Most Active SBA Lenders by Industry
Why It Matters
Lenders develop appetites. A bank that has written two hundred restaurant acquisition loans knows what a good one looks like and can say yes faster; a bank that has written three will underwrite yours from scratch. Figures cover FY2020 through FY2025 approvals the SBA flags as a change of ownership.
An industry appears only when the sample can carry a ranking: fifty or more loans and at least three lenders with five or more each. Activity is not an endorsement, and a lender missing here may still quote your deal; start conversations with the active ones, then compare the quotes you actually receive.
The Data
| Full-Service Restaurants | 1,971 | The Huntington National Bank (192) · Hanmi Bank (102) · Bank of Hope (67) |
| Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels | 1,654 | GBank (404) · First Western SBLC, Inc (127) · Open Bank (96) |
| Limited-Service Restaurants | 1,568 | Live Oak Banking Company (90) · The Huntington National Bank (81) · Hanmi Bank (73) |
| Gasoline Stations with Convenience Stores | 1,063 | Celtic Bank Corporation (108) · Metro City Bank (79) · Open Bank (69) |
| General Automotive Repair | 798 | Live Oak Banking Company (131) · The Huntington National Bank (46) · U.S. Bank, National Association (17) |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers | 758 | Hanmi Bank (126) · Open Bank (61) · Commonwealth Business Bank (45) |
| All Other Specialty Trade Contractors | 717 | Live Oak Banking Company (112) · The Huntington National Bank (90) · Old National Bank (28) |
| Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors | 707 | Live Oak Banking Company (165) · The Huntington National Bank (47) · First Internet Bank of Indiana (22) |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages | 648 | Live Oak Banking Company (151) · United Midwest Savings Bank National Association (105) · Bankwell Bank (32) |
| Landscaping Services | 588 | The Huntington National Bank (60) · Live Oak Banking Company (23) · BayFirst National Bank (14) |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores | 543 | Hanmi Bank (108) · Metro City Bank (33) · Provident Bank (30) |
| Home Health Care Services | 492 | Live Oak Banking Company (141) · CIBC Bank USA (36) · American National Bank (30) |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants | 458 | Live Oak Banking Company (130) · United Midwest Savings Bank National Association (31) · The Huntington National Bank (28) |
| Offices of Chiropractors | 421 | United Midwest Savings Bank National Association (78) · BankVista (54) · The Huntington National Bank (18) |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers | 408 | Live Oak Banking Company (44) · The Huntington National Bank (27) · Byline Bank (8) |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars | 387 | The Huntington National Bank (28) · Hanmi Bank (16) · Bank of Hope (13) |
| Child Care Services | 381 | Live Oak Banking Company (49) · The Huntington National Bank (22) · Beacon Bank and Trust (15) |
| Offices of Dentists | 345 | United Midwest Savings Bank National Association (71) · Live Oak Banking Company (45) · The Huntington National Bank (40) |
| Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly | 340 | Pinnacle Bank (50) · Live Oak Banking Company (45) · Celtic Bank Corporation (27) |
| Janitorial Services | 312 | Live Oak Banking Company (38) · The Huntington National Bank (19) · Customers Bank (10) |
| Electrical Contractors and Other Wiring Installation Contractors | 300 | The Huntington National Bank (26) · Live Oak Banking Company (25) · First Bank of the Lake (10) |
| Beauty Salons | 297 | Live Oak Banking Company (32) · Customers Bank (16) · The Huntington National Bank (15) |
| All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 288 | Live Oak Banking Company (51) · The Huntington National Bank (33) · Old National Bank (11) |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services | 288 | Live Oak Banking Company (42) · First Financial Bank (38) · The Huntington National Bank (24) |
| Car Washes | 280 | Celtic Bank Corporation (23) · Metro City Bank (19) · The Huntington National Bank (14) |
What the Big Lenders Fund
The same rows read the other way: each ranking-visible lender and the industries it wrote the most acquisition loans in.
Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors (165) · Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (151) · Home Health Care Services (141) · General Automotive Repair (131) · Offices of Certified Public Accountants (130)
Full-Service Restaurants (192) · All Other Specialty Trade Contractors (90) · Limited-Service Restaurants (81) · Landscaping Services (60) · Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels (57)
Hanmi Bank
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (126) · Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores (108) · Full-Service Restaurants (102) · Limited-Service Restaurants (73) · Convenience Retailers (23)
GBank
Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels (404) · General Freight Trucking, Local (9) · General Freight Trucking, Long-Distance, Truckload (8) · Local Messengers and Local Delivery (5)
United Midwest Savings Bank National Association
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (105) · Offices of Chiropractors (78) · Offices of Dentists (71) · Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels (64) · Offices of Certified Public Accountants (31)
Celtic Bank Corporation
Gasoline Stations with Convenience Stores (108) · General Freight Trucking, Local (70) · Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels (62) · Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly (27) · Car Washes (23)
Open Bank
Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels (96) · Gasoline Stations with Convenience Stores (69) · Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (61) · Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores (24) · Supermarkets and Other Grocery Retailers (except Convenience Retailers) (18)
Gasoline Stations with Convenience Stores (48) · Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (32) · Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (32) · Home Health Care Services (27) · Pharmacies and Drug Retailers (23)
Method & Source
Computed from the SBA 7(a) FOIA loan-level data, filtered to approvals flagged as a change of ownership. Figures are approvals, not closings, and count loans rather than dollars; a lender's total appetite can differ from its loan count.