LIREIA

Data released by the FDIC Tuesday show that lenders’ are seeing considerable improvement in the quality of loans and becoming more confident that fewer borrowers will default. First-quarter loan loss provisions totaled $20.7 billion, less than half the $51.6 billion set aside to cover bad loans a year ago, and loans and leases 90 days or more past due or in nonaccrual status fell for a fourth consecutive quarter. At the same time, though, the number of banks on the FDIC’s so-called “problem list” is at its highest level since 1993...