“As part of its engagement with the business community, the New York Fed’s Outreach Team surveys small firms twice a year about their financing and credit needs. Responses to the Small Business Credit  Survey provide insight into the dynamics behind aggregate lending trends. The survey probes firms’  credit application decisions, strategies for obtaining credit or improving creditworthiness, and uses of  credit, as well as future credit plans.  In the Q4 2013 survey, over 1,500 firms in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania, (weighted to be a statistically representative sample), reported on their business performance and credit experiences in the first half of 2013 and their outlook for the first half of 2014.”