The Federal Reserve Bank of New York recently came out with its biannual Small Business Credit Survey, which showed lenders expressing a more positive attitude towards small business financing.

The survey — which received more than 800 responses from businesses from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut — showed that almost half (44%) of small businesses received full funding on credit applications in 2012, which is way up from 8% of applicants two years ago. Further, 18% of non-applicants did not seek capital because they felt they would be turned down, compared to 29% in 2011, according to the New York Fed.

Last year, more than half of businesses surveyed sought credit (usually $100,000 or less) for daily operating expenses. Half of those businesses that turned a profit received loans, while 25% of businesses that lost money got a loan, the survey says. More than half of  the businesses reported borrowing against residential and commercial real estate.

The survey also found that, despite an improvement in the commercial financing climate, many business owners still found access to capital the biggest challenge to their growth, followed by taxes, regulations and “external events,” such as Superstorm Sandy.