 Bloomberg -- The four largest U.S. banks had at least 151.5 billion of loans with payments in deferral at midyear as borrowers from small businesses to homeowners sought debt relief amid the coronavirus pandemic.Programs vary among banks and account types, with Bank of America Corp. offering deferrals of as long as 60 days on consumer credit cards, and JPMorgan Chase Co. giving clients rolling, three-month deferrals for as much as a year on residential mortgages. The two lenders, along with Citigroup Inc. and Wells Fargo Co., disclosed deferral details in their second-quarter filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.Uncertainty over the length of the pandemic and resulting economic crisis have made it difficult for banks to determine how many loans are likely to sour. JPMorgan, Bank of America, Citigroup and Wells Fargo set aside more than 32 billion for loan losses in the second quarter, close to a record, signaling that relief programs may not be enough to stave off a flood of bad debt.The rapid rollout of forbearance programs in March averted financial ruin for millions of households, giving Congress time to bolster unemployment benefits and offer emergency aid to businesses. The goal was to avoid a tidal wave of defaults by borrowers who began losing income when states locked down commerce to slow infections.The four biggest U.S. banks differ on how they report payment deferrals and loan modifications, and the total balance of financing with deferred payments is likely higher than 151.5 billion. While Wells Fargo, for example, reported 44.2 billion of consumer loans in deferral as of midyear, it said only that it modified 38.2 billion of commercial loans without disclosing the amount remaining in deferral by June 30.Deferrals on residential mortgages and home-equity loans were a common theme across all four banks. The majority of Wells Fargos consumer deferrals were on a combined 35 billion of first and second mortgages, representing 12 and 10 of each loan type, respectively. Almost 9 of JPMorgans residential real estate portfolio was subject to payment deferrals, representing nearly three-quarters of the total 28.3 billion of consumer loans in deferral.At Citigroup, consumer credit cards represented the largest portion of modified loans, with 6.9 billion of debt enrolled in deferral programs, or 5 of its North American credit-card business. The bank modified about 20 billion of consumer loans globally as of June 30.Bank of America, which provided figures as of July 23, was deferring payments on 7.7 billion in commercial loans and 28.5 billion in consumer and small-business debt. About 7 of consumer-card balances received modifications, as did 20 of small-business card balances.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.2020 Bloomberg L.P. 