Banks generally make more Small Business Administration-backed loans when the economy weakens, but that is not the case in this downturn, the Philadelphia Business Journal reported last week.

When credit standards tighten, lenders normally direct more small businesses to SBA loans. The government guarantees on these loans, which range from 50 to 85 percent, enable banks to make loans to businesses that do not qualify for conventional loans.

However, the number of loans made through the SBA’s flagship 7(a) loan program has dropped 14 percent so far this fiscal year compared with the same period a year earlier, and the dollar volume has fallen 6 percent. The SBA’s fiscal year began Oct. 1.

Uncertainty about where the economy is headed may be one reason why more small businesses aren’t turning to the SBA. Some lenders have tightened credit standards even for SBA loans, said Eric Zarnikow, who heads the SBA’s Office of Capital Access.

SBA lending also has become less attractive for lenders, as fees for using the program go up and prices for the loans on the secondary market go down. Nearly 400 banks have stopped making SBA loans during the past two years.