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Contrary to the way financial institutions generally work, Idaho Independent Bank is looking for people to borrow money.
"We would like to make loans; that's how we make money," Greg Charlton, senior vice president and branch administrator at IIB in Boise, said. "Our loan activity is down. We're looking for ways to get involved with people who need loans. We're out on the street, we make calls each week, we're knocking on doors."
A small percentage of IIB's loans are Small Business Administration loans, according to Karen Fagan, SBA commercial loan officer at the bank. This year, overall, the number of SBA loans the bank has made are up from 2009, but still down from 2008, Fagan said.
"Small business has got to have a purpose for borrowing money. In general, the economy is such that the demand is not as...