Capital and Credit Watch

Small Business Insider by Raymond J. Keating- On June 26, I had the opportunity to testify before the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs regarding legislative proposals to increase access to capital. The hearing focused on a collection of common-sense legislative measures that would help boost access to capital by reeling in […]

For Immediate Release Washington, D.C. – Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council president & CEO Karen Kerrigan praised today’s action by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which voted to expand the definition of a “smaller reporting company” (SRC). This change will allow a greater number of small companies to qualify for certain scaled disclosure accommodations. […]

On June 20, 2018, SBE Council President & CEO Karen Kerrigan testified before the House Financial Services Committee on the topic of “Empowering a Pro-Growth Economy by Cutting Taxes and Regulatory Red Tape”.  Kerrigan reported on how the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act” is positively impacting small businesses, the economy, investment, wage growth, and overall small […]

by Karen Kerrigan- Accessing startup or growth capital is an enduring challenge for entrepreneurs.  The good news for small business owners is that legislative proposals and efforts to improve capital access are generally supported on a solid bipartisan basis by our elected officials in Washington, D.C. The bad news, unfortunately, is that bills often get […]

Small Business Insider By Karen Kerrigan- Access to capital is an enduring challenge for most small businesses at every stage of growth.  As I report below, there is positive legislative movement on Capitol Hill to ease capital access including several opportunities to send legislation to President Trump’s desk this year. Capital access is a 2018 […]

(This post was updated on January 30, 2018 to reflect new data about the total amount raised through Title III crowdfunding.) by Karen Kerrigan- Entrepreneurs are entering 2018 with high confidence and a strengthening economy.  The keys to small business growth and healthy entrepreneurship hinge on strong and sustainable economic growth and the continuance of policies […]

  by Raymond J. Keating- The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) announced today that it has decided to inch up the federal funds rate from the 1.00%-to-1.25% range to 1.25%-to-1.50%. In terms of the impact of such a rate increase on economic activity, there effectively is none. The fed funds rate remains well below the […]

by Raymond J. Keating- The Federal Reserve released its latest Senior Loan Officer Opinion Survey on November 6, and it pointed to some weakening of business loan demand coupled with easing of standards and terms by banks. Specifically, this quarterly survey of domestic banks and U.S. branches of foreign banks reported regarding commercial and industrial […]

by Raymond J. Keating- The Federal Reserve released its Federal Open Market Committee statement on the afternoon of November 1, and the real question turns out to be: Does anyone really care what the Fed said? The Fed statement pointed to more of the same that we’ve experienced for almost a decade now, that is, […]

Small Business Insider by Raymond J. Keating- It’s not a secret – or at least it shouldn’t be – that the burdens of regulation fall most heavily on small businesses, with consumers in the end footing the ultimate bill via increased costs and/or reduced choices. That is the case, once again, with a recent ruling […]