"According to the Center for Women's Business Research, women entrepreneurs are the fastest growing segment of U.S. business owners"

National City Corporation, the 9th largest banking institution in the United States, announced today that it has already achieved its $1.5 billion loan goal for women business owners and in response has dramatically increased its commercial loan fund for women entrepreneurs to $3.5 billion over the next five years.

"National City has built a reputation as the bank for women business owners," said Peter Raskind, EVP, consumer and small business financial services. "This 133 percent increase is a reflection not only of the growing relationship women entrepreneurs have with National City but of the increasingly significant impact they have on the U.S. economy overall."

In fact, according to the Center for Women's Business Research, women entrepreneurs are the fastest growing segment of U.S. business owners, injecting $2.3 trillion of sales into the economy.

Through its Women Business Advocates, National City has identified a team of specially trained banking officers focused on supporting women small business owners. This team has helped National City make a significant amount of small business loans in its six-state market. Last year National City lent over $543 million to women small business owners

"Encouraging women's success is a priority for National City," said Linda Stevenson, vice president/director, Women Business Owner Initiatives. "We'll continue to aggressively assist women entrepreneurs on our way to becoming the number one financial services provider to this impressive and important market."

National City supports women business owners in other ways, as well -- as a sponsor of the Women's Economic Development Outreach Tour (WEDO) and the ATHENA Foundation, for instance. It also is a corporate partner for the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) and works in unison with the Center for Women's Business Research in Washington, D.C.