Auto lending

Default rates in second mortgages and bank cards rose notably in December, suggesting consumers are having trouble managing increased spending.

Weak loan growth, a $3.25 billion litigation accrual and other costs tied to the phony-accounts saga all added up to a messy fourth quarter for the San Francisco bank.

The executive tasked with reshaping Wells Fargo's embattled retail banking unit will now also be responsible for mortgage, auto and student lending.

The long-running slide in mortgage payments 60 or more days past due will continue next year, and perhaps even longer as borrowers benefit from favorable economic conditions.

The agency has suffered a series of setbacks over the past two months, from a rollback of its arbitration rule to a legal battle over its leadership. Here's what happened — and where the agency might lose next.

Richard Cordray took a big gamble in his final act as head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, attempting to appoint his own interim successor. He lost Tuesday, but he was far from the only one.

Consumer default rates are up month-to-month, which may reflect a gap between spending and income that is stressing second mortgages and bank cards, Standard & Poor's and Experian find.

A new Republican director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is likely to take immediate action to change certain rules, including the "qualified mortgage" and payday rules, while curbing pending enforcement actions that are considered too harsh on financial firms.

TCF is looking to diversify its streams of revenue as it dials back auto lending amid concerns about weakening credit quality.

Total loans fell 1.6% at the North Carolina-based regional bank, which has been scaling back in key segments such as residential mortgages and auto. Wider margins offset that reduction, but earnings were flat and revenue growth small.