Barreto wants SBA to be quicker, more flexible, more responsive.(Small Business Administration offers small business loans following terrorist attacks)

Like all Americans, Hector Barreto said he was "deeply saddened and shocked" by the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

As administrator of the Small Business Administration, Barreto will play a role in helping New Yorkers recover from the devastation caused by the attacks. Working with the Federal Emergency Management Association, the SBA will offer low-interest loans to businesses to help them rebuild or cover operating expenses until they are back on their feet.

"Our disaster assistance office for the area is preparing for a major effort in Manhattan," Barreto said.

As of Sept. 17, SBA had approved 10 disaster loans in Manhattan totaling $488,900, and FE-MA had referred 1,326 calls to SBA for disaster loans assistance.

Before the World Trade Center collapsed, the SBA had made $950 million in disaster loans to 46,640 businesses, homeowners and renters this year, including $350 million to Tropical Storm Allison's flooding victims in …