Euquant

Small Business on Capital Hill

By Joyce Jones

The nation’s economic outlook appears to be growing bleaker from week to week. In the past week alone, Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. has filed for bankruptcy, Bank of America has bought Merrill Lynch in a distress sale, and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have collapsed. This kind of news is particularly disheartening for small business owners who have experienced enormous difficulty accessing capital and other financial assistance during the best of times.