The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation held a forum on small lending to explore ways in which credit can be made more accessible to the small business sector. As a result of the forum and in recognition of importance of available credit to small businesses, the FDIC announced the formation of a new dedicated, toll-free hotline for small businesses. The new hotline became operational January 13, 2011, and allows small business owners to make inquiries with FDIC officials or to register concerns about the availability of credit. The FDIC will respond to inquiries about policies and financial institutions it regulates as well as make referrals to other governmental agencies where appropriate.
The small business hotline is operational Monday thru Friday, 8am to 8pm, Eastern Standard Time. The toll-free number is 1-855-FDIC-BIZ (1-855-334-2249). To complement the new small business hotline, the FDIC also created a dedicated Web site for small businesses to utilize: www.fdic.gov/smallbusiness.
