Banks eased loan standards for U.S. households in fourth quarter

Banks lowered lending standards for U.S. households in the fourth quarter but tightened them for commercial and industrial loans, according to a survey of loan officers released on Monday by the Federal Reserve.

The U.S. central bank said banks moderately eased standards for mortgages and auto loans while leaving them unchanged for credit cards.

Some banks noted that the tightening of standards for commercial and industrial lending owed to concerns over the oil and gas industries, the Fed said. Banks also tightened standards for commercial real estate lending.

The Fed survey covered the fourth quarter of 2015, and included the responses of 73 domestic banks and 24 U.S. branches and agencies of foreign banks.