Last week, Federal Reserve Chairman, Ben Bernanke came out strong urging big banks to increase lending to small business. Mr. Bernanke cited the steep decline – roughly $40 billion in the last two years – in loans to smaller companies and questioned whether this is due to reduced demand or tightened credit standards.

Can there even be a question?  During the economic meltdown of the last two years, small business owners have been scrambling to find liquidity only to be shut out by the ever more stringent loan processes of banks shoring up their assets.

Mr. Bernanke acknowledged that small businesses are critical to job growth, the cornerstone of the Obama administration’s recovery plan.  Yet, without sufficient access to credit, these firms have a tough time even staying afloat, much less expanding payrolls.  Truly a dilemma.

Straight talk from Mr. Bernanke?  Definitely.  But, what good is tough talk without the necessary action to back it up?

True, the administration has proposed tax cuts and a fund to encourage lending by community banks; the Federal Reserve is sponsoring meetings across the country to discuss the credit dilemma.  Meanwhile, all the proposals and discussions are not delivering concrete and immediate solutions.

There are alternative lenders out there who can provide immediate access to cash to allow businesses to hang on and even grow through the economic recovery.  A reputable intermediary can match a company’s needs to the lenders who actually have cash to deploy.  It is always adviseable to do some research and find the best debt negotiation companies and business financing companies with a solid reputation and a history of satisfied clients.