Countrywide Financial said its automated underwriting system played an important role in the development of the company’s new Optimum Loan program. The new program is designed to allow borrowers with less-than-perfect credit fine-tune the mortgage terms they want. “The technology that facilitates this product is one of its best features,” said Dottie Shepic, senior VP of strategic development at Countrywide. Using rules-based technology, the program allows applicants to use a wide range