Bizjournals.com article by Kent Hoover Banks usually make more Small Business Administration-backed loans when the economy weakens, but that's not the case this time around. When credit standards tighten, lenders typically steer more small businesses to SBA loans. The government guarantees on these loans, which range from 50 percent to 85 percent, enable banks to make loans to businesses that don't qualify for conventional loans. Fewer businesses may benefit from SBA loans during this downturn, however. The number of loans made through the SBA's flagship 7(a) loan program is down 14 percent so far this fiscal year compared with the same period a year earlier, and the dollar volume is down 6 percent. The SBA's fiscal year began Oct. 1. To read the rest of this article, please click here.