In the first quarter alone this year, the number of new businesses formed in Wisconsin has increased by 12.2% compared with the same period in 2011.
According to the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, new business formation totaled 9,821 in the first quarter, compared with 8,752 for the same period last year.
March showed a 4.3% improvement over 2011, which was the tenth time in the past 12 months that new business formation has increased over the previous year, the agency noted.
Meanwhile, credit unions in Wisconsin have grown member business loans from $1.5 billion to $2.3 billion over the past four years, the Wisconsin Credit Union League reported earlier this year.
Banks still dominate statewide with nearly $31 billion in total business loans, the league said.
