Availability of Credit to Small and Minority-Owned Businesses: Evidence from the 1993 National Survey of Small Business Finances

37 Pages Posted: 27 Aug 2007 Last revised: 28 Apr 2009

Date Written: March 9, 1999

Abstract

This article analyzes factors influencing the decisions of prospective lenders to extend credit to small and minority-owned businesses. Using data from a government survey of small businesses, the analysis reveals that prospective lenders (primarily commercial banks) are four times more likely to deny credit to firms owned by African-Americans than to firms owned by Non-Hispanic whites, and are twice as likely to deny credit to firms owned by Asian-Americans than to firms owned by Non-Hispanic whites. These differences in denial rates remain both statistically and economically significant, even after controlling for differences in the type and size of the prospective loan; in the age, experience, education, and creditworthiness of the firm's primary owner; in the age, size, capital structure, profitability, organizational form, creditworthiness, and industry of the firm; and in the types and length of pre-existing relationships between the firm and its prospective lender. Interestingly, these differences in denial rates are significant only when the prospective lender is a commercial bank.

Keywords: credit availability, discrimination, race, small business, SSBF

JEL Classification: G21, G28

Suggested Citation

Cole, Rebel A., Availability of Credit to Small and Minority-Owned Businesses: Evidence from the 1993 National Survey of Small Business Finances (March 9, 1999). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1007077 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1007077

Rebel A. Cole (Contact Author)

Florida Atlantic University ( email )

College of Business
777 Glades Road
Boca Raton, FL 33431
United States
1-561-297-4969 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://rebelcole.com

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
220
Abstract Views
2,370
Rank
251,770
PlumX Metrics