Countrywide Financial Corp. said Wednesday night that it is cutting 900 more jobs as the company cuts costs and tightens its belt amid dropping lending volumes and rising defaults.

The latest round of job cuts comes less than a month after the nation’s largest mortgage lender cut 500 jobs at the company’s Full Spectrum subprime division.

The Calabasas-based lender said a majority of the 900 layoffs will be in California, with additional cuts in Florida, Texas and Arizona. The job cuts will be in the company’s mortgage-production divisions, which include loan officers and underwriters.

Shares in Countrywide tumbled 3.5 percent to $18.19 in early trading Thursday on the New York stock Exchange. Shares have dropped 39 percent in the past month.