NEWS - Banking & Finance

SBJ Staff Report

Sept 6, 2011 - The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced last week that Lowndes Bancshares, Inc. (Valdosta, Georgia) has received $6.0 million through the Small Business Lending Fund (SBLF). The SBLF, which was established as part of the Small Business Jobs Act that President Obama signed into law, encourages community banks to increase their lending to small businesses, helping those companies expand their operations and create new jobs.       

“These funds will provide a powerful incentive for community banks to expand their lending to small businesses, spurring new investment and job creation” said Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Neal S. Wolin. “Breaking down barriers to credit will provide critical support to Main Street entrepreneurs looking to invest in their local communities, grow their businesses, and put more Americans back to work.”

Small businesses play a critical role in the U.S. economy and are central to growth and job creation. Small businesses employ roughly one-half of all Americans and account for about 60 percent of gross job creation. But small business owners faced disproportionate challenges in the aftermath of the recession and credit crisis, including difficulty accessing capital.

The SBLF helps small businesses meet this challenge by providing capital to community banks that hold under $10 billion in assets. The dividend rate a community bank pays on SBLF funding is reduced as that bank increases its lending to small businesses – providing a strong incentive for new lending to small businesses so they can expand and create jobs. More details on the SBLF program are available online.

The SBLF is one part of the Obama Administration’s agenda to help small businesses access the capital they need to invest and hire, according to Wolin.  The State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI), which is also a key part of the Small Business Jobs Act, allocates $1.5 billion to new and existing state programs that will leverage private financing to spur $15 billion in new lending to small businesses and small manufacturers. 

The Obama Administration has also supported 17 direct tax breaks that provide tax relief of more than $50 billion for small businesses, Wolin states, tax breaks designed to support job creation and retention, entrepreneurship, investment, and growth. Congress has also extended and expand existing Small Business Administration loan programs that have helped put more than $42 billion in the hands of small businesses and deliver other important benefits to help small businesses expand and hire, he says.