Commercial real estate market activity remained slow in the Philadelphia Federal Reserve district and at low levels in the Boston, Atlanta and San Francisco districts, with slight upticks in most of the other districts, according to April's Federal Reserve Beige Book. Philadelphia district bankers interviewed for the Beige Book said loan volume will expand slowly this year with increased economic activity. One banker in Philadelphia said,"We're making more small-business loans, and commercial real estate lending is picking up except for retail properties."
