Bear Stearns subprime exposure is about $500 million

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Bear Stearns Cos Inc's BSC.N exposure to subprime mortgages was about $500 million at the end of November, the company's chief financial officer said on Thursday.

CFO Sam Molinaro also said the company had about $46 billion in mortgages and asset-backed loans and securities at the end of November. The market for leverage loans, used for corporate takeovers, has remained difficult, he said.

(Reporting by Tim McLaughlin; Editing by Derek Caney)