Senator Kent Conrad, Democrat of North Dakota, said he would donate $10,500 to charity and refinance a property loan after suggestions that he and other prominent Washington figures received preferential treatment from Countrywide Financial. Although Conrad, chairman of the Budget Committee, said Saturday that he was not aware of any favoritism shown by the lender, which has come under scrutiny in the mortgage crisis, he said a review of e-mail traffic suggested that the loan fee for a beach house may have been reduced because of his status, while a second loan called for an exception by the company. The dealings of Countrywide with Washington officials have come to light in the past week since James Johnson, a former head of Fannie Mae, was forced to give up an advisory role with the presidential campaign of Senator Barack Obama after suggestions that Johnson got special treatment from Countrywide. Conrad, Johnson and other notable Washington figures, including Senator Christopher Dodd, Democrat of Connecticut, were apparently beneficiaries of the mortgage lender's VIP program, known informally as the “Friend of Angelo” program, for Angelo Mozilo, the chief executive officer. read more