8th District - St. Louis

Regional Federal Reserve Banks

Overall economic activity in the Eighth District has remained stable since our previous report. Lending at a sample of small and mid-sized District banks increased slightly from early April to mid-June. View full report.

Real Estate and Construction

Permits [for residential construction] declined 57 percent in Memphis, 41 percent in Louisville, 42 percent in St. Louis, and 34 percent in Little Rock.

Commercial real estate construction reports were mixed throughout the District. A contact in western Kentucky reported that commercial construction is relatively strong, while a contact in northeast Arkansas reported that commercial construction is very spotty. A top regional contracting contact in Memphis was optimistic concerning projects for the remainder of 2008, but a contact in Evansville, Indiana, reported that industrial construction has slowed.

Banking and Finance

Real estate lending, which accounts for 73.9 percent of total loans, was essentially unchanged.