# Buying a Business in Alabama: SBA Lending

Change-of-ownership SBA 7(a) approvals in Alabama, FY2020 through FY2025. Every figure is read from SBA 7(a) FOIA loan-level dataset (as of June 30, 2026).

Also on this site: https://searchspheresource.com/guides/states/alabama.md
Also on this site: https://searchspheresource.com/data/acquisition-lending
Source: https://searchspheresource.com/data/acquisition-lending/alabama
Last checked: 2026-10-02

## The Numbers

- Loans since FY2020: 383, $478,039,000 approved in total
- FY2025 loans: 74, $89,850,700 approved
- Median loan: $816,000
- Share of national acquisition lending: 1.1%

## The Most Active Lenders in Alabama

Ranked by change-of-ownership loans written in the covered years. A bank high here is a bank that has already said yes to this kind of deal in this state.

1. Live Oak Banking Company: 54 loans
2. The Huntington National Bank: 20 loans
3. United Midwest Savings Bank National Association: 17 loans
4. Pinnacle Bank (TN): 17 loans
5. ServisFirst Bank: 15 loans

## What Gets Financed in Alabama

- Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels: 30 loans
- Broilers and Other Meat Type Chicken Production: 22 loans
- Insurance Agencies and Brokerages: 20 loans
- Limited-Service Restaurants: 19 loans
- Full-Service Restaurants: 16 loans

## Method and Source

- SBA 7(a) FOIA loan-level dataset (as of June 30, 2026): https://data.sba.gov/dataset/7a-504-foia
- Coverage: FY2020 through FY2025
- Segment: SBA 7(a) approvals with BusinessAge "Change of Ownership"

Site index for machines: https://searchspheresource.com/llms.txt
