U.S. small business funding dry, getting drier

By Nick Zieminski - Analysis

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. small businesses, already facing the toughest credit conditions since the 1980s, may soon find things are about to get tougher.

Concerns over the future of CIT Corp CIT.N -- a major lender to small businesses -- which provides capital in situations where many commercial banks fear to tread, makes small business advocates wary about the next few months.

Since small business is typically a major driver of the U.S. economy, any barrier to this sector's recovery could mean a longer, slower U.S. economic revival, and could limit the effectiveness of the government's stimulus dollars.

CIT has tried various capital-raising plans, including growing its retail bank and selling assets and stock, to pay off maturing debt and avoid further ratings downgrades.

CIT said it was talking to the U.S. government to gain access to funding, but that there was no guarantee the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp would approve its application to join the Temporary Liquidity Guarantee Program. That has exacerbated a liquidity crunch and led CIT To explore a possible bankruptcy filing, The Wall Street Journal said.

"The CIT crisis takes a lending source that's been relatively active in a very tight credit market and eliminates one more source of capital," said Ken Gaebler, president of Gaebler Ventures LLC, a consultancy that helps entrepreneurs raise capital and acts as a business incubator.

CIT's failure, if it happens, would pull existing lines of credit, forcing creditors to seek alternative funding.