Three questions
Is the loan for a building instead of a business?
What the record shows
Here is a real example. From Oct 2023 through Sep 2026, 170 lenders made 590 SBA 7(a) loans to car washes. A typical one was $470,000, at a typical rate of 9.75%, the middle rate on loans already made, not an offer or a quote. In Georgia alone, 11 lenders made 15 of those loans.
The table gives the same figures for each kind of business listed. These are SBA 7(a) loans, made by banks, credit unions and other lenders, with part of each loan backed by the SBA.
| Business | Loans | Lenders | Typical loan | Typical rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurant or cafe | 19,072 | 1,074 | $260,000 | 10.00% |
| Building contractor | 6,551 | 438 | $120,000 | 10.50% |
| Trucking company | 4,988 | 402 | $80,000 | 10.50% |
| Auto repair shop | 4,970 | 545 | $200,000 | 10.00% |
| Hair or nail salon | 3,979 | 433 | $80,000 | 10.50% |
| Gym or fitness studio | 3,766 | 510 | $270,000 | 10.00% |
| HVAC or plumbing contractor | 3,350 | 371 | $180,000 | 10.25% |
| Landscaping company | 2,939 | 408 | $110,000 | 10.25% |
| Child care center | 2,544 | 384 | $400,000 | 9.75% |
| Hotel or motel | 2,062 | 223 | $2,600,000 | 8.75% |
| Dental practice | 1,874 | 209 | $480,000 | 9.25% |
| Gas station | 1,537 | 235 | $1,300,000 | 9.25% |
| Grocery store | 960 | 231 | $270,000 | 10.00% |
| Veterinary practice | 715 | 134 | $680,000 | 8.50% |
| Car wash | 590 | 170 | $470,000 | 9.75% |
SBA FOIA, loans made from Oct 2023 through Sep 2026. Cancelled and not-funded loans left out. Typical means the middle loan.
If the loan is for a building
A no on an apartment building or a rental home is also one lender's answer. Lenders report the loans they make on these properties every year, and the record shows who made loans like yours in your state.
- Apartments, 5 or more units. The record has each loan: its size, its rate, its term and the county it was made in. The answer lists the lenders that made loans like yours and shows the middle rate and term of those loans.
- Rental homes, 1 to 4 units. The record counts these loans by state. Where a lender has 5 or more in a county or metro area, the answer says so. It does not give the size or purpose of any one loan, so it cannot say who would lend on yours. It lists who makes these loans where you are, and points to the regulators' own office finders to find one near the property.
Use the building form under "Three questions", or see an example: apartment building lenders in Ohio.
First, ask why
You have a right to know. Regulation B, the federal rule on credit decisions, says a lender has to tell you what it decided, and you can get the reasons.
- If your business had revenue of $1 million or less last year, the lender must give you the specific reasons, or tell you how to ask for them. Ask within 60 days of hearing no, and it has 30 days to answer.
- If your business had more than $1 million, ask in writing within 60 days and the lender must give you written reasons.
You can say it just like this: "I would like the specific reasons my loan was declined, in writing, please."
General information, not legal advice. 12 CFR 1002.9.
Who can help you for free
- Your Small Business Development Center. Free, one-on-one help getting your numbers and your loan package together.
- SCORE. Free mentoring from people who have run businesses themselves.
- A Community Development Financial Institution. A lender whose mission is to reach the people and places banks often miss. The CDFI Fund lists them.
- SBA Lender Match. A free SBA tool that puts your request in front of lenders that may be interested.
SBA does not require you to use an agent or broker for a loan application. SBA has not reviewed or endorsed this site.
Check your own numbers
These run in your browser and send nothing anywhere.
What to watch for
When a bank says no, the calls and emails from other kinds of funders often start. Before you sign anything, watch for these.
- Upfront fees. Before you pay anything, ask what the fee is for, who receives it and when it is due, and get the answer in writing. Legitimate lenders here will not ask you to pay through this site.
- Daily or weekly withdrawals. Some products pull money out of your bank account every business day. Ask for the full amount you will pay back, in dollars, and the annual rate, before you say yes.
- Loan stacking. That means taking a second advance from a new funder to cover the first one. Each one takes another slice of your sales. Ask the new funder whether it will pay off the old one.
- Confessions of judgment. That is a clause that lets a funder win a court judgment against you without a hearing if it says you did not pay. If you see one, stop and show the contract to a lawyer.
What we cannot tell you
We cannot tell you whether a lender will say yes to you. Nobody can, from public records. What these records show is which lenders have made loans like yours, and how many. The next step is to contact a lender yourself. A lender's page links to its website, and shows its main phone number where one is on record.
For a longer walk through what to do next, read What to do after a bank says no to a business loan.
Source and date appear beside each figure. Banks report balances, not loans made. Loans made come only from HMDA and SBA files. We do not audit filings and can make errors joining them. Report a problem