Auto lending

In an interview, Comptroller Thomas Curry expressed concern about eroding loan standards and the potential for crippling cyberattacks. But he also argued that the industry is much stronger than it was a decade ago.

Outstanding automotive loan balances rose 11.5% from a year earlier in the fourth quarter, Experian Automotive said Tuesday.

Stephen Steinour, chief executive of Huntington Bancshares in Columbus, Ohio, has pursued a risky strategy of taking losses in exchange for adding new customers, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau should have direct oversight of auto dealers instead of being forced to go through indirect auto lenders to make changes to the market, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., suggested Wednesday.

The CFPB notched another victory in its effort to limit dealer discretion after Toyota Motor Credit Corp. agreed to cut in half how much partnering dealerships can mark up the interest rate on a loan as compensation.

CEO Jeffrey Brown spent much of the firm's quarterly earnings call Tuesday responding to the demands of shareholders who are unhappy with Ally's weak stock price.

The public focus on whether Ally should pursue a sale has obscured other issues being raised by the firm's unhappy shareholders.

The Minnesota company's management team expressed confidence in its ability to monitor risk, even as companies such as BB&T and Fifth Third issue warnings over pricing and returns.

TCF Financial in Wayzata, Minn., reported higher profits on lower provision costs and a pickup in lending in the fourth quarter.

Chargeoffs jumped 13% at the Dallas lender, and its warning that they could increase further because of deterioration in subprime auto lending set off alarm bells about the broader consumer finance market.