Best SBA lenders
Best SBA lenders in Georgia
The most active SBA lenders in Georgia, ranked from every 7(a) and 504 loan in the SBA's public record, FY2010-2026. Wells Fargo Bank National Association leads with 2,412 loans funded.
By Mario Bailey · Source: SBA FOIA 7(a) and 504 data, FY2010–2026, as of 2026-03-31
Top SBA lenders in Georgia
The full Georgia 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 Georgia lending only, not its national book. A charge-off rate appears only when a lender has at least 20 funded 7(a) loans in Georgia; 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 | 2,412 | $460.0M | $191K | 7.79% |
| 2 | Metro City Bank | 1,401 | $1.8B | $1.3M | 1.57% |
| 3 | The Huntington National Bank | 1,328 | $781.0M | $588K | 1.73% |
| 4 | Truist Bank | 1,301 | $598.9M | $460K | 3.00% |
| 5 | Ameris Bank | 833 | $696.2M | $836K | 2.88% |
| 6 | Florida Business Development Corporation | 804 | $724.6M | $901K | not reported |
| 7 | SouthState Bank, National Association | 757 | $655.2M | $865K | 2.91% |
| 8 | Renasant Bank | 722 | $569.1M | $788K | 5.40% |
| 9 | Capital Partners Certified Development Company | 710 | $750.8M | $1.1M | not reported |
| 10 | Celtic Bank Corporation | 705 | $218.2M | $310K | 13.62% |
| 11 | Live Oak Banking Company | 702 | $927.0M | $1.3M | 0.71% |
| 12 | Pinnacle Bank | 644 | $682.5M | $1.1M | 3.42% |
| 13 | Northeast Bank | 603 | $91.5M | $152K | 1.82% |
| 14 | JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association | 593 | $119.0M | $201K | 6.24% |
| 15 | Newtek Bank, National Association | 563 | $234.8M | $417K | 0.00% |
| 16 | Small Business Access Partners, Inc. | 561 | $475.5M | $848K | not reported |
| 17 | Readycap Lending, LLC | 499 | $212.3M | $425K | 1.40% |
| 18 | BayFirst National Bank | 479 | $99.4M | $208K | 6.47% |
| 19 | PromiseOne Bank | 478 | $417.9M | $874K | 1.67% |
| 20 | United Community Bank | 443 | $355.8M | $803K | 1.35% |
| 21 | United Midwest Savings Bank National Association | 438 | $97.4M | $222K | 7.76% |
| 22 | HomeTrust Bank | 414 | $497.8M | $1.2M | 0.48% |
| 23 | First Financial Bank | 368 | $202.8M | $551K | 2.45% |
| 24 | CSRA Local Development Corporation | 363 | $267.4M | $737K | not reported |
| 25 | Newtek Small Business Finance, Inc. | 315 | $227.0M | $721K | 7.30% |
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 Georgia
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 Georgia by each program's loans funded since FY2010:
- 1. Wells Fargo Bank National Association 2,412 loans
- 2. Metro City Bank 1,401 loans
- 3. The Huntington National Bank 1,328 loans
- 4. Truist Bank 1,301 loans
- 5. Ameris Bank 833 loans
- 1. Florida Business Development Corporation 799 loans
- 2. Capital Partners Certified Development Company 710 loans
- 3. Small Business Access Partners, Inc. 557 loans
- 4. CSRA Local Development Corporation 363 loans
- 5. Georgia Certified Development Corporation 188 loans
Counts are each program's funded loans in Georgia. How the two programs differ: 504 vs 7(a), by the data.
Where SBA lending concentrates in Georgia
The 3 industries with the most SBA loans in Georgia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation and Food Services | 5,149 | $5.0B | The Huntington National Bank (321 loans) |
| Retail Trade | 4,721 | $4.2B | Metro City Bank (590 loans) |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 3,117 | $2.3B | Wells Fargo Bank National Association (210 loans) |
Full industry, city, and yearly breakdowns: SBA lending in Georgia.
How this ranking works
- “Most active” means loans funded. The ranking counts every SBA 7(a) and 504 loan funded to Georgia 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 Georgia 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 Georgia; 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 Georgia: frequently asked questions
Who is the most active SBA lender in Georgia?
Wells Fargo Bank National Association is the most active SBA lender in Georgia in the public record, with 2,412 7(a) and 504 loans funded since FY2010 ($460.0M in Georgia). The ranking counts loans funded, never who pays us.
Do these lenders only serve Georgia?
No. The ranking measures activity in Georgia: loans funded to Georgia 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 Georgia 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 Georgia?
166 lenders have funded at least 10 SBA loans in Georgia 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 Georgia. SBA Loan Index. https://sbaloanindex.com/best-sba-lenders/in/ga/
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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