First Internet Bank (SBA lending)
SBA & acquisition lendersA branchless, nationwide SBA lender whose 7(a) practice runs to the $5M cap with business acquisition listed as the loan's headline use, plus SBA Express loans and lines to $350k with credit decisions inside 48 hours.
- Pricing
- Custom pricing, Loan products; no fee to engage. 7(a) to $5M with 10-year terms for acquisitions and 25 for real estate; Express to $350k; no prepayment penalty on terms under 15 years (per firstib.com, July 2026). Rates are quoted per deal and not published.
- Best for
- Searchers anywhere in the US who want a larger-deal SBA bank with a fully remote process; its bankers are visible in search-fund and university ETA circles
- Roadmap stages
- 3. Set up & fund the search7. Diligence & financing
Pros
- Nationwide online model with no branch-footprint constraints
- Acquisition is the stated primary 7(a) use, with partner buyouts explicitly covered
- Named 2024 Online Lender of the Year by the Coleman Report, per its site
- SBA bankers who work directly with searchers and university ETA programs, so search-style structures need less explaining
Cons
- No published rates or fees; quotes only
- Acquisition-volume claims are not independently published by the bank, so treat top-lender framing as directional
- Online-only: there is no local banker to sit across from if that matters to you
What searchers say
Its SBA bankers appear across searcher podcasts and university programs, and FOIA-based lender roundups describe it as a larger-deal acquisition lender with average loans above $1M. Community threads are thinner than for Live Oak; ask for searcher references at your deal size.