Two of the biggest primary market mortgage producers in the U.S. – Countrywide Financial and Washington Mutual – paced a strong surge in issuance of non-agency mortgage-backed securities during the first quarter of this year. Total non-agency MBS issuance, including subprime, jumbo, Alt A, second mortgages and other mortgage products, hit a record $132.7 billion during the first three months of 2003, according