- Thousands of Unregistered People Allowed to Vote by Mail in Detroit, Poll Watcher Alleges
By Petr Svab
Thousands of mail-in ballots from people who weren’t properly registered to vote were added to vote counts in Detroit, Michigan, a poll ...
- ALL Media Outlets PULL Live Voting Total Update Feeds – Too Many Americans Watching Vote-Switching
By Hal Turner News Desk
The entirety of the U.S. mass-media suddenly and inexplicably PULLED all their live voting total feeds from both TV and ...
- Whistleblower Saw People in Biden Van Opening, Filling, and Sealing Nevada Ballots, Trump Campaign Claims
By Ivan Pentchoukov
The Trump campaign on Sunday described a sworn affidavit from a whistleblower in Nevada who alleges to have witnessed people inside a Biden-Harris van ...
- Missouri, Kentucky AGs Join Lawsuit Challenging Pennsylvania Mail-In Ballot Deadline Extension
By Tom Ozimek
Attorneys general in Missouri and Kentucky have joined a Republican lawsuit challenging Pennsylvania mail-in ballots before the U.S. Supreme Court, according to multiple reports.
A spokesperson for ...
- Biden–Trump Margin in Pennsylvania Close to Automatic Recount: Sen. Toomey
By Zachary Stieber
The vote margin between Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and President Donald Trump in Pennsylvania is close to the threshold that would trigger an ...
- Lindsey Graham Urges Trump, Republicans Not to Concede to Biden
By Jack Phillips
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, called on President Donald Trump not to concede and to “fight hard” in the ...
- Philadelphia Ballot Observer Criticizes Transparency of Counting Process
By Charlotte Cuthbertson
PHILADELPHIA—Ballot observer Brian McCafferty became so disillusioned with the lack of access he and others were afforded during the ballot-counting process in ...
- Arizonians Losing Faith in Integrity of Election Process
By Bowne Xiao
PHOENIX—Arizonians have converged almost every night outside the Maricopa County Elections Department after Election Day over what they see as a fraudulent and corrupt ...
- Statistical Anomalies in Biden Votes, Analyses Indicate
By Petr Svab
With the 2020 elections marred by legal challenges and fraud allegations, some have used statistical analysis to try to determine if foul ...
- Michigan Republicans to Probe Voting Software After Counting Error
By Jack Phillips
Republicans in Michigan said they are expanding their investigation into Dominion Voting Systems after a county-level counting error switched Republican votes to Democrat last week.
“Our ...
- Massive Vote Fraud Across U.S. as Trump Decries Attempted Coup
By Alex Newman
Reports, videos, and other evidence of rampant and brazen voter fraud from all across the country — especially in jurisdictions controlled by ...
- George W. Bush Says Trump Has Right to Pursue Legal Election Cases
By Jack Phillips
Former Republican President George W. Bush on Nov. 8 said that President Donald Trump has the “right to request recounts and pursue legal challenges” ...
![Small businesses in the United States encountered growing challenges accessing credit in June, according to Equifax’s latest small-business lending index. Lending volumes fell by 3.3 percent month over month, although they remained up by more than 2 percent from the same period in 2024, according to the report released on Aug. 18. The index’s three-month moving average jumped to 1 percent, fueled by robust lending activity volumes in April that have since eroded. Story continues below advertisement Regionally, 23 states experienced year-over-year declines in 12-month rolling lending volumes, with California (minus 10 percent), Nevada (minus 9 percent), and Georgia (minus 6 percent) leading the decline. Across industries, nominal (noninflation-adjusted) lending decreased in six of the 17 sectors tracked. Accommodation and food services experienced the sharpest decline, while construction, finance and insurance, and retail lending remained stable. Credit conditions showed signs of stabilization in the wake of President Donald Trump’s tariff agenda, the report reads. Related Stories Treasury Department Releases New Guidance Restricting Wind, Solar Tax Credits The Epoch Times Buy Now, Pay Later Is Just Credit, Not a Crisis The Epoch Times The small-business delinquency index (31 to 90 days past due) edged up by nearly 2 percent, or three basis points, from May. The index was little changed from June 2024. Additionally, the default index fell by more than 3 percent, down by seven basis points month over month. Despite national improvements, 34 states reported year-over-year increases in default rates. Maine stood out with a 35 percent spike, the highest in the country. Delinquency rates rose or held steady in five industries, with wholesale trade posting the largest monthly increase of 2 percent. In the coming months, a boost to small-business lending is expected to unfold in the third and fourth quarters. Wall Street overwhelmingly anticipates that the Federal Reserve will lower interest rates beginning in September. The Fed’s periodic Summary of Economic Projections—a survey of policymakers’ expectations for the economy and interest rates in the future—points to two rate cuts this year. The federal funds rate—a key policy rate that influences business, consumer, and government borrowing costs—has been unchanged in a target range of 4.25 percent to 4.5 percent since January. Story continues below advertisement However, although a rate cut is considered a boon for the credit industry, the report states that easing monetary policy could “exacerbate inflationary pressures.” Last week, the annual inflation rate for July came in at 2.7 percent for the second straight month, lower than the market’s estimate of 2.8 percent. However, key pipeline inflation indicators—the producer price index and import prices—topped economists’ expectations, signaling that the current administration’s trade agenda could be igniting renewed price pressures. The U.S. central bank will host its annual Jackson Hole Economic Symposium from Aug. 21 to Aug. 23, with Fed Chairman Jerome Powell delivering the keynote address on Aug. 22. Lenders Signal Optimism Despite the slowdown in small-business lending, a recent industry survey suggests that lenders remain optimistic, citing improved business conditions. The Federal Reserve in Washington on July 21, 2025. (Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times) The Federal Reserve in Washington on July 21, 2025. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times According to the American Financial Services Association’s latest consumer credit conditions index for the second quarter, shared with The Epoch Times, the business environment was positive on balance. In the April–June period, the net increasing index—a measure spotlighting the difference between the percentage of lenders who said loan performance conditions got better and those who said they got worse—reached the highest level in the survey’s six-quarter history. In addition, 26 percent more respondents reported that funding costs improved in the second quarter than those who said they worsened. Meanwhile, 18 percent reported an improvement in the performance of their outstanding loans, compared with those who said it worsened. Despite broad-based improvements, more auto lenders reported that business conditions weakened in the second quarter than those who reported improvements. Auto lenders also anticipate weaker overall conditions over the next six months. Caution Ahead Demand for loans from commercial and industrial companies has weakened, according to the New York Fed’s Senior Loan Officer Opinion Survey on bank lending. Banks, according to the report, also found weaker demand for credit and other loans from consumers. Despite slowing credit demand, the findings indicated that credit supply through banking lending standards had not tightened significantly. Bipan Rai, managing director at BMO, said that ultimately, the latest figures reveal both the good and the bad. “Empirically, we know that a deterioration in the credit cycle is consistent with a general slowing of the real economy,” Rai said in an Aug. 11 note. “A silver lining in the [Senior Loan Officer Opinion Survey] release is that credit supply ... has not tightened materially. Typically, a slowing in the credit cycle would be more concerning if falling demand came as a result of tighter lending standards.” Although the trade situation has stabilized since the April peak of uncertainty, businesses and consumers are seeking greater policy clarity, a recent survey highlighted. The American Bankers Association’s latest credit conditions index—a quarterly outlook for credit markets—declined for the second consecutive quarter. The headline reading came in at 32.1—anything lower indicates expected deterioration—and the index fell to 35.7 for businesses and 28.6 for consumers. Trade negotiations and passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act have offered some reassurance, but tariff-related uncertainty is still a headwind for credit conditions and the broader economy, according to Sayee Srinivasan, the association’s chief economist. “'Hard data’ suggest the economy remains on solid footing, but consumer and business sentiment indicate that policy uncertainty remains elevated and is causing some firms and households to adopt a cautious approach to hiring, spending and investment,” Srinivasan said in the report. The White House recently imposed higher reciprocal tariffs, ranging from 10 percent to 50 percent, on almost 70 U.S. trading partners. The president is expected to announce tariffs on imports of chips, semiconductors, and pharmaceuticals soon. Story continues below advertisement Still, small-business optimism has improved and is above the National Federation of Independent Business’s long-term average. Bill Dunkelberg, the group’s chief economist, said that uncertainty persists but business owners are “reporting more positive expectations on business conditions and expansion opportunities.”](https://www.usnn.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Small-Business-Lending-Faces-Mixed-Signals-Amid-Economic-Shifts-jpg.webp "Small-Business Lending Faces Mixed Signals Amid Economic Shifts 4")
