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Lender · SBA 7(a) record

Ultima Bank Minnesota

MN · lends in 3 states · 312 SBA loans since 2010, 50 in the last five years.

Practical minimum
$30k
5th percentile, last 5 years
Typical loan
$162k
median, last 5 years
Median rate
P+0.55
variable-rate loans only
Typical term
7 yr
Recent volume
$15.5M
last 5 fiscal years

How fast they approve. Ultima Bank Minnesota made 34% of its recent 7(a) loans under full Preferred Lender (PLP) authority and another 60% through SBA Express — 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 Ultima Bank Minnesota

vs every other SBA lender

It leans into one industry. 15% of Ultima Bank Minnesota's loans go to nursery and tree production — roughly 1193× the share you would expect, so it clearly knows that business.

Borrowers here paid a median of prime + 0.55% — cheaper than the prime + 1.99% typical across lenders.

Ultima Bank Minnesota lives at the small end. Its median loan is just $162k, well under the $347k typical of SBA lenders — one of the banks genuinely willing to write small.

This read is built from 50 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 funded
Under $150k
48%
$150k – $350k
32%
$350k – $750k
12%
$750k – $2M
6%
Over $2M
2%

The 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 years
Beef Cattle Ranching and Farming
24%
All Other Grain Farming
10%
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
8%
Convenience Retailers
6%
Beauty Salons
4%
Everything else
48%

A 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

0.00% 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 prime

The median borrower here paid prime + 0.55%. Compare that against what you have been quoted — the markup is the negotiable part, and most borrowers never try.

Work out what that costs you →

Their loans, year by year

cumulative % of dollars charged off
ApprovedYr 1Yr 2Yr 3Yr 4Yr 5Yr 6Yr 7Yr 8Yr 9Yr 10
20110.00.00.00.00.00.00.012.112.112.1
20160.00.00.00.00.00.00.00.00.0·
20200.00.00.00.00.0·····
20210.00.00.00.0······
0%
12%+▨ too recent to know

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.

Source SBA 7(a) FOIAReleased 2026-06-30 Loans judged 191 Measured at 5 years

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 Ultima Bank Minnesota make SBA startup and acquisition loans?

Yes — its recent SBA 7(a) record includes 6 startups, 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 Ultima Bank Minnesota will make?

Its practical minimum — the 5th percentile of what it has actually funded — is about $30,000, and the typical (median) Ultima Bank Minnesota loan is $162,000. If your loan is well below its practical minimum, it is unlikely to be interested however strong your file.

What interest rate do Ultima Bank Minnesota SBA borrowers get?

On variable-rate loans, recent Ultima Bank Minnesota borrowers paid a median of prime + 0.55%. The markup over prime is the negotiable part of any SBA quote. Check a rate you have been quoted.

What states does Ultima Bank Minnesota lend in?

Most of Ultima Bank Minnesota's recent SBA lending is concentrated in Minnesota. Compare lenders by state.