Countrywide Financial announced record net earnings of $326 million for the first quarter of 2003, spurred by its booming mortgage banking operations and continued diversification into related businesses. The company’s $354 million in pre-tax mortgage banking earnings were up 85 percent over the same period in 2002. Countrywide’s “diversified” businesses racked up $170.3 million in pre-tax earnings, up 128 percent from year-ago levels. The biggest chunk of the diversified earnings was from Countrywide’s capital