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Declaration of Frank C. Torchio for Settlement Purposes

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Case 2:07-cv-05295-MRP -MAN Document 987-4 Filed 10/11/10 Page 13 <strong>of</strong> 721 Page ID<br />

#:39201<br />

18. Under the federal securities laws, the quantification <strong>of</strong> damages is relevant only if<br />

the trier <strong>of</strong> fact finds in favor <strong>of</strong> Plaintiffs regarding liability. Consequently, <strong>for</strong> the purposes <strong>of</strong><br />

calculating damages, I assume that the Defendants are found to be liable <strong>for</strong> the alleged<br />

misconduct, misrepresentations and omissions.<br />

19. Based on this assumed liability, I then proceed with the task <strong>of</strong> assessing and<br />

quantifying the appropriate damages caused by the Defendants’ alleged misconduct. In order to<br />

quantify damages suffered by the Class, I per<strong>for</strong>med several financial analyses including an<br />

event study. An event study is a widely accepted financial economic tool to measure the effect<br />

on market prices from new in<strong>for</strong>mation relevant to a company’s valuation. I apply my event<br />

study to assess materiality and loss causation, and also use it as a basis to quantify the amount <strong>of</strong><br />

artificial inflation present in the market price <strong>of</strong> the Countrywide common stock, 7% Capital<br />

Securities, and 10(b) Bonds during the Class Period.<br />

A. Event Study Method<br />

20. As a general proposition, modern finance theory holds that the market price <strong>of</strong> a<br />

common stock reflects the discounted value <strong>of</strong> expected future cash flows to the stockholder.<br />

Thus, new in<strong>for</strong>mation that causes the market to significantly alter its expectation <strong>of</strong> future cash<br />

flows will cause a prompt repricing <strong>of</strong> the security to reflect the new expectations. 12<br />

12 See Eugene F. Fama, “Efficient Capital Markets: II,” Journal <strong>of</strong> Finance 46, No. 5,<br />

1575-1617 (December 1991); Robert Jennings and Laura Starks, “In<strong>for</strong>mation Content and the<br />

Speed <strong>of</strong> Stock Price Adjustments,” Journal <strong>of</strong> Accounting Research 23, No. 1, 336-350 (Spring<br />

1985); James M. Patell and Mark A. Wolfson, “The Intraday Speed <strong>of</strong> Adjustment <strong>of</strong> Stock<br />

Prices to Earnings and Dividend Announcements,” Journal <strong>of</strong> Financial Economics 13, 243-252<br />

(June 1984); and Catherine S. Woodruff and A. J. Senchack, Jr., “Intradaily Price-Volume<br />

Adjustments <strong>of</strong> NYSE Stocks to Unexpected Earnings,” Journal <strong>of</strong> Finance 43, 467-491 (June<br />

1988).<br />

9

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