Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System

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Senior Loan Officer Opinion Survey on Bank Lending Practices at Selected Branches and Agencies of Foreign Banks in the United States ¹

(Status of Policy as of April 2021)

Questions 1-6 ask about commercial and industrial (C&I) loans at your bank. Questions 1-3 deal with changes in your bank's lending policies over the past three months. Questions 4-5 deal with changes in demand for C&I loans over the past three months. Question 6 asks about changes in prospective demand for C&I loans at your bank, as indicated by the volume of recent inquiries about the availability of new credit lines or increases in existing lines. If your bank's lending policies have not changed over the past three months, please report them as unchanged even if the policies are either restrictive or accommodative relative to longer-term norms. If your bank's policies have tightened or eased over the past three months, please so report them regardless of how they stand relative to longer-term norms. Also, please report changes in enforcement of existing policies as changes in policies.

1. Over the past three months, how have your bank's credit standards for approving applications for C&I loans or credit lines—other than those to be used to finance mergers and acquisitions—changed?

2. For applications for C&I loans or credit lines—other than those to be used to finance mergers and acquisitions—that your bank currently is willing to approve, how have the terms of those loans changed over the past three months?

 

3. If your bank has tightened or eased its credit standards or its terms for C&I loans or credit lines over the past three months (as described in questions 1 and 2), how important have been the following possible reasons for the change? (Please respond to either A, B, or both as appropriate.)

A. Possible reasons for tightening credit standards or loan terms:

a. Deterioration in your bank's current or expected capital position

Responses are not reported when the number of respondents is 3 or fewer.

b. Less favorable or more uncertain economic outlook

Responses are not reported when the number of respondents is 3 or fewer.

c. Worsening of industry-specific problems (please specify industries)

Responses are not reported when the number of respondents is 3 or fewer.

d. Less aggressive competition from other banks or nonbank lenders (other financial intermediaries or the capital markets)

Responses are not reported when the number of respondents is 3 or fewer.

e. Reduced tolerance for risk

Responses are not reported when the number of respondents is 3 or fewer.

f. Decreased liquidity in the secondary market for these loans

Responses are not reported when the number of respondents is 3 or fewer.

g. Deterioration in your bank's current or expected liquidity position

Responses are not reported when the number of respondents is 3 or fewer.

h. Increased concerns about the effects of legislative changes, supervisory actions, or changes in accounting standards

Responses are not reported when the number of respondents is 3 or fewer.

B. Possible reasons for easing credit standards or loan terms:

4. Apart from normal seasonal variation, how has demand for C&I loans changed over the past three months? (Please consider only funds actually disbursed as opposed to requests for new or increased lines of credit.)

5. If demand for C&I loans has strengthened or weakened over the past three months (as described in question 4), how important have been the following possible reasons for the change? (Please respond to either A, B, or both as appropriate.)

A. If stronger loan demand (answer 1 or 2 to question 4), possible reasons:

a. Customer inventory financing needs increased

Responses are not reported when the number of respondents is 3 or fewer.

b. Customer accounts receivable financing needs increased

Responses are not reported when the number of respondents is 3 or fewer.

c. Customer investment in plant or equipment increased

Responses are not reported when the number of respondents is 3 or fewer.

f. Customer borrowing shifted to your bank from other bank or nonbank sources because these other sources became less attractive

Responses are not reported when the number of respondents is 3 or fewer.

B. If weaker loan demand (answer 4 or 5 to question 4), possible reasons:

a. Customer inventory financing needs decreased

Responses are not reported when the number of respondents is 3 or fewer.

b. Customer accounts receivable financing needs decreased

Responses are not reported when the number of respondents is 3 or fewer.

c. Customer investment in plant or equipment decreased

Responses are not reported when the number of respondents is 3 or fewer.

d. Customer internally generated funds increased

Responses are not reported when the number of respondents is 3 or fewer.

e. Customer merger or acquisition financing needs decreased

Responses are not reported when the number of respondents is 3 or fewer.

f. Customer borrowing shifted from your bank to other bank or nonbank sources because these other sources became more attractive

Responses are not reported when the number of respondents is 3 or fewer.

g. Customer precautionary demand for cash and liquidity decreased

Responses are not reported when the number of respondents is 3 or fewer.

6. At your bank, apart from seasonal variation, how has the number of inquiries from potential business borrowers regarding the availability and terms of new credit lines or increases in existing lines changed over the past three months? (Please consider only inquiries for additional or increased C&I lines as opposed to the refinancing of existing loans.)

Questions 7-8 ask about commercial real estate (CRE) loans at your bank, including construction and land development loans and loans secured by nonfarm nonresidential properties. Question 7 deals with changes in your bank's standards over the past three months. Question 8 deals with changes in demand. If your bank's lending standards or terms have not changed over the relevant period, please report them as unchanged even if they are either restrictive or accommodative relative to longer-term norms. If your bank's standards or terms have tightened or eased over the relevant period, please so report them regardless of how they stand relative to longer-term norms. Also, please report changes in enforcement of existing standards as changes in standards.

7. Over the past three months, how have your bank's credit standards for approving applications for CRE loans or credit lines changed?

8. Apart from normal seasonal variation, how has demand for CRE loans or credit lines changed over the past three months? (Please consider the number of requests for new spot loans, for disbursement of funds under existing loan commitments, and for new or increased credit lines.)

This first set of special questions, Questions 9-10, asks about changes in your bank’s lending policies for approving applications for loans compared to pre-pandemic levels (end of 2019). Specifically, these questions ask about changes in your bank’s lending policies for approving applications for C&I loans compared to pre-pandemic levels (end of 2019) to investment-grade (having an S&P rating of BBB or above, or the equivalent) and below-investment-grade firms (having an S&P rating of BB or below, or the equivalent).

9. Compared to the end of 2019, how have your bank's credit standards for approving applications for C&I loans or credit lines (other than those to be used to finance mergers and acquisitions) within the stated risk category changed? In each case assume that all other firm characteristics are typical for C&I loan applications within that risk category.

10. Compared to the end of 2019, how has your bank changed the following terms for C&I loans within the stated risk category? In each case assume that all other firm characteristics are typical for C&I loan applications within that risk category. (Please assign each term a number between 1 and 5 using the following scale: 1=tightened considerably, 2=tightened somewhat, 3=remained basically unchanged, 4=eased somewhat, 5=eased considerably.)

A. Investment-grade firms (having an S&P rating of BBB or above, or the equivalent, or unrated firms of similar creditworthiness)

B. Below-investment-grade firms (having an S&P rating of BB or below, or the equivalent, or unrated firms of similar creditworthiness)

The second set of special questions, Questions 11-13, asks how your bank has changed its lending policies over the past year for three different types of commercial real estate (CRE) loans: construction and land development loans, loans secured by nonfarm nonresidential properties, and loans secured by multifamily residential properties.

11. Over the past year, how has your bank changed the following policies on construction and land development loans?

For this question, 9 respondents answered "My bank does not originate construction and land development loans."

12. Over the past year, how has your bank changed the following policies on loans secured by nonfarm-nonresidential properties?

For this question, 6 respondents answered "My bank does not originate nonfarm-nonresidential loans."

13. Over the past year, how has your bank changed the following policies on loans secured by multifamily residential properties?

For this question, 10 respondents answered "My bank does not originate multifamliy loans."

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