A former executive at Countrywide Financial Corp. was charged Monday with insider trading after he sold stock three years ago just prior to the company reporting negative earning results, regulators said.

The Securities and Exchange Commission said Quan Zhu, 43, was tipped off to non-public information prior to the Calabasas-based lender reporting negative earnings in 2004.

The charges were filed in Los Angeles federal court and Zhu agreed to settle without admitting or denying the allegations by paying $110,000 in fines.

Countrywide fired Zhu in June.

Two other former Countrywide executives also pleaded guilty last year to criminal charges of insider trading as part of a scheme that netted them more than $100,000 in combined profits.

Separately, the SEC is currently investigating Countrywide’s CEO Angelo Mozilo and some of his stock sales prior to disappointing earnings as well. Mozilo said publicly that he’s cooperating with the inquiry and said he did no wrong.

Shares in Countrywide were off 4.3 percent to $16.12 in afternoon trading Tuesday on the New York Stock Exchange.