BANKING

Report Cites Credit Increase for Households: Credit availability for households increased modestly over the last three months, while loans to businesses have changed little, the Federal Reserve Board said. The Fed report, based on a survey of senior bank loan officers’ views this month, comes as analysts and investors are wondering whether consumers and businesses are going to increase their spending enough to push the economy into a normal recovery after three years of anemic growth. “The survey suggests that the market for loans to businesses has not greatly changed over the last three months, while there has been a modest increase in credit availability to households,” the Fed said.