Value of small-business loans rises in state
The value of loans in New Jersey guaranteed by the U.S. Small Business Administration increased 58 percent in the fourth quarter, a sign of increased business investment and loosening credit markets.
The amount of such small-business loans in Cape May County more than doubled to $2.9 million from the year-ago quarter, while in Ocean County the total rose from $3.3 million to $6.2 million.
SBA loans in Atlantic County fell to $1 million from $1.5 million a year ago, and from $1 million to $400,000 in Cumberland County.
Even those declines were an improvement from the SBA’s fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, in which loans in local counties plunged by 29 to 63 percent.