Reuters - Countrywide Financial Corp. , the largest U.S. mortgage lender, on Thursday said it made $43 billion in mortgage loans in March, up 5 percent from a year ago.

AP - Mortgage rates around the country rose for a second straight week with 30-year mortgages hitting the highest level since late February.

AP - An Education Department official placed on leave over a potential conflict of interest in his management of the government's student loan program filed disclosure forms that raise questions about the department's oversight of its own employees.