FACTBOX - U.S. mortgage lenders

NEW YORK, March 16 (Reuters) - U.S. mortgage lenders are suffering from rising default rates amid weak housing prices and slower housing sales.

Subprime lenders, serving borrowers with poor credit histories, have been hard hit. Many lowered their underwriting standards too far. More than two dozen have quit or sold their businesses, or went bankrupt.

Shares of major U.S. mortgage lenders have fallen by 15 percent to upward of 90 percent since early February. The following is recent news involving selected lenders. For more stories, please click on [ID:nN16195443]

ACCREDITED HOME LENDERS HOLDING CO. LEND.O

-- Sold $2.7 billion of loans to meet margin calls.

-- Seeking loan covenant waivers.

-- Pursuing strategic options.

-- Delayed filing its annual report, expects to write off some goodwill from its purchase of rival Aames Investment Corp.

-- Subprime mortgage lender

Headquarters: San Diego, California

AMERIQUEST MORTGAGE CO.

-- ACC Capital, Ameriquest's parent, obtained working capital from Citigroup Inc. (C.N) and gave the bank an option to buy its wholesale mortgage origination and servicing units.

-- Subprime mortgage lender

Headquarters: Orange, California

COUNTRYWIDE FINANCIAL CORP. CFC.N

-- Said foreclosure rate rose in February to five-year high, and 19 percent of borrowers on nonprime loans it services were delinquent in the fourth quarter.