The U.S. Department of the Treasury has released the results ofits first Small Business Lending Fund Lending Survey, which showedmore than 90% of SBLF participants reported stronger small businesslending through the fund.

More than 80% of small business loans made by SBLF participantswere made in amounts of $250,000 or less, according to the TreasuryDepartment.

The lending survey has also allowed the Treasury to begin toestimate the number of small businesses supported by SBLFparticipants' increased lending, the department said.

By dividing the average loan size reported by community banks bythe program-wide $8.9 billion lending increase reported in theApril 2013 SBLF Use of Funds Report, the Treasury saidit was able to estimate that SBLF participants have now increasedsmall business lending by an additional 38,000 loans as of Dec. 31,2012.

The survey also showed a closer look at SBLF participant lendingby industry and geography. Participants reported that the serviceand agriculture sectors have received the largest estimatedpercentage of additional loans.

By region, SBLF participants in the South and Midwest reportedthe largest estimated increases in the number of small businessloans (20,200 and 8,700 loans, respectively), followed by theNortheast (5,500 loans) and the West (3,600 loans).

The SBLF, established as part of the Small Business Jobs Actthat President Obama signed into law in 2010, encourages communitybanks to increase their lending to small businesses.

Treasury said it invested more than $4 billion in 332institutions through the SBLF. Collectively, these institutionsoperate in more than 3,000 locations across 48 states.

More data from the small business lending fund survey can befound here.