S&P gains for fourth week

NEW YORK – U.S. stocks on Friday finished mostly lower, but a late surge in financial shares helped the S&P 500 preserve a fourth week of gains after the White House said it would expand a foreclosure-prevention program and hope grew for a Greek debt-deal.

“The big news the last couple of weeks is the program they launched over in Europe, the lending facility to the banking system, seems to be working,” said Owen Fitzpatrick, head of the U.S. equity group at Deutsche Bank.

Down much of the session, the financial sector reversed course in the final hour of trade as the White House said it would loosen rules on a loan-modification program.