Bankers need to play ball.

There's been lots of talk in and out of D.C on the best strategy to get us out of this recession. While there are lots of opinions, one thing that everyone seems to agree on is this; small businesses will undoubtedly play a key role in putting the economy back on its feet.

In the past, most of the jobs created in our economy were attributed to small to mid-size business expansion. Entrepreneurs finally turning the corner, small business growing as sales soared and small manufactures finding new customers drove the employment of American workers. Even with the loss of manufacturing jobs to far away lands, small businesses were able to create millions of jobs and keep the economy growing at record pace.


This historical fact can certainly serve as a blueprint for the future. But there is one serious obstacles in the way of small business expansion, the lack of capital.


Remember the old Westerns when the settlers (AKA the foreigners) circled the wagons to fend off the natives, the rightful owners of the land? Something akin to that is what we have now in the relationship between banks and small business. The proliferation of large banks and the demise of most community banks, left us with the equivalent of "banking" settlers, foreigners to our communities who pretend they know what's best for our neighborhoods. The reality is this, today's conglomerates take a cookie curter approach to lending practices in our communities, this simply does not work.

We need the banking industry to open the doors to business expansion and job creation by engaging in lending practices that reflect the strength and diversity of the communities they serve. Small to mid-size business have a right to expect the banking industry to provide the capital necessary to create jobs and ensure prosperity.

The American taxpayer saved the banking industry from collapse. It's now time for bankers to repay the favor. The banking industry has the capital to lend but they have instinctively circled the wagons. That's wrong and unnecessary. Small business are not running on the banks to take money. We are going to the banks in search of secured loans and lines of credit to expand and create jobs. We are ready to play ball with our entrepreneurial spirit and our sweat and tears. Bankers need to step up to the plate and play ball.