Banks with assets between $10 billion and $50 billion reportedthe highest commercial real estate loan growth in 2012, accordingto data from SNL Financial.

Total CRE loans at commercial banks grew by $9.09 billion, or0.94%, during the fourth quarter of 2012, amounting to $971.27billion at Dec. 31, 2012, said SNL Financial, a Charlottesville, Va.-based data and analysisfirm.

That category also had a median delinquency rate of 2.76% withbanks with greater than $50 billion of assets experiencing a mediandecline of 3.29% in their CRE portfolio, according to SNLFinancial.

The fourth quarter growth in CRE loans may point to a sign that commercial banks arestarting to heal, the firm noted, adding their aggregatedelinquency rate is at the lowest level in the last 16quarters.

At the end of 2012, the CRE delinquency rate was 4.29%, whichwas down from a peak of 10.76% in March 2010 and the lowest levelsince 3.1% at the end of 2007, according to the data.

SNL Financial said all of the components of CRE loans, exceptconstruction and land development loans, had positive growth duringthe fourth quarter of 2012.

Loans not secured by real estate and multifamily loans grew by3.35% and 2.83%, respectively, during the quarter while theconstruction and land development segment, down by 3.22%, continuedto decrease.

Meanwhile, the total number of credit union business loans isstill dwarfed by the amount offered by banks. According to CUNA, credit unions hold less than 6% of all small businessloans for a combined value of nearly $40 billion.