WBRZ - Baton Rouge

NEW YORK - Many small businesses expect to seek a bank loan this year although signs still point to a weak lending climate.

In a survey of nearly 6,000 businesses by Pepperdine University and Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp. during the first quarter, nearly a third of the participants said they plan to seek new financing in the next six months.

Of those companies, 68 percent said they're likely to try to borrow from a bank. That was the most popular response and was 28 percentage points ahead of the second most likely source of financing, a company's credit cards.

The survey indicated some growing optimism among business owners.

In a survey taken in January, 47 percent said they had been successful in getting a bank loan during the previous six months.