Countrywide Shareholders Reject 3i Bid

Countrywide PLC shareholders have rejected a Gbp971 million management buyout offer sponsored by 3i Group. Countrywide is a < ?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />U.K. property and financial services company. www.3i.com < ?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />