Assurant Inc. said Thursday that it may be willing to buy an insurance unit held by Countrywide Financial Corp.

“Certainly that is a business we would be interested in,” New York-based Assurant’s Chief Executive Robert Pollock said Thursday in a conference call with investors. “Until things between Bank of America and Countrywide close, I don’t think that’s going to be a focus.”

Countrywide agreed to be acquired by Bank of America Corp for $4 billion. The deal is expected to close in the second quarter.

Net premiums in Countrywide’s insurance business rose 30 percent last year to $1.52 billion, with 19 percent coming from existing customers.

The insurance business accounted for about 25 percent of Countrywide’s 2007 sales, the Calabasas-based insurer said in a regulatory filing earlier this year.

Shares in Countrywide were up 4.9 percent $6.06 in early trading Thursday.