Why Many Small Businesses Are Pulling Back Despite Profitability
The April Bank of America Institute Small Business Checkpoint frames a contradiction worth a closer look. Profitability growth held positive through the first quarter, but small business payroll growth has been negative for three consecutive months, and overall...
The Q1 2026 Small Business Index Has a Message for National Small Business Week
Each year since 1963, National Small Business Week, typically celebrated during the first week in May, has served as the nation’s official recognition of the contributions small businesses make to the economy. America’s 36 million small businesses make up...
Small Business Credit Quality Is Declining. Here Is What That Means for Your Business.
For nearly four years, lenders across the country have reported a net decline in the credit quality of small business loan applicants. Fifteen consecutive quarters of declining applicant credit quality, running from the second quarter of 2022 through the fourth...
Small Business Loan Denial: What Lenders See Before You Get the Answer
Most small business loan denials are not decisions made at the end of the process. By the time a lender delivers their answer, your financials have already told them what they need to know. Understanding what they are looking for is the first step toward changing the...