Nearly five years after the financial crisis made it more difficult for banks to approve small business loans, large lenders are loosening credit standards and allocating more capital to small business lending, according to research published today by Biz2Credit, which matches borrowers with lenders.

The company compiles a monthly index that tracks approval rates for small business loans at various types of lenders. Business owners can apply for loans through Biz2Credit’s website, which makes the company’s survey of more than 1,000 loan applications a window on the small business credit market.