Good news for small businesses looking into the future: Banks have become increasingly optimistic about their customers, according to a survey by FICO, a Minneapolis-based credit score maker.

Banks, while still believing the small business lending market will be challenging, seem to be see other improvements on the horizon. About 28 percent believe business loan delinquencies will decline, while 33 percent see it rising over the next six months.

About half of the surveyed group believe that Americans will increase their credit card balances over the next six months. This is compared to only 19 percent who believe that balances will drop. About 31 percent said credit card delinquencies will fall, while on the other side 30 percent see a rise in delinquencies over the next six months.

Chief Analytics Officer at FICO Andrew Jennings said that bankers are a conservative group, so their more positive outlook carrying from the first quarter to the second is a good sign.

A survey of 3,000 small businesses in June by U.S. Bank saw a more optimistic group of small business owners. About 64 percent of business owners expected business to rise in 2011 compared to just 55 in 2010. There were only 10 percent of businesses in the poll that expected revenue to drop.

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