Solopreneurs are the new engine of business growth in the U.S., and banks and financial services regulators need to recognize their importance.

The Wildflower Foundation is seeking to raise $10 million for its Sunlight Loan Fund, which supports teachers who want to provide broader access to Montessori education. U.S. Bank recently closed on the inaugural commitment to the fund.

Isabella Guzman, the administrator of the Small Business Administration, skipped a congressional hearing called to discuss the wide disparity in the level of fraud calculated by her staff and a parallel examination conducted by SBA's Office of the Inspector General.

They're wary of deteriorating economic conditions and the bite higher interest rates could take out of profits, according to the latest index of small-bank executives' sentiments by the Conference of State Bank Supervisors. The index fell to its lowest level since it was created in 2019.

The Cleveland-based regional bank recently announced a $20 million line of credit for Lendistry, a Los Angeles-based, minority-led community development financial institution.

Banks are simultaneously looking to shed their obligations under laws like the Community Reinvestment Act and begging the government for more support in the form of higher deposit insurance limits.

A new inspector general report suggests that grifts were more pervasive than has previously been reported. The Small Business Administration, which drew blame in the watchdog report, took issue with the findings.

The Block unit's new American Express card credits users with $1 in payment-processing fees for every $3 they spend on business expenses. It's also offering new loan terms and other tools for managing expenses and cash flow.

Small-business owners need more help from financial services companies when it comes to making major decisions about their companies' future.

After working for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. for a decade, Marc Minish was determined that he could open his own institution. Now he is the primary organizer of the proposed Nova Bank in Huntsville, Alabama, which has received conditional regulatory approval.

Citizens Financial has teamed with Wisetack, which supports dozens of platforms connecting to thousands of home improvement, dental and veterinary service providers.

After the departure of a key Small Business Administration official, lawmakers from both parties are calling on the SBA's chief to delay rules that could open the agency's biggest lending program to more nonbanks — or even consider reversing the changes.

The fintech already has a number of large bank partnerships, including Morgan Stanley at Work and Wells Fargo.

A recent Bank of America survey found many small businesses forecasting increased revenues and planning to add workers, but a canvass by Biz2Credit indicated they'll struggle to secure credit.

Ninety-eight percent of owners reported that they had not changed their business's primary financial institution in the last month, according to a National Federation of Independent Business survey out Wednesday.

Meow and Vesto are two firms that help companies invest idle funds in safe instruments such as Treasury bills.

The Minneapolis bank has launched a special-purpose credit program that aims to help businesses owned by women, minorities and veterans. Borrowers with comparatively low credit scores and cash flows will qualify for lending products of up to $2.5 million.

The Kansas-based buyer is pursuing deals to build out its small-business lending across several states.

Texas National Bank in Mercedes, Texas, is testing how alternative data can improve the speed and accuracy with which it lends to its small-business customers.