company town

Angelo Mozilo Just Wants to Help People

LAW
• After testifying in front of the House Committee on Government and Oversight Reform last week about the gargantuan pay package he picked up while his company hemorrhaged money, Countrywide CEO Angelo Mozilo made Congress a nice little offer: “Mr. Mozilo said he had left a card in each Congressional office with a help line for constituents having problems with their loans. He added that if the number didn’t work, “call me— I take this very seriously.’” [NYT]
• Since the federal death-penalty statute was revived in 1998, New York federal juries have been reluctant to impose the death sentence. [NYT]
• You know those ads for legal firms in the Metro? Yeah, they’re really not all that effective. [Legal Blog Watch]

FINANCE
• Speaking of tan man Angelo Mozilo, Countrywide is now under federal investigation for fraud. [CNNMoney]
• No, “Project Coaxial” is not a supersecret Wall Street espionage plan. It’s Blackstone, KKR, Cinven, and Providence Equity Partner’s scheme to take over Virgin Media. [Observer via DealBook/NYT]
• Women in finance still aren’t paid as much as men. [CFO.com]

MEDIA
• Brian Williams gives SNL a little bit of credit for Hillary Clinton’s Ohio and Texas wins. [WP]
• Celebrity weeklies rake in the big bucks for stories related to death. [NYP]
• Is Karl Rove one of television’s greatest hits? “Graceful, careful and generous — he leaves the viewer better informed and wondering what he has done with the real Karl Rove.” See we told you he was multifaceted. [NYT]

Angelo Mozilo Just Wants to Help People