Post office near default? Losses mount to $5.1B

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Postal Ser­vice said Tues­day it has lost $5.1 bil­lion in the past year, push­ing it closer to immi­nent default on a multibillion-dollar pay­ment and to future bank­ruptcy as the weak econ­omy and increased Inter­net use drive down mail volume.