SmallBusinessNewz

More numbers regarding small businesses and loans in the UK are out, and they're not exactly encouraging.  Month-over-month, the amount of money that was distributed did increase between May and July, but otherwise, things are looking kind of bad.

The Forum of Private Business relayed figures provided by the British Bankers' Association, and we'll let the FPB's statement speak for itself.  According to the organization, "[N]ew loans to small firms increased by 75 million between May and June 2010, but year-on-year term lending has decreased by 269 million, compared to June 2009 - when the economy was still in recession."

Furthermore, "Average monthly loans have declined by almost half since 2008, when banks lent an average of 991 million to small firms.  In 2010, the average monthly loan rate is 564 million."

That could signal a real problem.  With some economic experts indicating we'll experience a "double dip" recession, some small businesses may require loans to keep going, and delays or outright denials could threaten them.

It's possible to hope that the decline in lending is in part due to small businesses becoming more self-sufficient, though.  And businesses that were able to survive the second recession have probably learned some tricks.  For that matter, they may even have fewer competitors to deal with.

As always, we'll keep our fingers crossed that everything works out for the best.