Zions Bank (SBA lending)
At a Glance
The right first call for a smaller Utah or Idaho acquisition: delegated authority, both SBA programs, and a book that proves it closes sub-$1M deals; outside the two states, ask which affiliate brand you would actually be borrowing from.
- Pricing
- Custom Pricing, Loan products; no fee to engage. Our FOIA computation shows 79 change-of-ownership 7(a) loans totaling $49.5M in FY2025, an average near $627k at a 7.99% average initial rate, and 211 such loans across the file's six years, so the desk is tuned to the smaller acquisitions the big specialist books pass over.
- Best For
- Buyers of smaller businesses in or near Utah and Idaho who want a Preferred Lender's delegated authority with pricing on the cheaper side of the acquisition file
- In the Federal File
- 79 change-of-ownership loans in FY2025, 14th most in the country, averaging $627k each, at an average initial rate of 7.99%. Computed from the SBA's own loan-level data, not from anything the lender publishes.
- Type
- Bank (lends directly)
- Footprint
- The Utah and Idaho division of a multi-brand parent; other states are served by affiliate brands under other names.
- Deal Size
- Up to $2M.
- Searcher Practice
- A general SBA lending desk, branch-driven.
- Published Terms
- 7(a) and 504 both offered, with acquisition a named use, as a Preferred Lender.
- Roadmap Stages
- 2. Set Up & Fund the Search5. Diligence & Close the Deal
Pros and Cons
Pros
- SBA Preferred Lender, approving on delegated authority
- Acquisition is a named use on its own SBA page, beside both the 7(a) and the 504
- The smallest average acquisition loan near the top of our file, which means the desk actually works the deals other volume lenders skip
- A 7.99% average initial rate in our file, cheaper than most of the twenty most active
Cons
- A two-state division: the parent bank serves other states under other brands, so a buyer elsewhere is not talking to this desk
- Branch-relationship banking rather than a built-for-remote process
- No published rates and no searcher-community footprint to check its own claims against
What Searchers Say
Its Preferred Lender status and acquisition language are its own page's; our FOIA computation independently places it among the twenty most active acquisition lenders, leading four states' top-fives, with the smallest average loan in that group.
How to Approach
Zions Bank (SBA lending) is a bank, so this is how that kind of lender comes in, what it weighs, and how to arrive ready.
The Typical Arc
- A prequalification on you and the target, often from the first email.
- A full application and the bank's own underwrite of the deal.
- A term sheet, then closing on the SBA's timeline, commonly two to four months.
What It Weighs
- Whether the business's cash flow covers the debt with room to spare.
- Your experience relative to the business you are buying.
- Your equity injection and how clean the financials are.
How to Prepare
- Model the payment and coverage before you call. SBA Acquisition Calculator
- Underwrite the specific deal end to end. Underwrite a Deal
- Show where every dollar comes from and goes. Sources & Uses Builder
Put It to Work
Lender Match puts this lender beside the others, filtered by your deal.