Farm banks increased agricultural lending by 13.6 percent in 2014.

PositionAROUND THE ABA - Brief article

FARM BANKS INCREASED AGRICULTURAL LENDING by 13.6 percent in 2014 and held $94.6 billion in farm loans at the end of the year, according to the ABA's annual Farm Bank Performance Report.

Asset quality continued to improve at the nation's 2,036 farm banks as nonperforming loans declined to prerecession levels. (ABA defines farm banks as banks whose ratio of domestic farm loans to total domestic loans is greater than or equal to the industry average.)

"The agricultural economy may be faced with headwinds in 2015, but farm banks are well positioned to continue serving the needs of farmers and ranchers across the country," says Brittany Dengler, ABA senior research manager, economic policy and research. "Banks hold nearly half of all farm loans and will remain an important source of ag credit." Dengler noted that the entire banking industry--not just farm banks--provide farmers and ranchers with the credit they need. At the end of 2014, banks held $161 billion in...

To continue reading

Request your trial

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT