SBA loan type · from the federal record
Standard 7(a): who lends it, and what to expect
Standard 7(a) is the flagship SBA loan and the one most borrowers actually get. In the last five years it was 62.0% of all SBA 7(a) loans, at a typical size of $350k. Below: the rules, who actually writes it, and how its loans have performed.
The rules, in plain English
Best for: most business purposes. Rules current to SOP 50 10 8 (effective June 1, 2025); amounts and guarantees can change.
Who actually lends Standard 7(a)
most Standard 7(a) loans, last 5 years| Lender | Standard 7(a) loans | Share of its lending |
|---|---|---|
| The Huntington National Bank | 14,578 | 10.0% |
| Readycap Lending, LLC | 8,040 | 5.5% |
| BayFirst National Bank | 7,804 | 5.3% |
| Newtek Bank, National Association | 6,151 | 4.2% |
| Northeast Bank | 5,901 | 4.0% |
| Live Oak Banking Company | 5,687 | 3.9% |
| Celtic Bank Corporation | 4,320 | 3.0% |
| Lendistry SBLC, LLC | 3,327 | 2.3% |
| United Midwest Savings Bank National Association | 3,203 | 2.2% |
| U.S. Bank, National Association | 2,160 | 1.5% |
These are the lenders writing the most Standard 7(a) loans in the federal record — the right doors to knock on for this product. Match your specific deal to lenders →
What borrowers use it for
Of recent Standard 7(a) loans, 20,923 financed a business acquisition and 29,886 opened a startup. Its busiest states are CA, TX, FL.
How we know
so you can check itSource. SBA’s 7(a) FOIA release of 2026-06-30. The program is read from the loan-level processing method field. Size and share cover 146,108 funded loans over the last five fiscal years; the default rate covers 166,891 loans approved through 2018 and old enough to judge. The federal file records approved loans only, so it cannot tell you the odds of approval — only what got funded, and by whom.
The other SBA loan types
SBA Express → CAPLines → Community Advantage → Export Working Capital (EWCP) → International Trade → Export Express →