Draghi Urges Banks on Cleanup Even as Asset Check Crimps Lending

``European Central Bank President Mario Draghi said banks should continue to deal with bad assets on their balance sheets even if this causes a temporary worsening of credit in the euro-area... The ECB has started a three-stage review culminating in stress tests later this year that aim to deliver a clear picture of the health of the region's banks. At the same time, as lenders shed assets in the hope of passing the tests, credit to businesses and households in the 18-nation currency bloc is heading for its twentieth straight month of contraction.''