Newtek Business Services Corp., The Small Business Authority, announced today the release of the SB Authority Index of small business indicators for December 2014 which reached 129.87 points.  Approved SBA lending volumes, new entity formation and the Russell Microcap Index led the increase. The SB Authority Index is up 0.28% from November 2014.  On a year-over-year comparison, the SB Authority Index is up 4.34%.

Barry Sloane, Chairman, President and CEO of The Small Business Authority commented, "The small business economy continues to march forward with slight increases but without the enthusiasm or trajectory of past economic recoveries. Consumers are clearly not leading the current recovery as their concerns are still more focused on debt reduction and job security. We look forward to the future where these items will be of smaller concern to our independent business owner clientele."