Analyzing Corporate Loan Growth in Austria Using Bank Lending Survey Data

This paper contributes to the emerging literature that makes use of Bank Lending Survey (BLS) data to shed light on the determinants of the growth of loans to enterprises. We examine the relationship between loan growth and information from the BLS using Bayesian model averaging. Our results suggest that in Austria volumes of corporate loans mainly react to changes in demand whereas supply effects play only a minor role. Moreover, the current crisis did not impair bank lending to enterprises beyond its influence on credit standards and loan demand. We find no indication for a credit crunch as defined by Bernanke and Lown (1991) in Austria. The evidence is less clear with regard to the broader definition of credit crunch by Owens and Schreft (1993) that also takes into account non-price conditions. In addition, this paper discusses the concept of credit standards and some methodical issues that have to be taken into account when using BLS data to analyze loan developments.