Live Oak Bank
SBA & acquisition lendersThe 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.
- Pricing
- 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.
- Best for
- Buyers of $1M+ businesses who want the most experienced SBA acquisition lender in their corner from day one
- Last verified
- Jul 10, 2026 — pricing and status checked against primary sources
- Roadmap stages
- 3. Set up & fund the search7. Diligence & financing
Pros
- 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
Cons
- 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)
What searchers say
Consistently the first lender named in searcher communities; a Searchfunder thread specifically highlights its self-funded searcher office hours. Volume claims confirmed against SBA FY2025 data; product pages verified live 2026-07-10.