REUTERS STAFF, AUGUST 6, 2018/ 2:06 PM

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Loan officers at U.S. banks reported easing lending standards for business loans for firms of all sizes while keeping terms for commercial real estate loans almost unchanged in the second quarter, a Federal Reserve survey showed on Monday.

The officers also said they were seeing stronger demand for business loans from small firms and weaker interest in commercial real estate loans.

“Notably, almost all domestic banks that reportedly eased standards or terms on [business] loans over the past three months cited increased competition from other lenders as a reason for easing, “ the U.S. central bank said in its quarterly survey.

Other factors included increased tolerance for risk and increased liquidity in the secondary market, loan officers said. Click here to read full article.