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Accessing capital to start a business can be a daunting process, especially for entrepreneurs who start out with a great idea, but have no real familiarity with the business world.

By any measure, CapitalSource outperformed both our direct competitors and the financial services industry in general, particularly in the context of the near collapse of the financial services industry where 19 of the 20 largest financial institutions in the country either failed or were bailed out by the government.

In October 2008, when the credit crunch hit, small businesses were really crushed by the lack of capital.

Big banks have long had private equity divisions that put up capital for deals too complex or risky for individual shareholders to finance.

I would say raising capital is one of the weakest things for most entrepreneurs.

It's extremely important for our banks to have more capital, higher quality capital.

We've been in the business of regional banking, and we understand what it is to make loans, and that's the engine of growth to small and medium sized business.

Capital available for individuals to start and expand businesses would increase with regulatory and strategic tax reforms, like reducing marginal rates, repealing the alternative minimum tax, and making the U.S. the most welcoming place for employers to relocate and create jobs.

Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises.

Businesses are not just local or even national anymore - good ideas are immediately global. So the market opportunities are much larger than we've ever imagined or seen.