FRANKFURT--Bank lending standards in the eurozone eased during the fourth quarter across all loan categories, the European Central Bank said Tuesday, suggesting credit conditions in the region are slowly recovering.
According to the quarterly report, based on a survey of 137 European banks, financial institutions made it easier for both households and companies to obtain credit.
"Banks indicated a further considerable narrowing of margins on average loans, while reporting in net terms only a slight narrowing of margins on riskier loans," the ECB said.
The central bank took steps in 2014 to spur the flow of credit to the economy, reducing interest rates to record lows and making cheap, four-year loans available to financial institutions on the condition that they in turn raised lending to households and firms.
The ECB is expected to step up its stimulus efforts Thursday by launching a large-scale program to purchase government bonds and raise the money supply.
