In that week, they added $1.58 billion to their investment portfolios, while loans fell by $1.78 billion.

Adjustable-rate loans with unlimited rate changes fell to 8.25 percent from 8.32 percent.

Total outstanding loans have fallen from $15.8 billion to $14 billion.

Other loans, including those for mobile homes, education, boats and vacations, fell at a 6.3 percent rate, or $1.1 billion.

The loan period was one year and these loans will fall due this autumn.

But loans to buyers of new cars and trucks fell during the third quarter, compared with a year earlier.

Bad loans and repossessed real estate fell by 15 percent, to $3.5 billion in the quarter.

We need rules to ensure that such loans do not fall between the cracks and escape regulation altogether.

As a result, there is more of a chance that a loan will fall through after a tentative commitment has been made.

The banks' outstanding commercial and industrial loans, on the other hand, have fallen gradually, to about $620 billion.