WASHINGTON - Yesterday, the U.S. Department of the Treasury released a report showing that Iowa banks have increased their small business lending by $72.6 million since receiving capital through Small Business Lending Fund (SBLF).

The SBLF, which was established as part of the Small Business Jobs Act that President Obama signed into law, encourages community banks to increase their lending to small businesses to help them grow and create new jobs.  Treasury invested more than $4 billion in 332 institutions, located in over 3,000 communities in 48 states, through the SBLF.  Nationwide, institutions participating in the SBLF significantly increased small business lending in the last quarter of 2011 by $1.3 billion over the prior quarter?for a total of $4.8 billion over their baseline.

"This report shows that the Small Business Lending Fund is having a powerful impact," said Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Neal Wolin.  "The program is helping spark new lending to local entrepreneurs looking to invest in their businesses and create new jobs."

To view the report on the SBLF that Treasury released yesterday, including a detailed list of the change in lending at banks receiving SBLF capital, please click here.

Small businesses play a critical role in the U.S. economy and are central to growth and job creation.  Small businesses employ roughly one-half of all Americans and account for about 60 percent of gross job creation.  But small business owners faced disproportionate challenges in the aftermath of the recession and credit crisis, including difficulty accessing capital.

The SBLF helps small businesses meet this challenge by providing capital to community banks that hold under $10 billion in assets.  The dividend rate a community bank pays on SBLF funding is reduced as that bank increases its small business lending, providing a strong incentive for new lending to small businesses so they can expand and create jobs.  For more details on the SBLF program, please click here.

The SBLF is one part of the Obama Administration's comprehensive agenda to help small businesses access the capital they need to invest and hire.  The State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI), which is also a key part of the Small Business Jobs Act, has allocated $1.4 billion to small business programs in 54 states, territories, and municipalities to help spur additional lending to small businesses and manufacturers.

Last week, President Obama also signed the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act into law, which will allow Main Street small businesses and high-growth enterprises to raise capital from investors more efficiently, helping small and young firms across the country to grow and hire faster.  For more details on the key elements of the JOBS Act, please visit here and here.

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THE KADDISH SERIES: PRINTS BY MAURICIO LASANSKY

On view April 15 - June 3, 2012

In response to the recent death of internationally known master printmaker, Mauricio Lasansky, the Muscatine Art Center will host an exhibition of his art from the permanent collection entitled, "The Kaddish Series", beginning Sunday, April 15 and continuing through June 3, 2012.

Mauricio Lasansky was born October 12, 1914 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where his father worked as a banknote engraver. At the age of 19, he began to study painting, sculpture and printmaking at the Escuela Superior of Bellas Artes (Superior School of Fine Arts), Buenos Aires. In 1943 Lasansky came to the United States on a Guggenheim Fellowship and spent a year studying the print collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. In 1945 he was appointed lecturer in printmaking at the University of Iowa, where he established the first Master of Fine Arts in printmaking program in the country. In 1961 Time magazine called the University of Iowa the "printmaking capital of the United States."

As a printmaker, Mauricio Lasansky was known for the grand scale of his images, his vivid color, and the complex layering of multiple print techniques, including engraving, etching, lithography, drypoint, electric stippling and aquatint, in a single work.

In the 1970's, after two decades of work that focused on the horrors of Nazi Germany, Lasansky began working on the eight images that comprise the Kaddish Series. While still very much concerned with the Holocaust, the Kaddish Series focuses on it's aftermath and the ways those who survived deal with the experience.  One part of the Kaddish prayer, which is often recited as part of Jewish funeral services, is a request for peace. The images in this series reveal the artist's belief that finding even a small amount of peace on this earth often comes at a terrible price.

Each of the eight Kaddish prints includes a number from 6,102,301 to 6,102,308, representing the number of Jewish victims of the Nazis, and each image also includes a dove, the universal symbol of peace.

The Kaddish Series was purchased directly from the artist by the Muscatine Art Center in 1979, and is part of collection that includes 25 of his prints.

Mauricio Lasansky was one of the few modern artists who limited their work almost exclusively to the graphic media. Due to his early contributions in the development of graphic techniques and his dedication to teaching printmaking, Lasansky is considered to be a forerunner in the evolution of printmaking as a critical art form and is internationally recognized as one of the "fathers" of 20th Century American printmaking.

Please contact Barbara Christensen, director, with any questions or concerns at 563-263-8282 or by email at bchristensen@muscatineiowa.gov.

The Muscatine Art Center is open to the public Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from

10 AM to 5 PM, Thursday from 10 AM to 7 PM and Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 5 PM Admission is FREE.

DES MOINES, IA (04/10/2012)(readMedia)-- State Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald wants to encourage Iowans to make the most of their tax refunds this year by investing in College Savings Iowa. "Much like the April 17 deadline for taxes, the time to save for college is over before you know it," said Fitzgerald. "Put your refund to good use and start saving for a loved one's future educational needs today. By starting early, saving a little at a time and making smart investment choices, families can make their savings work for them."

College Savings Iowa is designed to provide families a tax-advantaged way to save money for their children's higher education. It only takes $25 to open an account, and anyone - parents, grandparents, friends and relatives - can invest in College Savings Iowa on behalf of a child. Participants who are Iowa taxpayers can deduct contributions up to $2,975 per beneficiary from their 2012 adjusted gross income, and there are no income or residency restrictions.* Investors can withdraw their investment federally tax-free to pay for qualified higher education expenses including tuition, books, supplies and certain room and board costs at any eligible college, university, community college or accredited technical training school in the United States or abroad.**

Saving for a child's education is always a smart investment, and College Savings Iowa is there to help. To learn more about College Savings Iowa or to open an account, please visit www.collegesavingsiowa.com or call 1-888-672-9116.

*Adjusted annually for inflation. If withdrawals are not qualified, the deductions must be added back to Iowa taxable income.

**Earnings on non-qualified withdrawals may be subject to federal income tax and a 10% federal penalty tax, as well as state income taxes. The availability of tax or other benefits may be contingent on meeting other requirements.

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Investment returns are not guaranteed and you could lose money by investing in the plan. Participants assume all investment risks as well as responsibility for any federal and state tax consequences. If you are not an Iowa taxpayer, consider before investing whether your or the designated beneficiary's home state offers any state tax or other benefits that are only available for investments in such state's qualified tuition program.

For more information about the College Savings Iowa 529 Plan, call 888-672-9116 or visit www.collegesavingsiowa.com to obtain a Program Description. Investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses, and other important information are included in the Program Description; read and consider it carefully before investing.

Celebrate Preservation Month and National Tourism Week at Brucemore with free guided tours of the mansion Saturday, May 5 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and Sunday, May 6 from noon to 3:00 p.m. The 21-room Queen Anne style mansion and 26-acre park-like estate, built between 1884 and 1886, provides insight into Cedar Rapids' rich history and Midwestern life in the early twentieth century. Tours will begin approximately every 15 minutes with the last tour beginning at 3:00 p.m.

In 1971, the National Trust created Preservation Week to spotlight grassroots preservation efforts around the country, and has since grown into an annual celebration for local communities to honor their past and help build their future. Brucemore will offer other Preservation Month activities in May, including:

• Brucemore's Historic Neighborhood Walk - May 3, 6:00 p.m. and May 5, 12:00 p.m.
• Brucemore Plant Sale - May 12, 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
• Nooks and Crannies Mansion Tours - May 15-18, 6:00 p.m.
• Historic Landscape Tours - May 19, 10:30 a.m. and May 24, 6:00 p.m.

The 2012 Plant Sale will celebrate the newly-restored Lord & Burnham Greenhouse.  This annual event funds preservation projects throughout the estate. For more information about Preservation Month activities during May and throughout the year, visit Brucemore's website at www.brucemore.org or call (319) 362-7375. Visit the National Trust for Historic Preservation website at www.preservationnation.org for more information about Preservation Month.

The Cedar Rapids Convention and Visitors Bureau invites you to "Discover CR: Be a Tourist in Your Town" by celebrating National Tourism Week, May 5 through 13. Other participating businesses and organizations can be found by visiting www.cedar-rapids.com/partners/tourist-in-your-town/.

Brucemore, Iowa's only National Trust Historic Site, is located at 2160 Linden Drive SE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The 26-acre park-like estate in the heart of Cedar Rapids boasts a Queen Anne style mansion built between 1884 and 1886. Brucemore has been home to three prominent families who used the estate as a center for culture and the arts. The estate continues to be a hub for cultural, philanthropic, and educational activities. Each year thousands of visitors attend specialty tours, concerts, fine arts performances, children's programs, holiday celebrations, preservation events, and garden workshops on the estate. For more information, call (319) 362-7375 or visit www.brucemore.org.