As we approach the end of 2013, the report card for small business lending is mixed.
The year opened with promise as President Obama began his second term, which removed the uncertainty of the election from the credit markets. However, political partisanship in Washington led to the contentious debt-ceiling debate and ultimately a government shutdown that was particularly harmful to small business owners. Add to that the confusion over ObamaCare's implementation and its initial failings, and today small business owners are cautious in their growth plans, particularly as it relates to hiring new workers.