company, visit Countrywide's Web site at
www.countrywide.com.

/CONTACT: Amber Cousins or Tara Rio, of Countrywide Financial Corporation,
+1-800-796-8448, pressroom@countrywide.com / 06:00 EST