• Los Angeles Times Reported That Feinberg Was Interviewed By FBI Agents And Federal Prosecutors, And That Republican Congressional Report Said He Told Investigators That “FOA” Members Knew They Were Getting Special Treatment. The Los Angeles Times reported, “Anthony Salerno said attorneys from the Justice Department in Washington joined FBI agents and federal prosecutors from Los Angeles last fall in interviewing his client, Robert Feinberg, about what was known at the company as "Friends of Angelo." Feinberg, a 12-year Countrywide employee who processed the VIP loans, told investigators that it was standard practice to tell borrowers, "Your loan was specially priced by Angelo," according to a congressional report. Salerno said the Justice Department appeared to be investigating whether the program amounted to improper influence peddling by Countrywide and whether the politicians had failed to publicly report favors from Mozilo.”[Los Angeles Times, 5/26/09]

• Washington Post Reported That Feinberg Told Republican Congressional Investigators That Dodd Knew He Was Receiving Special Treatment. According to the Washington Post, “Robert Feinberg, a 12-year Countrywide employee who processed VIP loans, told investigators that it was standard practice to tell borrowers "your loan was specially priced by Angelo." "It was reinforced every time I talked to them," Feinberg said in an interview. "You're in the VIP loan department and you're going to get a special discount." In preparing a 64-page report on the Countrywide program, House Republicans relied largely on documents gathered by Feinberg."[Washington Post, 3/19/09]

FACT: DODD SAID HE DID NOTHING IMPROPER, DID NOT GET A SPECIAL DEAL

• Dodd Did Nothing Improper In Negotiating Loans, Did Not Get Special Rates Or Terms. Dodd said, “First, Jackie and I acted properly in our mortgage refinancing negotiations. We did not seek or expect any special rates or terms on our loans and we never received any. Second, the rates and terms we did negotiate were widely available in the market when we refinanced. [Dodd Statement, 2/2/09]

FACT: DODD’S RATES AND TERMS WERE IN LINE WITH 2003 MORTGAGE MARKET

• Majority Of Borrowers In June And July 2003 Had “No-Point” Mortgages. The majority of mortgage loans in both June and July of 2003 were “no-point” mortgages, according to the Federal Housing Finance Board. The FHFB reported that 65 percent of mortgages had no points in June 2003, and 58 percent of mortgages had no points in July, 2003. [Federal Housing Finance Board, 8/26/03]

• 2003: Wall Street Journal Published Mortgage Rates Weekly That Showed Dodd Mortgage Was At Or Above Average Rates. The Wall Street Journal published in its “Dow Jones Real-Estate Index” the average daily rate for Jumbo 5/1 ARMs, listed by bankrate.com (Dodd’s DC mortgage was a 5/1 Jumbo ARM with an initial rate of 4.25%, closed on June 10, 2003).

• 5/1 Jumbo ARM as of May 22, 2003: 4.27%
• 5/1 Jumbo ARM as of May 28, 2003: 4.22%
• 5/1 Jumbo ARM as of June 4, 2003: 4.17%
• 5/1 Jumbo ARM as of June 11, 2003: 4.08%
• 5/1 Jumbo ARM as of June 18, 2003: 4.03%
• 5/1 Jumbo ARM as of June 25, 2003: 3.99%

[Wall Street Journal, 5/23/03; 5/29/03; 6/6/03; 6/13/03; 6/20/03; 6/27/03]

FACT: PRESS REPORTED THAT DODD’S MORTGAGES WERE AT MARKET RATES AFTER REVIEWING DOCUMENTS

• Register: Local Bankers Confirmed That Dodd’s Qualified For “The Best Rates.” The New Haven Register reported, “The pair [Senator Dodd and Jackie Clegg Dodd] had credit scores of 768 and 821, and loan-to-value ratios for the mortgages of 63.89 percent for the Washington home, and 55.01 percent for their East Haddam home, both of which are better than the national average. They also had no consumer debt, all of which qualified them for the best rates, according to local bankers.” [New Haven Register, 2/3/09]

• Herald: Dodd Rates “Were Competitive And Being Offered By Other Lenders.” The New Britain Herald reported, “An investigation by The Herald, however, indicated the reduced rates were competitive and being offered by other lenders at the time.” [New Britain Herald, 2/3/09]

• The Day: Mortgage Brokers Concluded Dodd’s Rates Were Widely Available. The Day reported, “Also among the documents released Monday was a report, prepared by the Chicago firm CrossCheck Compliance LLC at the direction of Dodd's attorneys, that backs the couple's claim that they received rates in keeping with those available at the time - a conclusion also reached by some mortgage brokers interviewed in recent months.” [The Day, 2/3/09]

FACT: PRESS REPORTED IN 2008 THAT DODD RATES AND TERMS WERE AVAILABLE TO OTHER BORROWERS

• Washington Post: Dodd Rates “At Or Above Prevailing Rates.” The Washington Post reported in June, 2008, “The [Dodd’s] mortgage rates appear to be at or even above the prevailing rates at the time.” [Washington Post, 6/14/08]

• Connecticut Post, Editorial: Dodd Rate In Line With Average Rates. The Connecticut Post editorial board wrote, “The interest rate Dodd received does not appear to be out of line with the average rates given at the time for similar refinanced mortgages.” [Connecticut Post, Editorial, 10/17/08]

• Connecticut Post: Dodd Rate “Within The Range Of Competitive Rates.” The Connecticut Post reported, “The 4.25 percent five-year adjustable rate mortgage on his D.C. home and 4.5 percent 10-year adjustable rate mortgage on his Connecticut home fell within the range of competitive rates that others with similar credit histories were receiving at the time.” [Connecticut Post, 6/19/08]

• Providence Journal-Bulletin: Dodd Rate “Within The Range” Offered By Lenders. Columnist Chris Powell, managing editor of the Manchester, Connecticut Journal Inquirer, observed, “The terms of Dodd’s mortgages seem within the range offered by other lenders at the time…” [Providence Journal-Bulletin, 7/2/08]