Lender · SBA 7(a) record
First Bank of Central Ohio
OH · lends in 26 states · 82 SBA loans since 2010, 82 in the last five years.
How fast they approve. First Bank of Central Ohio made 49% of its recent 7(a) loans under full Preferred Lender (PLP) authority — both let it approve without waiting on the SBA. Larger, more complex deals lean on the PLP share. Why approval speed comes down to the lender.
What stands out about First Bank of Central Ohio
vs every other SBA lenderIt leans into one industry. 12% of First Bank of Central Ohio's loans go to insurance agencies and brokerages — roughly 15× the share you would expect, so it clearly knows that business.
First Bank of Central Ohio is acquisition-heavy. 85% of its loans are business acquisitions, well above the norm — a good sign if that is your deal.
First Bank of Central Ohio writes big loans. Its median loan is $1M — against about $347k for the typical SBA lender. This is a lender for sizeable deals, not small working-capital requests.
This read is built from 82 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.
Not enough seasoned history to judge
Too few of this lender's loans are old enough to say anything useful.
What rate people got
median markup over primeThe median borrower here paid prime + 2.56%. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 →
Lenders worth comparing against this one
Picked for writing loans of a similar size in similar places.
Common questions
Does First Bank of Central Ohio make SBA startup and acquisition loans?
Yes — its recent SBA 7(a) record includes 40 business acquisitions, 5 commercial real-estate loans. 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 First Bank of Central Ohio will make?
Its practical minimum — the 5th percentile of what it has actually funded — is about $181,000, and the typical (median) First Bank of Central Ohio loan is $1,037,900. If your loan is well below its practical minimum, it is unlikely to be interested however strong your file.
What interest rate do First Bank of Central Ohio SBA borrowers get?
On variable-rate loans, recent First Bank of Central Ohio borrowers paid a median of prime + 2.56%. The markup over prime is the negotiable part of any SBA quote. Check a rate you have been quoted.
What states does First Bank of Central Ohio lend in?
Most of First Bank of Central Ohio's recent SBA lending is concentrated in California, Colorado, Florida, among 20 states in total. Compare lenders by state.