Lending activity stayed stable or rose slightly in most of the Federal Reserve districts, the central bank said Wednesday.
In its latest Beige Book survey of economic conditions, the Federal Reserve Board said districts surveyed, including New York, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Kansas City, Dallas and San Francisco, all reported that lending activity remained largely unchanged from six weeks prior. Other districts, including Cleveland, Richmond and Chicago, noticed slight improvements between early October and mid-November.
Even so, credit standards continued to remain tight in some parts of the country. Bankers in New York reported a tightening of credit standards across all loan categories. Specifically, the percentage of bankers reporting tougher lending standards ranged from 11% for residential mortgages, to 18% for commercial and industrial loans.
According to the survey, no banker in New York reported an easing of credit standards in any of the categories.
That was not the case elsewhere. In the Kansas City District, bankers saw no change in lending standards and the Atlanta District reported an easing for smaller firms.
Demand for loans appeared tepid in some parts of the country, especially from consumers, with slight improvements elsewhere.
