WASHINGTON -- Touting the Small Business Administration's efforts to improve its technology and operating channels as a means to woo lenders back to the agency, Steven Preston recently highlighted credit unions' growing participation.

Preston, who previously served as SBA's administrator, is now the secretary of the Housing and Urban Department. In a June 23 interview with the Washington Business Journal, he discussed his two year tenure at the agency. One of the accomplishments he is most proud of is the number of lenders that are coming back to SBA.

"Banks were leaving our program because their guarantees were not being honored, or it was taking, in some cases, over a year to get them honored," Preston told the publication. "We're now turning those requests, on average, in 23 days in our flagship program."

Preston said "driving these operational efficiencies, service levels and ease-of-use initiatives forwards, banks are beginning to embrace our programs again."

"Not only that, we've got credit unions coming into our programs," he pointed out.

More than 400 credit unions are now SBA lenders. Preston met with CUNA President Dan Mica earlier this year to discuss ways to increase credit union participation with the agency.