...we saw three quarters of growth last year."Weakness in the housing market has weighed on broader lending, said James Chessen, the chief economist of the American Bankers Association, the industry's biggest trade group."The overall lending...

...Tuesday. "This may be the break in the clouds we've been looking for," said the association's chief economist James Chessen. The decline came after the delinquency rate shot up to an all-time quarterly high of 4.43 percent in the final...

...Tuesday. That surpassed the previous all-time quarterly high of 4.09 percent set in the third quarter of last year. James Chessen, the association's chief economist, said that credit cards often are used as a "financial bridge" by those who...

...economy, many economists believe.The decline in loan delinquencies is part of that trend, said ABA chief economist James Chessen. He called the survey's numbers "a very positive and hopeful sign.""Clearly, consumers are shoring up their...

...consequence, consumers have less money left over to meet all their expenses, including paying back their loans," said James Chessen, the association's chief economist, in explaining the increase in late payments in the second quarter. Since then...

...fall of 1994, the American Bankers Association said Tuesday. "I think this is an important improvement," said James Chessen, chief economist at the ABA. "The vast majority of consumers are using credit responsibly. Almost 97 percent of...

...these projects, the losses are overwhelming. "The biggest risk to banks is not getting repaid on loans," said James Chessen, chief economist for the American Bankers Association. "As people lose their jobs and as businesses see less foot...

...between 2.5 percent and 3 percent. "It may have stopped raining, but there are still clouds in the sky," said James Chessen, the association's chief economist. Increased delinquencies have coincided with an explosion in personal bankruptcies...

...from the record, 3.72 percent set in the fourth quarter of 1996. Nevertheless, the association's economist, James Chessen, said, "the delinquency rates are still high enough to warrant concerns and banks will no doubt continue the pattern...

...Association reported on Tuesday. The figure was up from a 4.04 percent level in the second quarter. ABA chief economist James Chessen blamed part of the problem on the fact that Americans' financial difficulties have been intensified by the fact that...