GOP seeks Countrywide mortgage documents

WASHINGTON, June 17 (UPI) -- A Republican lawmaker says he's seeking records relating to a defunct "VIP" mortgage loan program associated with U.S. Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn.

Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, asked Bank of America in a June 2 letter for records relating to Countrywide Financial's unofficial VIP mortgage loan program aimed at government officials, The Hartford (Conn.) Courant reported Wednesday.

Dodd has long denied receiving any special treatment in obtaining $781,000 in mortgages from Countrywide in 2003. The once high-flying firm's losses from unsustainable, high-risk loans have been identified as a major contributing factor in triggering the U.S. credit crunch.

Issa's letter to BofA officials wasn't signed by committee Chairman Edolphus Towns, D-N.Y., which prompted charges of partisanship from Republican committee members, the newspaper said.

A Towns spokeswoman did not respond to the Courant's request for comment Tuesday, but did tell the Washington publication The Hill: "Currently the chairman is focused on the financial crisis and stimulus oversight."