SLOOS Finds Even Tighter Bank Credit Standards, Dismal Loan Demand And A Dire Outlook For Rest Of 2023

One quarter after all the market was intently watching a Fed report most had by no means heard of earlier than, specifically the Senior Loan Officers Opinion Survey on Bank Lending Practices (often known as SLOOS), to get some sense of simply how a lot tightening there was within the US monetary system following the March financial institution failures, moments in the past the Fed launched the newest, July SLOOS report which confirmed that the extremely shrinking US mortgage market has accelerated its shrinkage much more within the second quarter, when financial institution lending requirements tightened throughout most merchandise, whereas mortgage demand – not surprisingly with charges on the highest degree in 40 years – dropped to ranges the place one wonders simply how the debt-addicted US financial system is funding itself.

Here are the report highlights, first on loans to companies:

• Survey respondents reported tighter requirements and weaker demand for the all-important industrial and industrial (C&I) loans to companies of all sizes over the second quarter.
• Banks additionally reported tighter requirements and weaker demand for all industrial actual property (CRE) mortgage classes.

Looking at requirements for C&I loans, there are solely two occasions it has been tougher to get a C&I mortgage for small companies prior to now three many years: the covid crash, and the worldwide monetary disaster. One wonders how for much longer the unemployment price can defy the gravity from the collapse in US credit score…

Next, loans to households:

• Banks reported that lending requirements tightened throughout all classes of residential actual property (RRE) loans, particularly for RRE loans apart from government-sponsored enterprise (GSE)-eligible and authorities loans.
• Banks reported tighter requirements and weaker demand for residence fairness strains of credit score (HELOCs).
• Standards tightened for all client mortgage classes; demand weakened for auto and different client loans, whereas it remained principally unchanged for bank card loans.

Meanwhile, demand weakened for all RRE mortgage classes.  The report additionally confirmed weak demand for credit score. The share of banks reporting weaker demand for industrial and industrial loans amongst giant and mid-size companies fell to 51.6%, from 55.6% within the first quarter.

Here is a visible abstract of lending requirements, which tightened for many mortgage classes besides Construction and Land Development, Multifamily Residential and New and Used Auto Loans.

And right here is mortgage demand summarized:

While the demand rebound could also be attributed to the modest retracing in yields throughout the curve in Q2, which has since pale as charges are as soon as once more on the highest in 40 years, what’s extra troubling is that trying on the second half, banks reported they anticipate to additional tighten requirements on all mortgage classes. The most cited causes for anticipating to tighten lending requirements had been “a less favorable or more uncertain economic outlook, an expected deterioration in collateral values, and an expected deterioration in credit quality of CRE and other loans.”

Additionally, main web shares of banks additionally cited an anticipated discount in threat tolerance, an anticipated deterioration of their liquidity place, elevated considerations about funding prices and deposit outflows, in addition to elevated considerations in regards to the results of legislative, supervisory, or accounting modifications as causes for anticipating additional tightening.

In a preview of the Fed survey, Powell stated “it’s broadly consistent with what you would expect. You’ve got lending conditions tight and getting a little tighter, you’ve got weak demand, and you know, it gives a picture of a pretty tight credit conditions in the economy.”

“I think it’s really hard to tease out whether how much of that is from this source or that source, but I think what matters is the overall picture is of tight and tightening lending conditions,” the Fed chair stated.

In quick: Biden’s “stealth” $1 trillion stimulus higher have the ability to push the financial system effectively into 2024 singlehandedly, as a result of anybody hoping to get a large mortgage at good phrases within the subsequent 3-6 months shall be stuffed.