ORLANDO, Fla.-According to Rutledge Capital, LLC President and CEO Dr. John Rutledge, credit unions need to do more business lending now. "It's all stories of no cash, no working capital right now," he said. In order for the economy to pick up, some additional business lending will be necessary. Rutledge acknowledged that the Federal Reserve's rate cuts have proven no solution to the waning U.S. economy because financial institutions are not providing commercial lending. "It is `gut-check time' in business and in the economy," he said. He noted that all the big banking companies were looking for high net worth individuals, which ignores great opportunities that credit unions should pick up on. He also predicted that it is a "countable number of days" before there is only one bank left in America. "This is a good time for credit unions to get closer to their members and build their brand," Rutledge advocated. He explained how simple things, like the Coca-Colar design on the bottle can arouse fond memories of younger days, and credit unions also ought to try this. Rutledge added that the United States has a better chance than many other nations of coming out of the economic downward trend. According to him, America has two key ingredients to success: freedom and faith. "Freedom is the secret weapon of commerce and economics," he said. He also speculated that the tax cuts everyone is hailing will do little to help the ailing U.S. economy, but it's "better than a sharp stick in the eye." Rutledge pointed out that Congress could go back and change the tax package at any time. [email protected]