Lending standards hold firm despite softer demand | Pound Ridge Real Estate

Despite rising interest rates and softer demand for mortgages, most banks have maintained their existing lending standards in residential loans in recent months. Per The Wall Street Journal:

Nearly 80% of banks said their credit standards for mortgages remained basically unchanged from July through September, according to a quarterly Fed survey of bank loan officers released Monday. Only about 15% of banks said their standards for mortgages have eased somewhat.

“Easier credit conditions, more generally, are helping the economic recovery,” said Erik Johnson, senior U.S. economist at IHS Global Insight. “But what’s concerning is that lending standards for residential mortgages have not improved much since tightening dramatically during the crisis.”