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For business owner Rob Davis of alarm company Red Alert Inc., he noticed alarms going off when customers began scaling back on services or missed payments.

"Credit cards are declining when they weren't before, payments are coming in later, so our revenue flow is coming up with a shortfall in some months," says Davis.

With his customers not paying their bills, Davis has trouble paying his own bills. Banks are tightening their pursestrings, and he says he has had trouble getting a loan. The two fronts combine into an economic storm that leaves the security of his business in jeopardy.

"It's a cash flow issue, when we're coming up short, to pay the rent, to pay the electricity, to pay the staff, health insurance, trucks," says Davis.

Senator Charles Schumer says a new federal loan program called America's Recovery Capital, or ARC loans, will get money flowing once again. Established small businesses in need of short-term help can apply for up to $35,000 in loans, which are being guaranteed by the Small Business Administration.

"If they can't get a line of credit, if they can't get a loan it could be the end of a business and years and years of blood sweat and tears," says Schumer.

Schumer describes the terms as similar to student loans: once they receive the money, business owners have a year before they need to start making payments. After that, they have five years to pay it back entirely with no interest.

There are also no SBA fees to access this money, which Schumer says could be the life preserver small businesses need to stay afloat.

"The water's up to here. This loan isn't going to make the water go down but it might prevent it from going over your nostrils and drowning your business," says Schumer.

Davis says the money could not come at a better time. He has already cut back hours and hopes an ARC loan will prevent him from making tougher decisions down the road.

"We're trying not to get rid of any employees at the present time and hopefully with this loan we'll be prevented from doing so," says Davis.

"We can't forget Main Street. Wall Street is right across the beautiful harbor here, but nothing's more important that Main Street," says Schumer.

Small business owners can find out more information about obtaining an ARC loan at www.sba.gov.