Finance and Growth at the Firm Level: Evidence from SBA Loans

This study uses linked databases on all SBA loans and lenders and on all U.S. employers to estimate the effects of financial access on employment growth. Estimation exploits the long panels and variation in ease of access to SBA lenders. The results imply an increase of 3 to 3.5 jobs for each million dollars of loans, suggesting real effects of credit constraints. Estimated impacts are stronger for younger and larger firms and when local credit conditions are weak, but no clear evidence of cyclical variation is found.