Bear bid list includes hybrid, option ARMs

(Reuters) - Also included are option ARMs from issuers such as
Countrywide Financial Corp. and Washington Mutual Inc.
, which are also mostly from 2004 and 2005, according to
the list.




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U.S. Stocks Advance as Banks, Homebuilders Help Spark a Rebound

U.S. banks and homebuilders carried stocks to their second gain this week after Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. said bad home loans won't curtail earnings, helping erase a 136-point tumble in the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

Countrywide Financial Corp., the biggest U.S. mortgage lender, posted its first advance in five days as investors gained confidence mortgage delinquencies pose less of a risk to the financial system than previously thought. All 16 homebuilders in Standard & Poor's 500 indexes advanced.

Lehman's assessment pared a decline in its shares and helped ease concern mounting defaults among the riskiest borrowers will slow economic growth. Energy and technology companies also helped the Dow and S&P 500 recover today from earlier declines of more than 1 percent after oil prices climbed and JPMorgan upgraded Qualcomm Inc.

Read more at Bloomberg.com

U.S. Stocks Post Biggest Gains Since July; Countrywide Rises

U.S. stocks broke a week long slump and posted their biggest gains since July after Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson eased concern that rising mortgage defaults will undermine the economy.

Countrywide Financial Corp., Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., and Citigroup Inc. led financial shares to their steepest advance in more than six months. Twelve stocks rose for every one that fell on the New York Stock Exchange.

Paulson, who is meeting with his counterparts during his first tour of northeast Asia as treasury secretary, told reporters in Tokyo earlier today an increase in bad debts at subprime mortgage companies won't affect banks that make less risky loans. Asian stocks surged the most in almost two months and emerging markets had their best performance since June. The drop in global equities since Feb. 27 erased $3.3 trillion in market value.

Read more at Bloomberg.com