Bank lending rises for the third straight week

The numbers: Total bank lending rose to $12.1 trillion in the seven days ended April 19 from $12.09 trillion in the prior week, the Federal Reserve said Friday. This is the third straight weekly gain.

Deposits at banks rose slightly to $17.20 trillion from $17.18 trillion in the prior week. They are down from $17.26 over the past month.

All…