Credit Squeeze? —Polischuk

On paper, it seems as though the measures put in place to open up credit would have done the trick. The cost of money for banks is low, and the Federal Government is both subsidizing some of the costs of borrowing through the SBA and shielding banks from much of the risk associated with lending to small businesses. I don't know about other areas of the country, but in my neck of the woods, I have seen a significant number of new community banks springing up. Much of the commercial construction I see is for new banks.