Almost two-thirds of small businesses seeking bank finance in Northern Ireland were successful, it has been revealed.
Local traders found it easier to access money over the last three years as lenders improved services despite difficult trading conditions, a lobby group for shopkeepers said.
Almost half of those asked rated the performance of banks as good or excellent.
Grocers, chemists and butchers were among businesses from across Northern Ireland surveyed.
The number of shoppers in Northern Ireland last month was 3% higher than a year ago, large retailers have said, with sweltering temperatures contributing to the recovery.
The Stormont Executive has a range of measures designed to encourage banks to lend to businesses hoping to expand and kick-start economic growth.
The Northern Ireland Independent Retail Trade Association said 65% of those who sought finance within the last three years were successful in accessing it, which suggested an improving trend given difficult trading conditions in the last year.
''However banks still have some way to go in this area as 35% were turned down for finance," it added.
Other results showed 64% of those surveyed had an overdraft, with a third unhappy and claiming their bank had unilaterally changed the conditions, causing a negative impact of their businesses.
The research said 62% of those surveyed had a company credit card, with only 3% alleging that their bank had altered the contract to the detriment of their companies.
