Not the DODD that Obama knew in his search for a Vice President

Sen. Chris Dodd on Tuesday denied any attempt to seek preferential treatment in the refinancing of two mortgages with Countrywide Financial Corp., while acknowledging that he was a VIP customer. But he said he didn’t think that meant he would get special treatment.

Countrywide has been criticized by Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama as contributing to the home mortgage crisis. Late last week, Dodd, chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, and Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, were singled out as getting low rate loans from the lender.

On Tuesday, Dodd, D-Conn., an Obama supporter said the refinancing rates for his homes in Connecticut and Washington, D.C. — at 4.25 percent and 4.5 percent — were within the range of rates that were being offered to average customers at the time.

He said he spoke with no “higher-ups” at Countrywide, only loan officers, and he is not personally connected to Countrywide CEO Angelo Mozilo.

“There was no red flag to me that we were getting special treatment.” “If anyone said to me ‘you were getting special treatment’ I would have rejected it.

“The idea you would call a CEO of a mortgage company to try to get a low rate, I just wouldn’t do that,” he said.

Dodd said he “has no idea” how he ended up in Mozilo’s VIP program, known colloquially as “Friends of Angelo,” and “just thought it was a courtesy” because he had more than one mortgage, not because he is a U.S. senator.

Jackie, Dodd’s wife, was told about the couple being in the VIP program, Dodd said, but neither of the couple ever asked what the VIP program entailed.

“Nothing suggested something special,” Dodd said, adding that the couple shopped around for the best rate.

“I’m not clairvoyant. Lot of people out there — lending institutions. We shopped around … The point is, I did not seek, nor was I aware of” a special program, he said.

The lender’s ties to the senators came up following a Wall Street Journal report two weekends ago that pointed out that former Fannie Mae CEO Jim Johnson received favorable loan terms from Countrywide. Johnson stepped down from Obama’s vice presidential search team after the loan and questions about his role advising CEO payouts came to light, drawing considerable criticism from John McCain’s presidential campaign.

Conrad was also added to Mozilo’s VIP list, and has since donated to charity the benefit he received from a special, low interest loan to Habitat for Humanity. He said he paid off his Countrywide loan on Monday welcomes an Ethics Committee investigation.

Dodd, who also welcomed an investigation, said he feels no reason to donate anything.

“I dont believe I did anything wrong. I negotiated a mortgage. Did what millions have done,” Dodd said.

Asked if he would seek to change his lender, Dodd said, “I dont blame the whole institution,” adding he hadn’t given it any thought.