A number of credit unions were featured in today's Wall Street Journal on how more small business owners are turning to the financial institutions lately.

Among them were Coastal FCU in Raleigh, N.C., Shoreline CU in Two Rivers, Wis., Summit CU in Madison, Wis., West Texas CU in El Paso and Mountain America CU in West Jordan, Utah. CUNA Senior Economist Mike Schenk told the publication "In this really bad environment, we're doing more and more loans."

Some CU CEOs said they could do more business loans if the 12.25% member business lending cap was raised to 20%, an effort that continues to stall each year it comes before Congress. Kenneth Beine, president/CEO, told the WSJ Shoreline CU's business loans have grown from less $1 million to $10 million since 2007 and anticipates it will bump up against the MBL cap by mid year.

Larry Wilson, president/CEO of Coastal FCU, said if the loan limit was not in place, the CU could make about $165 million more loans over the next 12 months. Wilson told the publication that it is about $5 million away from reaching its MBL cap.

The article also spoke with several business owners who had been turned down by banks and were later approved for loans at CUs. Still, despite the demand, they are asking for more proof of income, said Curtis Anderson, vice president at Mountain America CU.

To allow for a higher MBL cap, would allow [credit unions] to "venture into making larger commercial loans," an unfair advantage over community banks, said Keith Leggett, senior economist at the American Bankers Association.