Lender · SBA 7(a) record
Community 1st CU
IA · lends in 2 states · 167 SBA loans since 2010, 54 in the last five years.
How fast they approve. Community 1st CU leans on SBA Express (100% of its recent 7(a) loans) more than full Preferred Lender (PLP) authority (0%). Express is fast but caps at $500,000, so a larger loan may route through the SBA's slower general review — worth asking about up front. Why approval speed comes down to the lender.
What stands out about Community 1st CU
vs every other SBA lenderCommunity 1st CU lives at the small end. Its median loan is just $62k, well under the $347k typical of SBA lenders — one of the banks genuinely willing to write small.
Community 1st CU is startup-heavy. 81% of its loans are startups, well above the norm — a good sign if that is your deal.
Borrowers here paid a median of prime + 0.51% — cheaper than the prime + 1.99% typical across lenders.
This read is built from 54 funded 7(a) loans over the last five fiscal years; outside its core states the sample thins out, so weigh the rest accordingly.
Will they talk to you?
loan sizes fundedThe spread of loan sizes tells you where this lender is comfortable. Ask for something far outside it and expect friction.
Do they fund businesses like yours?
last 5 yearsA lender who already knows your industry asks better questions and closes faster. One who doesn't will treat your file as an education.
Middle of the road on risk
2.28% charged off, close to the 2.11% across all SBA lending. Neither unusually tight nor unusually loose.
What rate people got
median markup over primeThe median borrower here paid prime + 0.51%. Compare that against what you have been quoted — the markup is the negotiable part, and most borrowers never try.
Their loans, year by year
cumulative % of dollars charged off| Approved | Yr 1 | Yr 2 | Yr 3 | Yr 4 | Yr 5 | Yr 6 | Yr 7 | Yr 8 | Yr 9 | Yr 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
Each row is one year's lending. Read down a column to compare years at the same age — that is the only fair comparison, because losses take three to five years to appear and a fast-growing lender always looks clean on a raw average.
What this page cannot tell you
Federal records show what was approved, not how long it took, how the bank communicated, or whether your loan officer returned calls. Ask any lender directly: are you a preferred lender, how many deals like mine did you close last year, and who underwrites it.
Check your eligibility first → Decode what they say to you →
Lenders worth comparing against this one
Picked for writing loans of a similar size in similar places.
Common questions
Does Community 1st CU make SBA startup and acquisition loans?
Yes — its recent SBA 7(a) record includes 26 startups. If your deal is one of these, it has funded that kind of loan many times before. See how it ranks for your exact deal.
What is the smallest SBA loan Community 1st CU will make?
Its practical minimum — the 5th percentile of what it has actually funded — is about $13,550, and the typical (median) Community 1st CU loan is $62,450. If your loan is well below its practical minimum, it is unlikely to be interested however strong your file.
What interest rate do Community 1st CU SBA borrowers get?
On variable-rate loans, recent Community 1st CU borrowers paid a median of prime + 0.51%. The markup over prime is the negotiable part of any SBA quote. Check a rate you have been quoted.
What states does Community 1st CU lend in?
Most of Community 1st CU's recent SBA lending is concentrated in Iowa. Compare lenders by state.