“A new report by a Chicago-based nonprofit research and policy organization revealed widespread racial and economic disparities in small business lending throughout Illinois.
“The Woodstock Institute’s “Patterns of Disparity: Small Business Lending in Illinois” showed that businesses in nonwhite communities received fewer business loans and smaller loan amounts than their counterparts in predominantly white communities. The report, released Tuesday, also revealed similar disparities between businesses in lower-income areas and those in higher-income areas.”