Friends of Angelo (cont'd)

AP keeps digging into whether Democratic Sens. Kent Conrad and Chris Dodd were told they were getting preferential treatment from Countrywide Financial. Both senators say no, but Robert Feinberg, who worked in Countrywide's VIP section, told congressional investigators that the two senators were made aware of the breaks they had been given. Who knows whether the inquiries will go anywhere, but Dodd heads the Senate Banking Committee, which is involved in stuff that Countrywide would have been interested in.

Two internal Countrywide documents in Dodd's case and one in Conrad's appear to contradict their statements about what they knew about their VIP loans. At his Feb. 2 news conference, Dodd insisted he didn't receive special treatment. The assertion was at odds with two Countrywide documents entitled "Loan Policy Analysis" that Dodd allowed reporters to review the same day. The documents had separate columns: one showing points "actl chrgd" Dodd - zero; and a second column showing "policy" was to charge .250 points on one loan and .375 points on the other. Another heading on the documents said "reasons for override." A notation under that heading identified a Countrywide section that approved the policy change for Dodd.