This survey released today asked bank executives in institutions of banks, with 62% of the respondents being from small banks (those with less than $500 million in estimated assets).
The picture is a disturbing turn for the worse as the realities of a new structural unemployment and the impact of government borrowing weighs heavily.
Grant Thornton – Bank Survey – Sept 2010
CHICAGO, Sept. 29, 2010 – Bankers are again becoming pessimistic about the economy, according to Grant Thornton LLP’s 17th Bank Executive Survey, conducted in conjunction with Bank Director magazine. Only 15% of bank executives believe the U.S. economy will improve in the next six months, while a quarter believe that it will actually get worse. This is a statistically significant drop in how bankers felt about the U.S. economy six months ago when nearly half (45%) said that they expected the economy to improve.
At least there are some realists out there, though it appears at least 15% of bank executives have not read Bright-sided (Smile or Die in UK), which I finished today and reviewed here:
http://sdj-pragmatist.blogspot.com/2010/10/weakness-of-postive-thinking.html