Total C&I Loans - Historical Chart
Commercial and Industrial Loans, All Commercial Banks (H.8). Gray shaded areas indicate U.S. recessions.
Source: Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED), Series TOTCI. Shaded areas = NBER recession dates. Updated 2026-03-09.
What the Feb 2026 Data Shows
At 2.79T, the total c&i loans in Feb 2026 is above the 10-year average of 1.19T by 1591.71. The reading has been mixed recently, fluctuating without a clear directional trend over the past 6 months.
FRED series TOTCI provides weekly C&I loan data from the Federal Reserve's H.8 release, offering higher-frequency tracking than the monthly BUSLOANS series. This is the same underlying data but reported more frequently, allowing analysts to spot turning points faster.
The weekly frequency is particularly valuable during periods of rapid change -- such as the COVID drawdown in March 2020, when C&I loans jumped by over $400 billion in a single month as companies rushed to tap credit lines. Monthly data missed the intra-month dynamics that weekly data captured.
This series splits naturally into large and small bank components (CIBOARD and CILSCBW027SBOG), which reveal important differences in lending behavior between money-center banks and community institutions.
What This Metric Measures
This page tracks the total stock of commercial and industrial loans at all domestically chartered commercial banks, from the weekly H.8 release. The data comes from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis FRED database, series TOTCI, updated weekly.
Historical Context
The all-time peak was 3.07T in May 2020 — roughly 1.1x the current level. The all-time trough was 134.0B in Jan 1973. During COVID-19 in 2020, the reading hit 3.07T (May 2020). Year-over-year, the metric has moved 8.9%.
Why It Matters
Weekly data lets you see credit conditions changing in near-real-time rather than waiting for monthly or quarterly reports. During periods of stress, weekly C&I loan movements can reveal whether banks are extending emergency credit (as in March 2020) or pulling back (as in late 2023).
Splitting by bank size also matters: large banks serve large corporate borrowers, while small banks are the primary lenders to Main Street businesses. Divergence between the two can reveal a K-shaped credit environment.
What This Means for Business Owners
Understanding where this metric stands relative to historical norms helps business owners make better borrowing decisions. Metrics far from their 10-year average often signal turning points that affect the cost and availability of credit.
Comparison - Feb 2026
| Category | Current | Prior Period | Year Ago | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total C&I Loans (All Banks) ★ | $2785.4B | $2788.3B | $2556.8B | 2.96 ↓ |
Source: Federal Reserve FRED. All rates seasonally adjusted. ★ = primary focus of this page.
Total C&I Loans, All Commercial Banks - Frequently Asked Questions
Total C&I loans at all domestically chartered banks are 2.79T as of Feb 2026, per FRED series TOTCI.
TOTCI is weekly from the H.8 release; BUSLOANS is monthly. TOTCI covers domestically chartered banks; BUSLOANS includes foreign bank branches. The levels differ slightly but trends are the same.
The balance moved down from the prior period. The reading has been mixed recently, fluctuating without a clear directional trend over the past 6 months.
Check series CIBOARD (large banks) and CILSCBW027SBOG (small banks) for the breakdown. Large banks typically hold 60-65% of C&I loans; small banks hold 35-40%.
Companies drew down revolving credit lines as a precaution during COVID. The spike was largest at large banks where Fortune 500 companies tapped multi-billion dollar facilities.
FRED series TOTCI, from the Federal Reserve H.8 weekly release on assets and liabilities of commercial banks.