OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - A new survey suggests there's been a little improvement in some bankers' views of the rural economy in Iowa, Nebraska and eight other Midwest states.

A report released Thursday says February's Rural Mainstreet Index rose to 37.0 from 34.8 in January. Survey officials say any score below 50 on any of the survey's indexes suggests that factor will decline.

Creighton University economist Ernie Goss oversees the monthly survey, and he says it's the sixth straight month that the index has registered below growth neutral.

The report says 8.7 percent of bank CEOs who responded say their local economy was expanding while 36.9 percent say their local economy was in a recession.

Bankers from Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming and the Dakotas were surveyed.