Small businesses not hiring

May 18, 2010 | 7:00 am

It's still nearly impossible for small businesses to get loans, despite improvements in the economy. That's the word from a report to be released Tuesday morning by the Joint Economic Committee of the U.S. Congress.

The report shows that banks, which tightened their lending standards through the housing bust, have yet to change them. It also shows that hiring by small businesses -- no surprise -- was way down last year.