Best SBA & acquisition lenders for searchers
One verified pick — pricing and status checked Jul 10, 2026. Ranked by our verdict; every entry lists its cons.
The SBA's #1 7(a) lender by dollar volume, with a dedicated acquisition and search fund lending practice — 7(a) loans up to the $5M program cap and combination 7(a)+conventional structures to roughly $9M.
Our take: Start your lender conversations here — then still get a second term sheet elsewhere.
Custom pricing · Loan products (no fee to engage). SBA 7(a) up to $5M; combination structures up to ~$9M for $7–10M+ enterprise-value deals; free weekly M&A office hours for buyers targeting $500k–$12M businesses.
- SBA's #1 7(a) lender FY2025: $2.8B across 2,280 approvals, including 679 acquisition loans totaling $896M — deep pattern recognition on deals like yours
- Dedicated search fund lending vertical
- Free weekly M&A office hours open to any buyer
- Can structure past the $5M 7(a) cap with combination loans
- Acquisition practice skews larger — FY2025 average acquisition loan was $1.32M, so sub-$500k deals aren't the sweet spot
- Its own marketing is inconsistent on the office-hours deal range ($1M floor on one page, $500k on the registration page)
Verified Jul 10, 2026Full review →
Hear when this list changes
Pricing moves and new tools launch — we re-verify quarterly and email when anything notable changes.