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Buying a Business in Tennessee

What SBA acquisition lending actually looks like in Tennessee, from loan-level government data.

FY2025 Acquisition Loans

106

$138.3M approved

Median Loan

$797,800

FY2020 through FY2025

Loans Since FY2020

430

$538.9M in total approvals

Share of U.S. Activity

1.2%

Of change-of-ownership loans

Most Active Acquisition Lenders in Tennessee

  1. 1. Live Oak Banking Company40 loans
  2. 2. The Huntington National Bank33 loans
  3. 3. Pinnacle Bank24 loans
  4. 4. First Horizon Bank18 loans
  5. 5. Old National Bank15 loans

A lender being active in Tennessee does not require a local branch; several top SBA lenders work nationally. Build a shortlist with Lender Match.

What Gets Bought in Tennessee

  • Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels32 loans
  • Limited-Service Restaurants19 loans
  • Full-Service Restaurants15 loans
  • Broilers and Other Meat Type11 loans
  • Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors11 loans

Industry-specific pricing and diligence live in the Industry Buy Guides.

Method & Source

Computed from the SBA 7(a) FOIA loan-level dataset (FY2020 through FY2025), filtered to approvals flagged change of ownership with a Tennessee project address. Approvals, not closings; excludes conventional and 504 financing. Free to cite with attribution.

Everything here is educational information, not financial, legal, tax, or investment advice. Figures are estimates or cited third-party data; verify anything that matters against primary sources and your own advisors before acting on it.