# Huntington Bank vs Live Oak Bank

Which of the biggest acquisition lenders fits your deal?

## Choose Huntington Bank

Choose Huntington for volume at main-street size: the most change-of-ownership loans in the country in FY2025, at an average nearer $800k, and a branch-led relationship if you are in its Midwest footprint.

## Choose Live Oak Bank

Choose Live Oak for the bigger deal: fewer loans but the most dollars, an average nearer $1.3M, buyer office hours for deals from $1M to $12M, and combination structures past the 7(a) ceiling.

## Side by side

| | Huntington Bank | Live Oak Bank |
| --- | --- | --- |
| What It Is | The most prolific SBA 7(a) lender in the country by number of loans (its own October 2024 release marks a seventh straight year at #1 by count), a large regional bank whose branch-based SBA practice writes thousands of small-business loans a year, including business acquisitions. | The SBA's #1 7(a) lender by dollar volume. It writes 7(a) loans up to the $5M program cap and combination 7(a) plus conventional structures that carry a purchase past it, and runs weekly office hours for buyers targeting $1M to $12M businesses, with a 60-day average funding timeline named on its acquisition page. |
| Category | SBA & Acquisition Lenders | SBA & Acquisition Lenders |
| Pricing Model | Custom Pricing | Custom Pricing |
| What It Costs | Loan products; no fee to engage. SBA 7(a) up to the $5M program cap. The bank's own release reports 7,577 loans totaling about $1.53B in its fiscal 2024, an average near $200k, so volume skews to smaller loans than acquisition-specialist banks. Rates are quoted per deal and not published. | Loan products (no fee to engage). SBA 7(a) up to $5M, with combination structures that carry a larger purchase past the cap and are sized to the deal; free weekly M&A office hours for buyers targeting $1M–$12M businesses. |
| Best For | Buyers in or near its branch footprint (it reports leading 7(a) counts in Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and West Virginia) and smaller acquisitions that specialist banks may not prioritize | Buyers of $1M+ businesses who want the most experienced SBA acquisition lender in their corner from day one |
| Where It Fits | Set Up & Fund the Search, Diligence & Close the Deal | Set Up & Fund the Search, Diligence & Close the Deal |
| Our Verdict | Worth a term sheet if you're in its footprint or your deal is on the smaller side; pair it with an acquisition specialist so volume competes with pattern recognition. | Start your lender conversations here, then still get a second term sheet elsewhere. |

Full review of Huntington Bank: https://searchspheresource.com/resources/huntington-bank
Full review of Live Oak Bank: https://searchspheresource.com/resources/live-oak-bank

Source: https://searchspheresource.com/resources/compare/huntington-bank-vs-live-oak-bank
Last checked: 2026-09-04

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