“Business owners, bankers and federal officials have starkly different views on whether capital is readily available to small businesses, and among those who think the government must help bolster lending and investing, there is little consensus about the best approach.

“It makes policy decisions awfully complex for those trying to revive an ailing Main Street.

“’I’ll be honest, this is not an area where, when you go out and talk to the world, you hear the same thing,’ Gene Sperling, director of the White House’s National Economic Council, said during a summit on capital formation this week at the Treasury Department. ‘Small businesses feel they are absolutely being denied the credit and capital they need, and large banks tell you they are looking for every small business they can find.’

“Seemingly right on cue, other participants on the panel offered differing takes on the lending scene.”

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