Bank of America Corp.’s Countrywide mortgage unit was hit with at least three new lawsuits accusing it of misleading investors about its finances and lending practices, and may face more by investors who chose not to join a recent class-action settlement.

Wednesday’s lawsuits by the states of Michigan and Oregon and by Fresno County in California were filed five days after Bank of America said it may incur an additional $6.1 billion of writedowns and legal costs tied primarily to Countrywide, which it bought in July 2008. Get the full story »