Survey Says Small Businesses Hurting for Credit Options

A recent survey of nearly 6,000 small business operators shows small business credit options are lacking. The survey was conducted by Thumbtack, an online service that connects consumers with service professionals in a variety of fields.

Of the small business owners surveyed, 52% believe credit is too challenging to acquire. Results showed that of those who sought credit, less than a quarter received the funding they needed. The remainder of the respondents only got a portion of the credit they sought, found loan conditions to be too burdensome or didn’t apply at all because they didn’t think they would qualify for a loan.

Small business access to credit is “clearly a problem that needs to be addressed,” said Thumbtack economist Lucas Puente.

The survey also shows that small business owners are looking to the Trump administration and Congress to produce a tax reform plan that will incentivize banks to lend more to small businesses. Republicans claim that former President Barack Obama’s 2010 Dodd-Frank financial reform law slowed lending and economic growth.

Last month, Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen testified before Congress, defending the current bank rules and stating that the Dodd-Frank laws shouldn’t be repealed. She cited a recent survey from the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) showing that only four percent of small business owners reported that all their borrowing needs were not satisfied. Republicans pointed out that the same NFIB data showed the majority of businesses hadn’t applied for credit.

A lack of credit options directly affects a small business’s ability to invest in equipment, hire employees or expand its reach. Of the service-based small businesses surveyed by Thumbtack, the majority are small operations with fewer than five employees, the same types of businesses that often have challenges proving their creditworthiness to banks.