Experian said its Q4 Business Benchmark Report showed general improvement in business performance in most categories quarter over quarter, while metrics remained negative from a year-over-year perspective.

Huntington said the U.S. Small Business Administration recognized it as the No. 3 lender in the nation for number of SBA 7(a) loans and that it remains the No. 1 lender among Midwest states for the number and dollar amount of SBA 7(a) loans provided to small businesses.

RAI Group, a specialty mid-market finance company, announced it has ramped up its private label credit card capabilities.

Ares Capital announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Ares Capital JB Funding, has closed a new eight-year, $200 million revolving funding facility with Sumitomo Mitsui Banking.

Bloomberg reported that Bank of America may reduce annual costs by as much as an additional $3 billion in the next stage of chief executive officer Brian T. Moynihan’s efficiency plan.

Onset Financial said it has provided $5.3 million in funding in separate deals with a West Coast convenience store chain, a nonprofit hospital and an injection mold equipment company.

The Bond Buyer reported that a recently released report based on an audit of bond deals responsible for driving Harrisburg into insolvency has prompted a request for a federal investigation into the transactions.

Fifth Street Finance commenced a public offering of ten million shares of its common stock. Credit Suisse and RBC Capital Markets will act as joint bookrunning managers for the offering.

Hercules Technology Growth Capital has priced its public offering of five million shares of common stock. Hercules has granted the underwriter a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 750,000 shares of common stock. Citigroup is the sole underwriter of this offering.

The proposed annual stress tests of the largest U.S. banks may not be very useful for CFOs trying to assess the health of financial institution, reported CFO staff writer Vincent Ryan.