Merchant Funding

Many say the economy is improving, and experts say once frozen credit markets are beginning to thaw, but some small businesses are still having a tough time getting loans.

The owners of Twilight Bistro are hoping to expand, but they said the market for loans is still tight.

“They want as much assets as what it is worth,” Twilight Bistro owner Joe Anglin said. ”If I had that I’d just buy it.”

Anglin said part of the problem is, the business is not only small, but new.

“We’ve been here less than two years, and our track record does show a profit, but still with only two years and not a lot of assets, we expected to be told no,” Anglin said.

“The greater the risk, which often comes in smaller start up companies, the harder it is going to be to get those dollars,” Tricia Hollander with Hillyard Lyons said.

Still, Hollander said there are more dollars to be had, and credit is starting to ease up.

“We tend to see the pendulum swing,” Hollander said. ”I think maybe we’ve swung so far in one direction that at some point we’ll come back to the middle.”

She said new credit card rules that took effect Monday don’t apply to businesses, but that exemption could have an impact.

Some banks may try to make up lost revenue on the backs of businesses, and some businesses may put their credit on personal cards.

That makes financial institutions nervous.

“That becomes a little bit of a muddy issue when businesses take on personal liability, so that is a concern,” Hollander said.

As for Twilight, they said their best bet for a loan right now is the small business administration.

They said the wait could be a little longer, but they believe it will work out in the end.

Hollander said some small businesses are avoiding expansion right now anyway because they are focused on getting their financial house in order.

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