Judge OKs probe into Countrywide practices

By Jonathan Stempel

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A federal judge has granted the U.S. Department of Justice wide authority to probe whether Countrywide Financial Corp CFC.N abuses the bankruptcy process, rejecting the largest U.S. mortgage lender's claim that the ruling could cause havoc for the lending industry.

Judge Thomas Agresti of the U.S. bankruptcy court in Pittsburgh said the Office of the U.S. Trustee, an arm of the Justice Department that oversees bankruptcy cases, has the authority to conduct examinations and demand documents, so long as it exercises "good cause" and doesn't overreach.

While the decision does not bind other bankruptcy courts, it could influence other judges as the Justice Department pursues alleged abuses by Calabasas, California-based Countrywide in other courts. U.S. trustees have also filed lawsuits in courts in Florida, Georgia and Ohio.

"The U.S. Trustee has made a showing of a common thread of potential wrongdoing," Agresti wrote in his 50-page opinion.

"The apparent point of Countrywide's argument is that recognizing the authority of the U.S. Trustee to conduct these examinations could have the unintended consequence of leading to an unregulated 'free-for-all,"' he continued. "The court find's Countrywide's argument ... to be without merit."

Countrywide did not immediately return a call seeking comment, but has said it does not discuss pending litigation.

In January, the lender agreed to be acquired by Bank of America Corp (BAC.N: Quote, Profile, Research), the second-largest U.S. bank, in a transaction now valued at about $4.2 billion. Bank of America also did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

The Justice Department has scheduled public hearings on the merger for later this month in Chicago and Los Angeles.