Officers in the Kendall office of Countrywide Home Loans Inc. say they will give a homebuyer $250 toward closing costs if they don’t close on their home within 10 days of signing a contract.

"I’ve been here 18 months and we haven’t paid yet," said Alina Robau Garcia, regional vice president. "And, we’re not talking 10-day approval, we’re talking 10-day closings."

"That’s right," said Amparo "Ampie" Allen, Kendall Branch manager/underwriter. "We are delivering on our promises."

The two women enthusiastically note that Countrywide is the largest independent residential mortgage lender in the United States and is widely recognized as an innovator of financial products and services.

"One out of every four residential loans in the country is either originated or serviced by Countrywide," Garcia said. "Our mission is to help as many people get into homes as possible."

Allen says the Kendall branch, located at 8807 SW 107 Ave., works directly with borrowers who are buying or refinancing a home.

"Our office team processes, underwrites and funds every loan locally which means no far away processing centers or loan committees who may be unfamiliar with our community’s problems."

This local attention results in faster mortgage financing decisions and smooth loan transactions, she said. It also allows Countrywide’s mortgage experts to tailor loan programs to meet the needs of the local homebuyer.

Countrywide offers a variety of mortgage programs to meet individual homebuying needs. Those programs include the no-income verification program, foreign nationals program, first-time homebuyers program, low to moderate income buyers program with 100 percent financing on qualifying, and government loans such as FHA and VA.

"We also have a program called ‘Lock and Shop,’ which allows a buyer to qualify for a loan and lock the interest rate in for 30 days, then go and shop for a home," Garcia said. "If the interest rate goes up during that period, the buyer still has the approved lower rate. If the rate goes down, we would float them down to the market rate for free when they did find their home and bring in their contract."

"Yes, we have all the programs available, not only for the first-time homebuyer, but also for the person that’s buying a higher end home," Allen said.

She also said that Countrywide often originates loans via the Internet and suggests that prospective homebuyers and interested Realtors visit the company’s Web site at www.countrywide.com , or send e-mail to her directly at amparo_allen@countrywide.com   .

Countrywide Home Loans, based in Calavaras, CA, is the largest subsidiary of Countrywide Credit Industries Inc. CCR Industries offers a wide variety of financial products and services, including a full-service insurance agency, a title insurance agency; companies that provide escrow, credit reporting, home inspection, warranty services; a loan servicing brokerage firm, and a mutual fund manager.

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