Tim Figgins decided to become a small business owner last year.  He had been a business consultant, but chose to buy a boat shop in Newark, Ohio when he learned the owners were looking to retire.  In order to get started, he needed a to find a bank willing to lend startup money.  And as we know, the last 12 months have been a very tough climate for small businesses looking for loans.  But, according to CNNMoney.com Small Business, Figgins was able to work with a bank that has a lot of experience giving out Small Business Administration backed loans, Huntington National Bank in Columbus, OH:

While most SBA lenders have sharply cut their loan volume, Huntington has ramped up. One major factor is that the bank keeps the loans it originates, rather than reselling them in bundles to investors. That secondary market underpins as much as half of all SBA-backed lending; when the bottom fell out of it in September, many banks unable to resell their loans then lacked the liquidity to make new loans. Huntington steered clear of that trap.

But the bank's officers also emphasize that their success comes from perfecting the SBA procedures. "If you don't do the loans frequently, it can be challenging," says Jeff Rosen, Huntington's business banking director. "We have a process that is easy to meet the demand, because our specialists focus on SBA lending only."

CNNMoney profiles Figgins and five other small business owners who were able to get financial backing for their startups.  Read about them here.