Of particular importance for small businesses, however, are the facts that these spreads jumped significantly both on loans originated by smaller U.S. banks and on smaller commercial loans – that is, those loans below $ Despite tighter credit standards and loan terms, growth in the dollar amount of commercial loans at U.S. banks was quite well maintained in the first quarter of 2008.
Particularly noteworthy from the point of view of small businesses is the fact that after growing almost 20 percent in the fourth quarter of 2007, commercial loans at small banks continued to expand at a rate of almost 12 percent in this year's first quarter.