2026 SBA franchise lending report
A market-level view of lender activity, brand history, and state concentration.
Current lender appetite, not generic loan ads
Find lenders that actually fund deals like yours.
SourceFunding turns public SBA lender activity and loan history into practical funding intelligence: active lenders by state, franchise brand, and business profile.
1,296+
Current-year approvals from the top lender
Monthly SBA activity report, data as of 05/31/2026.
180
Franchise brands in the first index
Generated from loan-level SBA 7(a) FOIA rows with franchise names.
$6B
Top-10 SBA 7(a) approved volume
A quick view of who is active now, not who advertised loudest.
Current SBA 7(a) lender activity
The table below is generated from the SBA current-month 7(a) lender activity workbook.
| Lender | Approved loans | Approved dollars | SBA guaranty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Live Oak Banking Company Wilmington, NC | 1,296 | $1B | $1B |
| The Huntington National Bank Columbus, OH | 2,539 | $965M | $700M |
| Newtek Bank, N.A. Miami, FL | 3,264 | $846M | $629M |
| U.S. Bank, N.A. Cincinnati, OH | 1,963 | $504M | $357M |
| Northeast Bank Lewiston, ME | 2,375 | $447M | $350M |
| Celtic Bank Corporation Salt Lake City, UT | 868 | $362M | $280M |
| Harvest Small Business Finance, LLC Laguna Hills, CA | 291 | $320M | $240M |
| Bank of Hope Los Angeles, CA | 274 | $315M | $225M |
Find active lenders by state
Start with where the project is located, then compare lenders that are already approving SBA loans in that state.
Find franchise lenders by brand
The franchise wedge shows which lenders have funded a specific franchise system in SBA 7(a) loan-level data.
- The UPS Store — 1,005 loans, $375M
- Hotworx — 467 loans, $171M
- Subway — 367 loans, $123M
- Quality Inn by Choice Hotels /Quality Inn & Suites by Choice Hotels — 325 loans, $906M
- Anytime Fitness — 315 loans, $170M
- Ace Hardware — 309 loans, $306M
- Crumbl — 295 loans, $176M
- Scooter's Coffee — 283 loans, $294M
Funding intelligence library
Guides and reports that explain how to use lender activity before applying.
Franchise financing by brand
How to finance specific franchise systems using SBA lender history.
Business acquisition loans
Capital structure and lender-fit guidance for buying an operating business.
How to know if a franchise is financeable before you apply
A practical framework for checking lender fit before a franchise buyer wastes weeks on the wrong bank.
What SBA lenders look for in a franchise borrower
The borrower factors that usually matter before lender matching, rate shopping, or document collection.
Business acquisition loan checklist
The documents, answers, and underwriting logic acquisition lenders actually need before they'll engage seriously.
Important: SourceFunding is not a lender and does not promise approval, rates, or terms. We publish source-linked lender activity and collect business-purpose funding inquiries for manual review.