Secondary markets

Treasury Secretary-designate Steven Mnuchin struck a pro-banking industry tone during testimony on Capitol Hill Thursday while tangling with lawmakers over foreclosures, offshore accounts and other issues.

Fourth-quarter profits at Wintrust Financial in Rosemont, Ill., climbed 65% to $54.6 million from a year earlier, helped largely by acquisitions and increases in mortgage banking and other fee income.

In his confirmation hearing, Treasury Secretary-designate Steven Mnuchin said he wanted to work with both parties to find a "bipartisan fix" for the housing finance system.

Commercial real estate loan growth and the Hudson City acquisition fueled fourth-quarter profit growth at M&T Bank in Buffalo, N.Y.

Mortgage interest rates dropped for the third consecutive week but remain higher than they were one year ago, according to Freddie Mac.

MGIC Investment Corp. reported net income of $107.5 million for the fourth quarter, an increase of nearly 5% over the $102.4 million earned in the same period of 2015.

In a candid, in-depth exit interview, Ted Tozer discusses Ginnie Mae's growth during his seven years at the agency's helm, the need for comprehensive housing finance reform, big banks' retreat from mortgages, counterparty risk management and more.

Rising interest rates typically cause lenders to relax underwriting guidelines. The incoming administration promises to deregulate. Sounds like a combustible mix, but there's ample room to loosen credit without returning to the practices that caused the crisis.

Fannie Mae is readying its first credit risk transfer transaction of 2017.

Steven Mnuchin's time as OneWest CEO is expected to draw ample attention at his nomination hearing, but it will not be the only issue to come up as senators try to gauge how he would lead President-elect Trump's financial policies.