Snapshot on the State of Small Business Lending

In terms of our [current] lending pipeline, what we're seeing now in lending demand is 60% of what we'd expect in a normal lending environment. That's up from loan levels of less than 50%, which the bank logged in December of last year. But it's hardly back to normal.

- John Asbury, executive vice president of business services at Regions Financial.

Back [in January] the (small business lending) market was pretty much considered nonexistent. Jump ahead to July ... it looks to us that while the market isn't 100% back, it's in very good shape.

-  Jim Hammersley, director of the SBA's loan programs.

The secondary market is back... The recovery is more from the fact that [government programs] are out there and have a PR effect, rather than any substantive effect.

- Chris Laporte, chairman of Coastal Financial Holdings.