COLUMBUS, Ohio — Midwestern dealers might want to consider Huntington if they are looking to secure financing through the Dealer Floor Plan Pilot Loan Program launched again last month by the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Huntington officials declared Tuesday they lent $4 billion to small businesses in the Midwest over a three-year period. That level pushed the bank to be the fourth-largest SBA lender in the country by number of loans for the period from Oct. 1, 2010, through Jan. 31.

The bank asserted its $4 billion commitment came at a time when small businesses were hit especially hard with an unstable economy. Huntington pointed out its pace for small business lending ramped up in the second half of last year as the bank completed the hiring of 150 new business bankers and the economy began to show signs of recovery.

In all of 2010, Huntington noted it lent $1.1 billion to small businesses, meeting the bank's plan for a stepped increase in small business lending through 2012 and beyond.

Huntington reiterated that its small business loan commitment targets Midwest states throughout the bank's service area in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Kentucky.

To meet its commitment, Huntington explained that it began a turnaround loan program to help businesses that struggled but were now showing several quarters of profitability and could provide reasonable projections.

"Prior to our announcement a year ago, there had been significant lack of confidence in economy and moments when access to credit was particularly tight for small business owners. This is exactly why we made such an aggressive commitment to small business lending throughout the Midwest," stated Huntington chief executive officer Steve Steinour.

"As a Midwestern bank dedicated to its communities, we continue to look for ways to support job creation and help turn the nation's and the Midwest's economy around," Steinour continued.

To highlight the CEO's stance, Huntington share the example of one small business client — Star Manufacturing in West Chester, Ohio.

According to Star Manufacturing owner Mario Listo, Huntington provided a much-needed lifeline of credit last year when other institutions denied his requests for financial assistance. Listo insisted Star Manufacturing is now on a fast track to success thanks to a new SBA-backed line of credit through Huntington.

"Huntington was there for me when no one else was interested in lending to small businesses," Listo declared.

"As a result, I've been able to sustain my business through a tough economy and I'm now better positioned for growth as the economy continues to improve," he added.

In addition to being the fourth largest SBA lender in the country, Huntington pointed out that it remains the No. 1 SBA 7(a) lender cumulatively — both in the number of loans made and overall dollar amount of those loans — within its six-state Midwest market.

Huntington said it also utilizes 14 other government-lending programs to help small businesses, including state and local lending and agriculture and rural development loan programs.

"Every dollar that we can put in the hands of a small business owner is another step in the right direction toward rebuilding and revitalizing our economy, leading to robust business growth and job creation. Huntington is focused on helping our small business customers succeed," Steinour concluded.

And for more details about SBA's programs to assist dealers, see this earlier story from SubPrime Auto Finance News.