Even legal dispensaries can be risky business partners, so Southern Chautauqua Federal Credit Union is working with Green Check Verified to make sure everything is above board. "Just because somebody has a license from the state, they can't show up with a duffel bag full of cash like Scarface and say let's do business together," Green Check CEO Kevin Hart said.

At American Banker's Small Biz Banking conference, bankers said they are throwing community events, working with local nonprofits and trying to turn lending decisions from "no" to "yes."

The industry must adapt quickly to the changing preferences of entrepreneurs and the innovation of nonbanks such as PayPal and Square, according to speakers at American Banker's Small Biz Banking Conference. Traditional players such as U.S. Bancorp and Comerica say they're making the necessary investments.

KServicing, a SoftBank-backed small-business loan servicer, filed for bankruptcy after the company, which holds old loans made by the online lender Kabbage, was weighed down by allegations of overly lax lending under the U.S. government's Paycheck Protection Program.

The new offering is the latest step in the Minneapolis bank's push to provide digital tools that will help build deeper relationships with commercial clients.

A new report from American Banker's parent company finds that traditional banks are vulnerable to competition from online banks and fintechs such as PayPal and Square. It recommends that banks build deeper relationships with small-business owners by adding more products to their traditional suite of offerings.

Small business banking can be BIG for the financial institutions willing to tap the opportunity in this fast-growing market.

The challenger banks Mercury and Nerve are offering networking events, tailored accounts, credit cards and more to attract a once neglected market.

South End Capital, a division of Stearns Bank in Minnesota, is touting a nationwide Small Business Administration small-dollar loan product that can provide funding within days, perhaps hours. It's one of several recent small-dollar SBA lending initiatives now being offered by banks.

Bank of America says August was its best month ever for Small Business Administration lending and that it's optimistic a new program supporting women and minority commercial real estate borrowers could boost production even more.