Lender · SBA 7(a) record
DreamSpring
NM · lends in 5 states · 180 SBA loans since 2010, 73 in the last five years.
How fast they approve. DreamSpring made 0% of its recent 7(a) loans under Preferred Lender (PLP) authority and 0% through SBA Express; the remainder went through the SBA's general review. Ask whether your specific loan would be delegated or sent to the SBA. Why approval speed comes down to the lender.
What stands out about DreamSpring
vs every other SBA lenderIt leans into one industry. 10% of DreamSpring's loans go to retail bakeries — roughly 35× the share you would expect, so it clearly knows that business.
DreamSpring lives at the small end. Its median loan is just $127k, well under the $347k typical of SBA lenders — one of the banks genuinely willing to write small.
DreamSpring is startup-heavy. 79% of its loans are startups, well above the norm — a good sign if that is your deal.
This read is built from 73 funded 7(a) loans over the last five fiscal years.
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.
Takes on more risk than most banks
8.36% of their loan dollars have charged off, against 2.11% across all SBA lending. That is not a warning — if you have been turned down elsewhere, a lender with more appetite is exactly who you want. Expect to pay for it in rate.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 0.0 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 14.2 | 17.8 | 17.8 | 17.8 | 17.8 | · | · |
| 2018 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.3 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 4.2 | · | · | · |
| 2024 | 0.0 | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| 2025 | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
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 →
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Common questions
Does DreamSpring make SBA startup and acquisition loans?
Yes — its recent SBA 7(a) record includes 31 startups, 5 business acquisitions. 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 DreamSpring will make?
Its practical minimum — the 5th percentile of what it has actually funded — is about $52,500, and the typical (median) DreamSpring loan is $127,000. If your loan is well below its practical minimum, it is unlikely to be interested however strong your file.
What states does DreamSpring lend in?
Most of DreamSpring's recent SBA lending is concentrated in New Mexico, Colorado, Texas, among 5 states in total. Compare lenders by state.