Barbara J. Desoer will take over as head of mortgage operations at Countrywide Financial Corp. after acquisition of the struggling lender by Bank of America closes later this year. Desoer is currently chief operating and technology officer for Bank of America and a member of the management operating committee. She will relocate to Calabasas for her new position. Desoer replaces Countrywide Financial President David Sambol. Bank of America acquired Countrywide in January in a deal worth $4 billion. The move makes Bank of America the nation’s largest mortgage lender and loan servicer. Countrywide operates more than 1,000 field offices and has a sales force of nearly 15,000. Countrywide’s financial condition has deteriorated since January, with the company posting an $893 million loss first-quarter loss this year following a loss of $1.6 billion in the second half of last year, the Los Angeles Times reported.
