It is not clear that lowering them further would do much to encourage lending, especially since many companies do not see a need to borrow primarily because demand is so weak, and not because credit is expensive.
The yields on government bonds from Spain and Italy rise sharply - and Germany's falls to record lows - as investors demand huge returns to borrow.
Outstanding credit card debt has dropped by $21.0 billion since last September, a result of a lack of desire to lend and reduced demand from consumers to borrow, write analysts David Watts and Sophie Lindstrom in the CreditSights report.
Just about everything related to transportation is now becoming automated, on demand, or available to borrow.
And even in those instances where lenders are starting to offer loans at lower rates, the demand from small business to borrow money is low.
For if workers see their real wages fall at the same time as the credit crunch is constraining their ability to borrow, consumer demand will suffer.
Now, however, in a pioneering move, the council is to create an online gallery so its collection can be viewed in its entirety for the first time, something that is likely to trigger a surge in demand from public bodies keen to borrow them.
Businesses remained pessimistic and reluctant to borrow, and demand for commercial and industrial loans continued to fall or stay weak in half of the Fed's regions, including New York, where two of the three biggest U.S. banks are based.
Many companies are choosing not to borrow primarily because demand is so weak, and not because credit is expensive.
