Huntington Bank (SBA lending)
SBA & acquisition lendersThe 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.
- Pricing
- Custom pricing, 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.
- 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
- Roadmap stages
- 3. Set up & fund the search7. Diligence & financing
Pros
- Highest 7(a) loan count in the country for seven consecutive years, per its own investor-relations release
- Process honed on thousands of loans a year; SBA is a core line of business, not a side desk
- Full commercial-bank relationship (deposits, treasury, lines) available after close
- Reports leading 7(a) volume in nine states, useful if your target sits in its footprint
Cons
- Branch-driven and strongest in its home region; the process is not built as a nationwide remote experience
- Average loan size near $200k means the machine is tuned for smaller loans; a $2M+ acquisition may get more pattern recognition at a specialist bank
- No dedicated searcher or acquisition lending page, so expect to educate your banker on search-style structures
What searchers say
Searchfunder hosts dedicated threads on borrowing from Huntington, and third-party lender roundups consistently place it at the top of 7(a) count rankings with a Midwest skew and small average loans. It markets far less to searchers than Live Oak or Byline; sentiment specific to acquisition deals is thin rather than negative.