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Soaring property lending cause concern Due to record high property sales in Lebanon during the first quarter of 2010, some analysts are urging caution for builders, developers and banks as easy credit increases in parallel to property prices.  There was a total of $2.1 billion in sales in the first three months of the year, which is a 41 percent increase compared to the same period last year, with the number of transactions reaching 22,000, according to the latest report from the Directorate of Real Estate. It is not the amount of total residential lending, but rather the sharp rise in lending that worries International Monetary Fund mission chief for Lebanon, Andreas Bauer. Speaking at the presentation of an IMF report on Lebanon in mid-June, he said: “If credit growth accelerates further, the authorities should consider capping and gradually phasing out incentive schemes that provide exemptions to reserve requirements.”  The