Helping small businesses means helping small banks, Roy Blunt says

Pulaski County Daily News ^ | 7/8/2010 | Darrell Todd Maurina

[darrellmaurina]

SAINT ROBERT, Mo. (July 8, 2010) — Several local bankers and businessmen delivered a message Wednesday to Senate candidate Roy Blunt: community banks are small businesses too, and national banking rule restrictions could harm local banks as well as their customers. Speaking at Lynch’s Furniture in St. Robert during a town hall meeting of small business owners, Keith Pritchard of Security Bank said small community bankers are being unfairly blamed for problems caused by major national banking chains. “There’s plenty of credit available if our regulatory structure will allow us to make good loans to good borrowers, and they’re out there,” Pritchard said. “We’re not the ones that were making subprime mortgages. We didn’t create the problem but we get to feel the regulatory burden that comes with it.” Blunt said he understands that lack of access to credit, soaring utility bills and taxes are creating major problems for small businesses. “I think there should be a different set of restrictions if you are keeping a loan inside than if you are packaging it to sell it out,” Blunt said. “If it’s a loan that you’ve made and you’re receiving the payments on that you’re responsible for and you’re going to be standing behind if you wind up with it, I think that’s a different category, frankly.”

[chuck_the_tv_out]

“national banking rule restrictions could harm local banks as well as their customers”

Gee, what a surprise.

The 30s depression was caused to consolidate banking power too.

[o_zarkman44]

Blunt knows banking since he voted for TARP bailouts.