Big layoffs at IndyMac

The Pasadena-based mortgage lender is cutting its work force by more than 2,400 people, or 24 percent. Regional wholesale mortgage centers will be closed in Tampa, Philadelphia, Boston, Columbia, S.C., and Kansas City by the end of the first quarter. In an SEC filing, the company said it would take a $25 million pretax charge for severance and other expenses related to the job cuts. In an email sent to employees, CEO Michael Perry said, "This action is clearly painful, but it is necessary in our drive to return IndyMac to profitability soon." The story will sound familiar: Nobody is buying homes because loans are hard to come by, delinquencies and defaults are rising, and investors are backing off from purchasing mortgages in the secondary market. Perry said IndyMac has trimmed its forecast for 2008 volume to $43 billion, compared with $78 billion in 2007 and $92 billion in 2006. "While IndyMac continues to have a significant capital cushion and strong liquidity, we need to make sure that that remains the case going forward," Perry said.