US banks tighten corporate/consumer lending

Tighter lending standards, and higher spreads for borrowers, are continuing to create headwinds for the US economy. As far back as January, senior loan officers at major US banks were reporting that they were tightening mortgage lending standards. Yesterday, the latest quarterly US Federal Reserve survey showed that 60% of banks have now tightened their standards ‘in all major loan categories’. And, the Fed reports, most expected to keep tightening into 2009, whilst 80% of banks said they had increased the spread they charged to corporate borrowers.