Lender · SBA 7(a) record
Gesa CU
WA · lends in 4 states · 215 SBA loans since 2010, 163 in the last five years.
How fast they approve. Gesa CU made 83% 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.
What stands out about Gesa CU
vs every other SBA lenderIt leans into one industry. 16% of Gesa CU's loans go to assisted living facilities for the elderly — roughly 42× the share you would expect, so it clearly knows that business.
Gesa CU is acquisition-heavy. 64% of its loans are business acquisitions, well above the norm — a good sign if that is your deal.
Regional, not national. 87% of Gesa CU's recent SBA lending is in Washington. A borrower outside Washington is not its usual customer.
This read is built from 163 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
2.64% 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 + 2.12%. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 →
Lenders worth comparing against this one
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Common questions
Does Gesa CU make SBA startup and acquisition loans?
Yes — its recent SBA 7(a) record includes 98 business acquisitions, 40 commercial real-estate loans, 9 startups, 6 franchise 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 Gesa CU will make?
Its practical minimum — the 5th percentile of what it has actually funded — is about $50,000, and the typical (median) Gesa CU loan is $465,000. If your loan is well below its practical minimum, it is unlikely to be interested however strong your file.
What interest rate do Gesa CU SBA borrowers get?
On variable-rate loans, recent Gesa CU borrowers paid a median of prime + 2.12%. The markup over prime is the negotiable part of any SBA quote. Check a rate you have been quoted.
What states does Gesa CU lend in?
Most of Gesa CU's recent SBA lending is concentrated in Washington, Oregon, among 4 states in total. Compare lenders by state.