Lender · SBA 7(a) record
First Merchants Bank
IN · lends in 39 states · 1,790 SBA loans since 2010, 508 in the last five years.
How fast they approve. First Merchants Bank made 61% of its recent SBA 7(a) loans under Preferred Lender (PLP) authority — it can approve them in-house without sending your file to the SBA to re-underwrite, which is the biggest single driver of how fast a loan closes. Why approval speed comes down to the lender.
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.
Lends conservatively
1.23% charged off against 2.11% across all SBA lending. Clean books usually mean tight credit standards. Good rates if you fit their box, and a quick decline if you don't.
What rate people got
median markup over primeThe median borrower here paid prime + 2.90%. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 1.4 |
| 2011 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.6 |
| 2012 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 1.0 | 2.7 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.6 |
| 2013 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 1.1 |
| 2014 | 0.0 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 1.2 |
| 2015 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.8 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 5.3 |
| 2016 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 7.0 | 7.0 | · |
| 2017 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 1.6 | 1.8 | 4.8 | 6.0 | · | · |
| 2018 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 1.0 | · | · | · |
| 2019 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 1.7 | 2.2 | · | · | · | · |
| 2020 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.3 | · | · | · | · | · |
| 2021 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| 2022 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.7 | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| 2023 | 0.0 | 0.0 | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| 2024 | 0.0 | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| 2025 | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| 2026 | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
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 First Merchants Bank make SBA startup and acquisition loans?
Yes — its recent SBA 7(a) record includes 98 commercial real-estate loans, 97 startups, 89 franchise loans, 82 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 First Merchants Bank will make?
Its practical minimum — the 5th percentile of what it has actually funded — is about $50,000, and the typical (median) First Merchants Bank loan is $346,700. If your loan is well below its practical minimum, it is unlikely to be interested however strong your file.
What interest rate do First Merchants Bank SBA borrowers get?
On variable-rate loans, recent First Merchants Bank borrowers paid a median of prime + 2.90%. The markup over prime is the negotiable part of any SBA quote. Check a rate you have been quoted.
What states does First Merchants Bank lend in?
Most of First Merchants Bank's recent SBA lending is concentrated in Indiana, Michigan, Texas, among 20 states in total. Compare lenders by state.