Philippines' bank lending standards eased in 4Q12

It's attributed to improvement liquidity of banks’ asset portfolio.

According to Maybank Kim Eng, credit standards slightly eased in 4Q12. The central bank of the Philippines reported that bank lending standards for both corporates and households had slightly eased in 4Q12. 

Here's more from Maybank Kim Eng:

The slight easing is attributed to the improvement in the profitability and liquidity of banks’ asset portfolio, more favorable outlook on the economy, more aggressive competition, increased tolerance for risk, increased deposit base, and improvement in the profile of borrowers.

For corporates, credit standards for top corporations and large middle market have eased slightly in 4Q12, while microenterprises were slightly tightened. For households, credit standards were slackened in housing, credit cards, and salary loans.

However, there was a slight tightening on commercial real estate loans. The report also showed increased loan demand, and the trend is likely to continue in 1Q13.