Best SBA lenders
Best SBA lenders in California
The most active SBA lenders in California, ranked from every 7(a) and 504 loan in the SBA's public record, FY2010-2026. Wells Fargo Bank National Association leads with 13,487 loans funded.
By Mario Bailey · Source: SBA FOIA 7(a) and 504 data, FY2010–2026, as of 2026-03-31
Top SBA lenders in California
The full California ranking, by SBA loans funded since FY2010. Every figure is in-state: each lender's loans, dollars, average loan size, and 7(a) charge-off rate cover its California lending only, not its national book. A charge-off rate appears only when a lender has at least 20 funded 7(a) loans in California; below that line, and on 504-only lending, it reads “not reported,” never 0%.
| # | Lender | Loans | Total funded | Average loan | 7(a) charge-off |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wells Fargo Bank National Association | 13,487 | $5.1B | $379K | 5.09% |
| 2 | U.S. Bank, National Association | 13,077 | $4.4B | $338K | 3.98% |
| 3 | JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association | 8,833 | $1.8B | $206K | 5.51% |
| 4 | CDC Small Business Finance Corp. | 6,183 | $4.6B | $740K | 11.18% |
| 5 | Mortgage Capital Development Corporation | 4,332 | $5.0B | $1.2M | 3.88% |
| 6 | Bank of Hope | 4,087 | $2.3B | $561K | 4.04% |
| 7 | Columbia Bank | 2,974 | $2.1B | $701K | 3.43% |
| 8 | Enterprise Bank & Trust | 2,904 | $2.8B | $960K | 0.79% |
| 9 | Business Finance Capital | 2,707 | $3.4B | $1.3M | not reported |
| 10 | California Statewide Certified Development Corporation | 2,621 | $2.7B | $1.0M | 2.47% |
| 11 | Celtic Bank Corporation | 2,432 | $1.5B | $617K | 7.65% |
| 12 | BayFirst National Bank | 2,270 | $449.7M | $198K | 11.59% |
| 13 | Northeast Bank | 2,221 | $388.2M | $175K | 2.12% |
| 14 | Live Oak Banking Company | 2,198 | $2.9B | $1.3M | 0.91% |
| 15 | East West Bank | 1,842 | $1.2B | $635K | 3.31% |
| 16 | Newtek Bank, National Association | 1,765 | $803.8M | $455K | 0.00% |
| 17 | Readycap Lending, LLC | 1,716 | $907.3M | $529K | 1.81% |
| 18 | The Huntington National Bank | 1,675 | $545.7M | $326K | 3.40% |
| 19 | Bank of America, National Association | 1,568 | $675.7M | $431K | 0.96% |
| 20 | BMO Bank National Association | 1,556 | $1.2B | $754K | 1.67% |
| 21 | Commonwealth Business Bank | 1,542 | $1.3B | $856K | 0.91% |
| 22 | Zions Bank, A Division of | 1,444 | $452.4M | $313K | 3.12% |
| 23 | Open Bank | 1,393 | $1.6B | $1.2M | 0.86% |
| 24 | PCB Bank | 1,375 | $1.1B | $821K | 2.18% |
| 25 | Bay Area Employment Development Company | 1,347 | $1.3B | $964K | not reported |
SBA 7(a) and 504 loans, FY2010–2026, as of 2026-03-31, from the SBA's public record.
7(a) banks vs 504 lenders (CDCs) in California
The two SBA programs have different lenders. A 7(a) loan comes from one bank or credit union; a 504 project pairs a bank with a Certified Development Company (CDC), the nonprofit that funds the SBA-backed portion. The leaders in California by each program's loans funded since FY2010:
- 1. Wells Fargo Bank National Association 13,487 loans
- 2. U.S. Bank, National Association 13,077 loans
- 3. JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association 8,833 loans
- 4. Bank of Hope 4,087 loans
- 5. Columbia Bank 2,974 loans
- 1. CDC Small Business Finance Corp. 4,367 loans
- 2. Mortgage Capital Development Corporation 4,203 loans
- 3. Business Finance Capital 2,700 loans
- 4. California Statewide Certified Development Corporation 2,540 loans
- 5. Bay Area Employment Development Company 1,347 loans
Counts are each program's funded loans in California. How the two programs differ: 504 vs 7(a), by the data.
Where SBA lending concentrates in California
The 3 industries with the most SBA loans in California since FY2010, and the most active lender in each. A lender that leads your industry locally can matter more than the overall #1.
| Industry | Loans | Total funded | Most active lender |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Trade | 18,776 | $12.7B | Wells Fargo Bank National Association (1,891 loans) |
| Accommodation and Food Services | 16,437 | $11.9B | Bank of Hope (1,200 loans) |
| Professional and Technical Services | 14,862 | $7.0B | Wells Fargo Bank National Association (2,043 loans) |
Full industry, city, and yearly breakdowns: SBA lending in California.
How this ranking works
- “Most active” means loans funded. The ranking counts every SBA 7(a) and 504 loan funded to California businesses in the SBA's public FOIA record, FY2010–2026, as of 2026-03-31. No lender pays to appear or to rank, and activity is not a fit score: the right lender for you depends on your industry, loan size, and timeline.
- The 10-loan line. A lender enters the California table only with at least 10 loans funded in-state, so one-off activity never reads as a track record. Industry cells above are held to at least 30 loans.
- Charge-off is 7(a)-only and needs 20+ loans. The SBA reports charge-offs on 7(a) loans, never on 504 loans. We show an in-state rate only when a lender has at least 20 funded 7(a) loans in California; anything thinner reads “not reported,” never 0%. It is a charge-off share of funded loans to date, not a lifetime default rate.
- Name collisions are excluded, and counted. The SBA does not normalize lender names across mergers and rebrands, so one name can blend several unrelated institutions. Flagged names are never ranked on this page; each exclusion is disclosed under the table.
The exact calculations and limits: methodology.
Best SBA lenders in California: frequently asked questions
Who is the most active SBA lender in California?
Wells Fargo Bank National Association is the most active SBA lender in California in the public record, with 13,487 7(a) and 504 loans funded since FY2010 ($5.1B in California). The ranking counts loans funded, never who pays us.
Do these lenders only serve California?
No. The ranking measures activity in California: loans funded to California businesses in the SBA's record. Many of these lenders are national or multi-state institutions; the loans, dollars, and charge-off figures shown are their California lending only.
What's the difference between a 7(a) lender and a CDC?
A 7(a) lender is a bank or credit union that funds an SBA-guaranteed loan directly. A Certified Development Company (CDC) is a nonprofit that funds the SBA-backed portion of a 504 project alongside a bank. Charge-off is reported only on 7(a) loans, so a 504-only CDC shows "not reported," never 0%.
How many SBA lenders are active in California?
234 lenders have funded at least 10 SBA loans in California since FY2010 in the public record (as of 2026-03-31). The table above names the 25 most active of them; names that blend several same-named institutions are excluded from rankings.
Mario Bailey. (2026). Best SBA lenders in California. SBA Loan Index. https://sbaloanindex.com/best-sba-lenders/in/ca/
Free to cite and quote with attribution and a link. Members of the press can reach us via our press page.
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