Small-business money, by the numbers
Small-business money, with the numbers shown
We read the loan records, the fee notices and the fine print behind small-business financing, and publish what they say. Every figure links to where it came from.
From the data
Data study
The 69 busiest SBA 7(a) lenders, and what each one charges
1,201 lenders made an SBA 7(a) loan in the last year. We list the 69 that made at least 100, with each one's typical rate, loan size and share of fixed-rate loans.
Updated October 5, 2026
Data study
SBA loan default rates by industry: what happened to 478,963 loans
We followed every SBA 7(a) loan made from 2010 to 2019. 7.1% were charged off. See the rate for 73 industries, by loan size, and how long failure takes.
Updated October 5, 2026
Data study
SBA 7(a) loan rates in 2026: what 49,520 borrowers were actually charged
We read every SBA 7(a) loan approved from July 2025 to June 2026. The median rate was 9.5%. See rates by loan size, lender type, state and industry.
Updated October 5, 2026
Calculators
Calculator
SBA 7(a) loan calculator: payment, guaranty fee and APR for fiscal 2027
Work out the monthly payment on an SBA 7(a) loan, the upfront guaranty fee under the schedule that took effect October 1, 2026, and the APR once the fee is counted.
Updated October 5, 2026
Calculator
Merchant cash advance calculator: turn a factor rate into an APR
A 1.30 factor rate is not 30% interest. Enter the advance, the factor, the fees and the payment to see the APR, the total cost and how much of your sales it takes.
Updated October 5, 2026
How this site works
We start from records. The U.S. government publishes every SBA-guaranteed loan: who made it, how big it was, what rate it carried, whether it was repaid. We download the files, do the arithmetic and show the result. When a rule matters, we read the rule itself, not a summary of it.
Every page shows its work. Charts come with the numbers behind them. Articles list their sources and the date we last checked each one. If the data cannot answer a question, the page says so.
Nobody pays to be covered. We are not a lender, a broker or a lead seller. Lenders appear in our tables because they are in the public record, in the order the record puts them.
Read more about how we work and where the data comes from.