Last annual update:
A note about these California SBA lenders – People frequently ask us if one of the banks above is 1) on the California preferred lender list 2) an approved lender in California, or 3) participating in the California SBA Express lending program. All these questions revolve around whether a given SBA bank makes small business SBA loans in California and can they process SBA loans quickly. The answer is yes, of course. These are not the small banks that only make a few SBA loans a year and do not understand the SBA 7(a) loan program. These are the banks that have made the most SBA loans in California. We analyze thousands of SBA loans each year and rank lenders based on recent activity. We provide business loan activity for borrowers by state, as well as the major California markets of Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, and San Jose.
We would be remissed if we did not mention that although many banks will only lend in certain geographies, there are a handful of extremely aggressive nationwide SBA lenders who will lend anywhere. These lenders understand the SBA program as well as anyone and move very quickly, so we recommend not limiting your search to your home state. If you utilize our lender match tool, we can find you suitable SBA banks based on your geography, industry, and company and size at no cost or obligation to you to save you valuable time.
Most Active SBA lenders in California
| CA Rank | California Bank | Bank HQs | # of CA Loans | Avg Interest | Avg California Loan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | U.S. Bank | Cincinnati, OH | 1044 | 5.7% | $343,483 |
| 2 | Wells Fargo | Sioux Falls, SD | 372 | 6.9% | $450,848 |
| 3 | Harvest Small Business Finance | Laguna Hills, CA | 208 | 5.5% | $1,276,244 |
| 4 | MUFG Union Bank | San Francisco, CA | 205 | 4.0% | $1,756,259 |
| 5 | Live Oak | Wilmington, NC | 199 | 5.2% | $1,621,114 |
| 6 | Newtek Small Business Finance | Lake Success, NY | 188 | 6.1% | $745,050 |
| 7 | CDC Small Business Finance | San Diego, CA | 173 | 7.4% | $140,607 |
| 8 | Bank of the West | San Francisco, CA | 147 | 4.3% | $1,047,044 |
| 9 | Commonwealth Business Bank | Los Angeles, CA | 144 | 4.8% | $1,224,257 |
| 10 | Bank of Hope | Los Angeles, CA | 136 | 4.9% | $929,149 |
| 11 | United Midwest Savings Bank | De Graff, OH | 128 | 6.0% | $316,586 |
| 12 | BancorpSouth Bank | Tupelo, MS | 101 | 5.9% | $313,873 |
| 13 | Comerica Bank | Dallas, TX | 93 | 4.8% | $246,195 |
| 14 | Readycap Lending, LLC | Berkeley Heights, NJ | 91 | 5.2% | $1,523,696 |
| 15 | Pacific City Bank | Los Angeles, CA | 86 | 4.5% | $1,432,581 |
| 16 | Bank of America | Charlotte, NC | 80 | 3.4% | $612,736 |
| 17 | Celtic Bank | Salt Lake City, UT | 72 | 5.7% | $1,598,213 |
| 18 | JPMorgan Chase Bank | Columbus, OH | 72 | 5.7% | $372,674 |
| 19 | Banner Bank | Walla Walla, WA | 70 | 5.0% | $283,776 |
| 20 | East West Bank | Pasadena, CA | 68 | 4.4% | $1,080,868 |
| Rank | California Small Business | # of Loans | Avg Loan | Avg Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels | 1,164 | $1,986,157 | 5.4% |
| 2 | Gasoline Stations with Convenience Stores | 1,286 | $1,429,191 | 5.7% |
| 3 | Full-Service Restaurants | 3,034 | $431,453 | 6.7% |
| 4 | Offices of Dentists | 1,807 | $655,567 | 5.9% |
| 5 | Offices of Physicians (except Mental Health Specialists) | 1,280 | $583,891 | 6.1% |
| 6 | Limited-Service Restaurants | 1,958 | $358,837 | 6.6% |
| 7 | Car Washes | 413 | $1,457,401 | 5.9% |
| 8 | Lessors of Nonresidential Buildings (except Miniwarehouses) | 506 | $1,164,396 | 5.5% |
| 9 | Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores | 1,272 | $449,314 | 6.0% |
| 10 | Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners | 573 | $812,445 | 5.6% |
| 11 | Women's, Children's, and Infants' Clothing and Accessories Merchant Wh | 589 | $774,095 | 6.0% |
| 12 | Supermarkets and Other Grocery (except Convenience) Stores | 666 | $650,920 | 6.2% |
| 13 | Veterinary Services | 464 | $934,238 | 5.7% |
| 14 | General Automotive Repair | 898 | $400,627 | 6.6% |
| 15 | Other Miscellaneous Nondurable Goods Merchant Wholesalers | 541 | $654,611 | 6.0% |
| 16 | Other Miscellaneous Durable Goods Merchant Wholesalers | 498 | $691,547 | 6.0% |
| 17 | Offices of Lawyers | 962 | $344,544 | 6.9% |
| 18 | All Other Specialty Trade Contractors | 827 | $384,261 | 6.7% |
| 19 | Convenience Stores | 772 | $399,041 | 6.2% |
| 20 | Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers | 820 | $372,185 | 6.9% |
| 21 | Child Day Care Services | 467 | $631,239 | 6.5% |
| 22 | Automotive Body, Paint, and Interior Repair and Maintenance | 443 | $663,081 | 6.2% |
| 23 | Homes for the Elderly | 289 | $1,004,342 | 6.0% |
| 24 | All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 614 | $464,648 | 6.3% |
| 25 | Pharmacies and Drug Stores | 423 | $649,502 | 6.2% |
| 26 | Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors | 809 | $304,830 | 7.0% |
| 27 | Insurance Agencies and Brokerages | 540 | $427,310 | 6.5% |
| 28 | General Freight Trucking, Long Distance, Truckload | 663 | $332,492 | 7.5% |
| 29 | Home Health Care Services | 442 | $462,032 | 6.8% |
| 30 | General Freight Trucking, Local | 697 | $292,895 | 7.2% |
| 31 | Wineries | 169 | $1,179,082 | 6.3% |
| 32 | Engineering Services | 450 | $422,008 | 6.8% |
| 33 | Investment Advice | 317 | $556,883 | 6.5% |
| 34 | Electrical Contractors | 657 | $250,134 | 7.2% |
| 35 | Used Car Dealers | 357 | $456,656 | 7.4% |
| 36 | Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars | 610 | $266,015 | 7.0% |
| 37 | Recyclable Material Merchant Wholesalers | 163 | $956,050 | 6.1% |
| 38 | Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers | 403 | $386,114 | 6.9% |
| 39 | Machine Shops | 294 | $526,294 | 6.1% |
| 40 | Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) | 344 | $434,621 | 6.7% |
| 41 | Offices of Certified Public Accountants | 492 | $301,575 | 6.5% |
| 42 | All Other Personal Services | 438 | $338,466 | 7.2% |
| 43 | Breweries | 261 | $540,868 | 6.6% |
| 44 | Lessors of Miniwarehouses and Self-Storage Units | 89 | $1,584,479 | 5.9% |
| 45 | Beauty Salons | 713 | $195,710 | 7.4% |
| 46 | Other Personal Care Services | 438 | $307,651 | 7.0% |
| 47 | Commercial and Institutional Building Construction | 435 | $307,056 | 6.9% |
| 48 | Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores | 275 | $471,973 | 6.4% |
| 49 | Piece Goods, Notions, and Other Dry Goods Merchant Wholesalers | 170 | $741,103 | 6.0% |
| 50 | Drycleaning and Laundry Services (except Coin-Operated) | 423 | $294,091 | 6.4% |