Euro Zone Banks Tightening Access to Business Credit, ECB Survey Shows

Euro Zone Banks Anticipate Stricter Business Credit Conditions Ahead

Impact of Economic Uncertainty on Business Credit

FRANKFURT, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Euro zone banks tightened access to corporate credit last quarter and expect to see further tightening ahead due to widespread economic uncertainty, partly related to trade policies, the European Central Bank's quarterly Bank Lending Survey showed on Tuesday.

Tightening Credit Standards

Lending growth to businesses and households has been accelerating for years but the rate of expansion still trails the pre-pandemic era, adding to evidence that the bloc's economic expansion, while resilient, remains modest. 

Regional Variations in Lending

"Concerns about the outlook for firms and the broader economy, as well as banks’ lower risk tolerance, contributed to tighter credit standards," the ECB said based on a survey of 153 of the bloc's biggest banks.

Demand Trends in Mortgages and Corporate Lending

Half of the banks it surveyed said uncertainty over trade policy impacted their lending, mostly via reduced risk tolerance and weaker demand, factors that will continue to impact lending this year, the ECB said.

Corporate credit tightened most in Germany and France, among the euro zone's biggest countries, while Italy and Spain did not see any tightening.

While banks applied more restrictive credit standards for firms, they continued to ease them for mortgages, mostly in France, even if some of that could be reversed in the first quarter of the year.

Demand meanwhile held up, with banks reporting a small increase, a trend that will likely persist in the first quarter.

Banks expect a rise in loan demand for most sectors except for car manufacturing, wholesale, retail trade and commercial real estate.

Mortgage demand also increased on improved housing market prospects, even if consumer confidence contributed negatively, the ECB said. 

(Reporting by Balazs Koranyi; Editing by Hugh Lawson)