The Federal Reserve said Wednesday it transferred $80.2 billion in earnings to the U.S. Treasury during 2017, as it continued to rake in huge profits from the interest income on the securities it owns. Even so, the remittance is down from $91.5 billion in 2016, the Fed said. The drop in earnings came as the Fed had to pay more interest to banks for reserves parked at the central bank. The Fed paid $26 billion in interest this year, the Fed said in a statement. The Fed’s profits dwarf others in the private sector. Apple AAPL, -0.62% , for instance, earned $48.35 billion in the 12 months ending Sept. 30. The central ... (full story)