Lender Life CREDIT TRENDS OPPORTUNITIES EXPERT IDEAS COMMERCIAL LENDING Ups and downs Could the commercial real estate lending surge be dwindling? Analysts and community bankers weigh in on the prospects for CRE lending in the medium term. By Cheryl Winokur Munk O ver the past five years, community banks have celebrated an industrywide surge in commercial real estate (CRE) lending that has given earnings a substantial lift. But some industry participants are wondering if the party could soon be coming to an end. According to the Federal Reserve's Q2 2017 survey of loan officers, lending standards for all major categories of commercial real estate lending have tightened, and there has been a drop in demand for certain types of CRE loans. Notably, the report found that a " modest net fraction of banks reported weaker demand for construction and land development loans and loans secured by multifamily residential properties, while demand for nonfarm nonresidential loans remained basically unchanged on net. " It's not all doom and gloom, though. Industry watchers point out that the Fed's survey wasn't as downtrodden independentbanker.org ICBA IndependentBanker 59http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.independentbanker.org&id=20402&adid=P59E1