BOISE, Idaho - Some Idaho businesses say they're seeing their credit tighten and blame uncertainty in the financial markets stemming from bad mortgage debt.

Brad Bengson, head of Brown Rental Inc., in Boise, told the Idaho Statesman that four banks turned him down for a $100,000 line of credit he usually gets this time of year to help him limp through winter months when business wanes.

He says a slowdown in his business started in 2007 - about the time gas prices began rising toward $4 a gallon - that discouraged customers from renting power rakes and other tools. Now, he says the national credit crunch is the culprit behind what he says are his first borrowing problems in nearly three decades.

"My bank is as worried about themselves as I am about my own company," Bengson said, declining to name his bank.

Help may be on the way. The U.S. Senate voted 74-25 Wednesday on a new version of a financial industry bailout they're hoping will keep credit markets from contracting further. The U.S. House, which rejected a similar plan Monday, is likely to take up the issue again Friday.

Bengson said he's concerned politics could still impede a solution, with some lawmakers reluctant to give the impression they're making concessions to the Wall Street bankers that many blame for the crisis.

"My ox is getting gored. It could potentially get worse," Bengson said, adding he's already cut staff to 21, from 32 just a year ago and is facing the prospect of having to find money elsewhere, including personal funds.

US Bank and Syringa Bank branches in Idaho concede they're scrutinizing would-be borrowers more closely, but haven't shut off lending.

Syringa Bank said it's particularly mindful of lending for land, commercial real estate and home mortgages, said Jerry Aldape, Syringa president and CEO.

"But we are not shutting anything off," he said.

Not everybody is experiencing credit problems.

J.R. Simplot Co., a Boise-based agricultural conglomerate with more than $3 billion in annual sales, isn't experiencing any credit tightening, spokesman Rick Phillips said.

And WinCo, a Boise-based grocery store chain, said it's not currently seeking credit in the market.

"We are fortunate that we don't have an immediate need," said Michael Read, a spokesman. With 63 stores, WinCo typically borrows for capital projects like new stores, not to buy inventory or meet payroll, Read said.