As America's oldest small-business advocacy organization, NSBA has been at the forefront of the advocacy effort to open up lines of credit and access to capital for America's small business owners. Whether testifying before Congress, extending counsel to the Administration, or leading a broad-reaching coalition, NSBA is there, on your side, representing small business.

Below is an overview of the myriad advocacy efforts NSBA has made in dealing with the credit crunch.

NSBA Votes Access to Capital and Credit-Card Reform Top Priorities
In February, NSBA members--realizing the critical importance of financing to small business and thus the overall U.S. economy--voted to make access to capital and credit-card reform among the association's top ten priorities for the 110th Congress.

NSBA Calls for Expanded Small-Business Lending by Credit Unions
In June, NSBA joined with several other business groups in urging the administration and Congress to raise the limit credit unions have on small-business lending. Currently, credit unions can only lend up to 12.25 percent of their total loan portfolio to small business.

NSBA Urges Reforms to Improve Capital Markets for Small Business
In April, NSBA sent a detailed letter urging reforms to improve small-business access to capital to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, and the chairs and ranking members of the House and Senate Small Business Committees, the House Financial Services Committee and the Senate Banking Committee.

NSBA Urges Obama Transition Team to Address the Credit Crunch
In December 2008, NSBA sent then-President-Elect Barack Obamb's transition team a detailed memo calling for the inclusion of specific measures to help small buisnesses in any economic stimulus bill.

NSBA Calls for Increased SBA Loan Size
In October, NSBA called upon the Senate and House Small Business Committees to raise the maximum allowable loan size of SBA loans to $5 million.

NSBA Analysis of Economic Stimulus Bills
In February, NSBA compiled a detailed analysis of the various economic stimulus bills to provide a reference guide for how small businesses would be impacted.

NSBA President Testifies on Need to Reform Credit Cards
In March, NSBA President Todd McCracken testified before the House Financial Services Committee on the importance of credit cards to small business, and the need to address the most deceptive and unfair practices of the credit-card industry.

NSBA Board Member Testifies on SBA Entrepreneurial Development Programs
In May, NSBA board member Scott Hauge testified before the House Small Business Committe on the need to reauthorize and enhance various entrepreneurial development programs at SBA, as well as for the need to address the availability of capital for small businesses.

NSBA Urges House and Senate Support of Including Small Business in Credit-Card Reform
Throughout April and May, NSBA worked with Senators and Representatives, and led a coalition calling for the inclusion of small business in the credit-card reform bill.

NSBA Calls on Senate to Address Unfair Interchange Fees
In May, NSBA joined a coalition of business groups calling on the Senate to support an amendment that would increase transparency and infuse fairness in credit-card processing fees, known as interchange fees.

NSBA Urges Federal Assistance for Large Small-Business Lender, CIT
In July, NSBA reached out to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner urging him to consider assistance to then-failing CIT, one of the largest small-business lenders in the U.S.

NSBA President Testifies on Need to Reform Small-Business Credit Cards
In October, NSBA President Todd McCracken testified before the House Financial Services Committee on the importance of credit cards to small business, and the need to expedite the effective date of previously-passed legislation.

NSBA President Testifies on Small-Business Challenges in Securing Financing
In March, NSBA President Todd McCracken testified before the Senate Small Business Committee on the various challenges small businesses faces in garnering adequate capital, and specifically highlighted the many problems with credit-card financing.

NSBA Supports Bill to Include Small Business Purchases in Credit-Card Reform
In September, the NSBA-led coalition registered their support of a bill to ensure small-business credit-card purchases are protected under recently-passed legislation.