Banks increased lending for second straight week, Fed data show

The numbers: Total bank lending rose to $12.09 trillion in the seven days ended April 12 from $12.08 trillion in the prior week, the Federal Reserve reported Friday. This is the second straight weekly increase.

Deposits at banks fell to $17.18 trillion from $17.26 trillion in the prior week. They are down from $17.43 billion over the past month.

All…