You’re assuming that the person on the phone and Countrywide both represent the same interests. While I’m sure the managers at Countrywide hope for that, it’s more than likely that the staffer will only get more work dumped on their desk if your friend wants to renegotiate their loan.
In a similar situation, I was in a motorcycle accident a number of years ago, and the insurance rep for the guy that hit me did everything he could to get me to go get a lawyer and sue them. When I got so frustrated with him that I did go get a lawyer, I told my lawyer my experience, and he said it was normal. In an injury accident the insurance rep doesn’t want all the work, and if he can get you to go get a lawyer, the case gets taken off his desk and passed onto someone in legal.
I suspect it’s a similar situation at Countrywide. The person your friend talked to probably wants nothing to do with all the work your friend was going to turn into, so they encouraged your friend to walk, thus making your friend someone elses problem.
