# Buying a Business in Iowa: SBA Lending

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

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

## The Numbers

- Loans since FY2020: 337, $246,721,500 approved in total
- FY2025 loans: 62, $42,386,800 approved
- Median loan: $337,500
- Share of national acquisition lending: 0.9%

## The Most Active Lenders in Iowa

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. Lincoln Savings Bank: 26 loans
2. Northwest Bank (IA): 24 loans
3. Nicolet National Bank: 16 loans
4. Live Oak Banking Company: 12 loans
5. Farmers State Bank (IA): 10 loans

## What Gets Financed in Iowa

- Full-Service Restaurants: 24 loans
- Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels: 18 loans
- Limited-Service Restaurants: 16 loans
- Offices of Chiropractors: 14 loans
- General Automotive Repair: 7 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"

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