Demand for Commercial Loans Grows, Poll Finds

Major U.S. banks, and to a lesser extent foreign banks with U.S. branches, reported higher demand for commercial and industrial loans over the last three months, according to a Federal Reserve poll of bank officers.

The Fed’s Senior Loan Officer Opinion Survey, conducted in April, found that many banks had eased lending standards for commercial and industrial loans over the last three months. Many banks that did so said they were motivated by increased competition from other sources of business credit.

Some banks said they had eased lending standards for commercial real estate in the last three months.