The email from the bank was unexpected. Laura Benson got an increase in her small business credit line.

The boost from Wells Fargo & Co. was a pleasant surprise. A previous request for an increase to meet expenses during a slow sales period for her online basket business, Jeanne Beatrice, was rejected. At the time, the bank said the St. Paul, Minn., company didn’t have enough of a payment history on the loan. Six months later the good news came.