Franchise · SBA lending record
Ace Hardware: how its 266 SBA loans actually performed
Hardware Stores · 576 units financed with SBA 7(a) loans since 2010 · 161 lenders have funded this brand.
Defaults run at or below the SBA-wide average
11 of 266 seasoned SBA loans charged off — 4.1%, against 5.7% across all SBA 7(a) loans.
See the 11 charged-off loans behind this number — every one, straight from the federal recordShow list ↓Hide list ↑
| Business | Location | Charged off | SBA loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mike R Investments | Cathedral City, CA | 2022 | $482,357 |
| WORKMAN FAMILY HARDWARE, CORP. | Riverside, CA | 2023 | $461,872 |
| The Vandervort Supply Company | Portsmouth, OH | 2021 | $247,179 |
| Hartwell Hardware, LLC | Hartwell, GA | 2014 | $206,203 |
| CBEL, INC. | Mayville, WI | 2019 | $187,127 |
| QK Enterprises Inc. | Attalia, AL | 2018 | $151,426 |
| Mid State Lumber, Inc. | Cuba, MO | 2016 | $97,431 |
| Mancuso Hardware Company | Lodi, CA | 2022 | $77,640 |
| BAYVIEW BUILDING MATERIALS OF WESTPORT, INC. | Westport, WA | 2016 | $64,426 |
| Cefo Enterprise, Corp. | Macedonia, OH | 2018 | $47,265 |
| WMC Inc. dba Overland Ace Hardware | Boise, ID | 2015 | $13,748 |
Each row above is an SBA 7(a) loan tied to this brand, charged off (defaulted) within seven years of approval — a few businesses appear more than once. Names, cities and loss amounts are exactly as they appear in the SBA’s FOIA release of 2026-06-30; street addresses are omitted by choice. Count them: there are 11 loans.
How this brand compares
share of owners who defaulted within seven yearsFranchise disclosure documents are not required to tell you how many owners failed. This is computed from the federal record of every SBA loan made to this brand, so it is the outcome, not the pitch.
When owners got into trouble
share of failures by yearFailures usually cluster once the opening cash is spent and the first rent increase lands. Plan working capital for that window, not for month one.
Who still lends on it
last two fiscal years| Lender | Units funded |
|---|---|
| Live Oak Banking Company | 26 |
| Bank of America, National Association | 4 |
| ChoiceOne Bank | 3 |
| BankVista | 3 |
| Village Bank and Trust, National Association | 2 |
Fewer active lenders means less competition on your rate, and a harder time if the first bank declines.
Each year's owners, as they aged
cumulative % of loan dollars charged off| Opened | Yr 1 | Yr 2 | Yr 3 | Yr 4 | Yr 5 | Yr 6 | Yr 7 | Yr 8 | Yr 9 | Yr 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 2011 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 2.6 | 2.6 |
| 2012 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.1 |
| 2014 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 2015 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 1.9 | 1.9 |
| 2016 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 3.8 | · |
| 2017 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | · | · |
| 2018 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 3.9 | 3.9 | · | · | · |
| 2019 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | · | · | · | · |
| 2020 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | · | · | · | · | · |
| 2021 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| 2022 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| 2023 | 0.0 | 0.0 | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| 2025 | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| 2026 | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
Each row is one year's crop of new owners. Read across to watch them age; read down a column to compare different years at the same point in their life. Blank cells are simply too recent to know.
Brands worth comparing against this one
A default rate only means something next to its neighbours. These are the brands yours is being compared against.
Before you sign anything
This page tells you how past owners fared with SBA debt. It does not tell you whether this brand suits you, what the territory looks like, or how the franchisor behaves. Ask for Item 19, talk to at least five current franchisees and two who left, and run your own numbers.
Check whether the numbers work → What the SBA Franchise Directory is →
Common questions
What percentage of Ace Hardware franchises default on their SBA loans?
Of the 266 Ace Hardware SBA 7(a) loans old enough to judge, 11 — 4.1% — were charged off within seven years. That is far below the roughly 5.7% average across all SBA 7(a) loans.
Is Ace Hardware a good franchise to buy with an SBA loan?
This page can only tell you how Ace Hardware's SBA loans have performed, not whether it will work for you. A low default rate — Ace Hardware sits below the norm — is a genuine positive: banks tend to lend more readily, and on better terms, to brands with a clean record. Still, treat it as one input alongside the franchise disclosure document and your own numbers.
How much have lenders lost on Ace Hardware SBA loans?
Across the seasoned Ace Hardware loans in the federal record, 11 were charged off, with about $2,036,674 in SBA losses in total. Every one of those businesses is listed by name on this page — see the 11 that defaulted.