often compromising their ability to pay living expenses. Economist Stan Liebowitz writes that the Fannie Mae Foundation singled out Countrywide Financial as a "paragon" of a nondiscriminatory lender who works with community activists, following "the most flexible underwriting criteria permitted." The chief executive of Countrywide is said to have bragged that in order to approve minority applications, "lenders have had to stretch the rules a bit." Countrywide's commitment to low-income loans had grown to $600 billion by early 2003. Hurricanes Katrina, Gustav and Rita complaints Some customers have complained that after the devastating hurricanes Katrina, Gustav and Rita, Countrywide told loan customers in the affected areas that they could take a break on payments without any late fees, and the payments would be added back to the end of the loan. They now contend that Countrywide forced the loan customers to pay the missed payments in a lump sum, along with late fees they were told they did not have to pay, within 30 days or face foreclosure. "Friends of Angelo" VIP program In June 2008 Conde Nast Portfolio reported that numerous Washington D.C. politicians over recent years had received mortgage financing at noncompetitive rates because the corporation considered the officeholders "FOA's" — "Friends of Angelo" (Countrywide Chief Executive Angelo Mozilo). The politicians extended such favorable financing included the chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, Christopher Dodd, and the chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, Kent Conrad. The article also noted Countrywide's political action committee had made large donations to Dodd's campaign. Senator Dodd proposed that the federal government buy up to $400 Billion in defaulted mortgages. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) has called for House and Senate to investigate Senators Conrad and Dodd. It was reported that James Johnson, former CEO of Fannie Mae and an adviser to presidential candidate Barack Obama, had received loans under the "Friends of Angelo". Johnson announced he would step down from the vice-presidential vetting position on June 11, 2008 in order to avoid being a distraction to Obama's campaign. In June 2008 The Wall Street Journal reported that Franklin Raines, a former CEO of Fannie Mae, received below market rates loans at Countrywide Financial because the corporation also considered him an "FOA". He received loans for over $3 million while CEO of Fannie Mae. On July 16, 2008, The Washington Post reported that Franklin Raines had "taken calls from Barack