There is more proof that lending to small businesses is starting to recover in some loan size categories even in the midst of a continued decline of activity by financial institutions.

The SBA's Office of Advocacy's latest edition of "Small Business Lending in the United States" tracked data over the 2009-2010 period. The study found that small business lending dropped by 6.2%, less than the 8.9% drop experienced in large firm lending over the period looked at. As the gross domestic product has turned upward, business lending may follow the pattern of other recessions, in which commercial and industrial lending grew only after recovery was well under way, the SBA said.

"Businesses and lenders continued to exercise caution in borrowing and lending through 2009-2010," said Winslow Sargeant, SBA chief counsel for advocacy. "As the economy improves, this study, through its state-by-state display of lender performance, can help both small business borrowers and lending institutions see where small firms are beginning to find the capital they need."