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Banks are tightening loan standards across the board, making it harder for commercial real estate firms to access capital for the fourth straight quarter.
That’s according to the Federal Reserve’s senior loan officer survey, which also found commercial real estate loan demand is picking up, MarketWatch reports. In Q1, US banks tightened commercial real estate lending after regulators’ late 2015 condemnation of lending practices at US banks, saying standards look similar to just before the 2008 crisis.
Yet one area that isn’t changing much is residential real estate—the Fed found loan standards for the sector were little changed, apart from some easing for loans guaranteed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. On a larger scale, officers in the survey said loan demand is strengthening across all consumer types despite banks' tightening. [MW]
