SmallBusinessNewz

We'll let you be the judge of whether this qualifies as good news, but a new report indicates that banks aren't saying "no" to the idea of small business loans as often as before.  Instead, they're charging an arm and a leg when they sometimes say "yes."

We'll cover the more positive part of the report first.  Forum of Private Business spokesperson Phil McCabe explained in a statement, "Recent data shows that, despite the rate of new EFG applications slowing, the overall availability of lending is beginning to improve slowly."

And considering how long we've been hearing about banks refusing to give small businesses loans, that's a nice discovery . . . perhaps another sign that we're recovering from the recession.

The troubling part is this: McCabe said, "[I]t is becoming clear that steep interest rates, a range of charges and demands for additional security are combining to create a significant cost barrier, preventing viable yet struggling firms from securing the funding they need."

So we still have a ways to go before responsible small business owners can just stroll into banks and get the loans they need.  Let's hope the situation keeps improving.