by Calculated Risk on 2/04/2013 02:00:00 PM

From the Federal Reserve: The January 2013 Senior Loan Officer Opinion Survey on Bank Lending Practices

In the January survey, generally modest fractions of domestic banks reported having eased their standards across major loan categories over the past three months on net. Domestic respondents indicated that demand for business loans, prime residential mortgages, and auto loans had strengthened, on balance, while demand for other types of loans was about unchanged. U.S. branches and agencies of foreign banks, which mainly lend to businesses, reported little change in their lending standards, while demand for their loans was reportedly stronger on net.
...
Within consumer lending, a moderate fraction of domestic banks reported an easing of standards on auto loans, on net, while standards on other types of consumer loans were about unchanged. On balance, banks indicated having eased selected terms on consumer loans over the survey period. A moderate fraction of respondents continued to experience stronger demand for auto loans, on net, while demand for credit card loans was reportedly unchanged.
...
The January survey also included three sets of special questions: The first set asked banks about lending to and competition from banks headquartered in Europe; the second set asked banks about changes in their lending policies on CRE loans over the past year; and the third set asked banks about their outlook for asset quality in major loan categories during 2013. In response to the first set, only a small fraction of domestic banks indicated that lending standards to European banks and their affiliates had been tightened, on net, while foreign respondents' standards were reportedly little changed for such institutions. In response to the second set, respondents indicated that they had eased selected CRE loan terms over the past 12 months on net, with the rest of the surveyed terms having been about unchanged. Finally, respondents' answers for the outlook for asset quality revealed that moderate to large fractions of banks expect improvements in credit quality in most major loan categories on balance.
emphasis added

Click on graph for larger image.

Here are some charts from the Fed.

These two graphs shows the change in lending standards and demand for CRE (commercial real estate) loans.

Increasing demand and some easing in standards suggests some increase in CRE activity going forward.

In general this survey indicates lending standards are still tight, but some banks are loosening a little - and there is also increasing demand for certain loans.