1) Rates of crediting for small and medium businesses in Russia have significantly decreased in recent years due to a slowdown in bank deposit growth, decreased foreign borrowing by Russian banks, and increased credit risks. 2) A major problem for banks is the growth in "bad debts", or unpaid loans, which is often due to insufficient collateral from borrowers to cover the debt, interest, penalties, and legal costs in the event of default. 3) Improving the crediting situation will require changes in the credit risk evaluation process used by banks, including considering both the financial situation and value of collateral together rather than in isolation.