Loans and leases for business equipment increased 10.7% last month compared with May 2011, an ELFA survey found. Volume rose 1.6% from April to May. “Although overall spending has steadily increased since the financial crisis, pockets of the market are still tenuous as some customers are canceling or postponing [capital-expenditure] purchases amidst softer commodity prices or weaker demand from abroad,” said Maureen Carr, managing director of corporate asset finance at CapitalSource  more.