Office of Advocacy What's New

Quarterly Indicators: The Economy and Small Business

The U.S. economic recovery began in the third quarter of 2009 as real GDP grew an annualized 3.5 percent; however, the unemployment rate rose to 9.8 percent in September. These and other trends can be found in the latest update to the Quarterly Indicators: The Economy and Small Business.

The November Small Business Advocate

The November 2009 issue of The Small Business Advocate announces the appointment of Susan Walthall as acting chief counsel for advocacy and features the 2009 edition of the Small Business Profiles for the States and Territories.

Small Business Profiles for the States and Territories

Small businesses will play an important role in the nation’s economic future. The Office of Advocacy’s Small Business Profile for the United States, released today, provides details about small business employment, business starts and closings, bank lending in 2008, the demographics of business ownership, and firm and employment change by major industry and firm size.

Small Businesses Are Important Players in U.S. Business and Job Growth

Advocacy Recommends That FAA Consider the Impact of Safety Management System (SMS) on Small Aviation Businesses

On October 21, 2009, the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy (Advocacy) submitted comments to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on the FAA’s Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Safety Management System (SMS).

An Analysis of the Effect of Reserve Activation on Small Business

Military reserve activations have risen in recent years. An Analysis of the Effect of Reserve Activation on Small Business seeks to assess the effects of these activations on employers and finds that small firms with fewer than 100 employee were more affected than larger firms.

Toward Effective Education of Innovative Entrepreneurs in Small Business: Initial Results from a Survey of College Students and Graduates

Entrepreneurship education is becoming more available at American universities, and researchers are looking at the results, according to a new study, Toward Effective Education of Innovative Entrepreneurs in Small Business: Initial Results from a Survey of College Students and Graduates, supported by Advocacy.

Frequently Asked Questions

The updated Frequently Asked Questions estimates that there were 29.6 million small businesses in the United States in 2008, and small firms accounted for 64 percent of the net new jobs generated between 1993 and the third quarter of 2008.

Regulatory Alert - Proposed Regulation Z: Docket No. R-1366

On August 26, 2009 the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System issued a proposed rule to amend Regulation Z, which implements the Truth in Lending Act (TILA) and staff commentary as part of a comprehensive review of TILA’s closed-end credit. This proposal would revise the rules for disclosure of closed-end credit secured by real property or a consumer’s dwelling, except for rules regarding rescission and reverse mortgages. The proposal would require transaction specific disclosures at least three business days before consummation. Comments are due December 24, 2009.

High-tech Immigrant Entrepreneurship in the United States

Sixteen percent of high-impact, high-tech firms have at least one immigrant founder, according to a study released today by the Office of Advocacy of the U.S. Small Business Administration. Although these firms are concentrated in states with large immigrant populations, in most other respects they resemble high-impact, high-tech firms founded by native-born entrepreneurs.

The Small Business Economy

Despite more recent numbers showing improvement in the U.S. economy, the economic picture for small firms at the end of 2008 offered few bright spots, according to the 2009 edition of The Small Business Economy released by the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy. Small businesses in most industries, especially in the construction industry hard hit by the housing market downturn, saw declines in employment. Along with declining sales, most small businesses faced a less accommodating credit market, especially in the second half of 2008.