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Middle-market businesses are raring for growth in 2022, and four in 10 expect their credit needs to increase this year, which according to economist Jim Glassman of JPMorgan Chase on the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast will lead to a surge in commercial and industrial lending. “These challenges we are all focused on are all symptoms of a vigorous recovery from the pandemic nightmare,” says Glassman. “Businesses would much rather deal with these challenges than the kinds of things they were dealing with a year ago.”

Glassman discusses other findings from the JPMC Business Leaders Outlook survey, including:

• How middle market businesses are using automation and efficiencies to free up resources to respond to present challenges, including staff shortages and supply chain kinks.
• Why eight in 10 businesses have returned to — or surpassed — their pre-pandemic category.
• Low-hanging fruit for banks in the form of low takeup rates on mobile banking, cashless payments and online bill pay in the middle market.