"New lenders are incorporating different data types into their risk assessments and coming up with different answers to would-be borrowers," commented Patricia McGinnis, director of the Commercial and Enterprise Payments Service at Mercator Advisory Group and the author of the report. "While more or newer data cannot transform a genuine bad prospect into a good credit risk, when integrated with new technology and supported by higher rates, it can enable the financing at acceptable risk of businesses that would otherwise be rejected."

Highlights of the report include:

- Assessment of the banks' diminishing role in small business finance

- New entrants in small business finance, both matchmakers and direct lenders

- Introduction to significant vendors providing financing services

- Identification of challenges facing banks in efficiently and innovatively serving small business borrowers

The report is 27 pages long and contains 13 exhibits.