Best SBA lenders
Best SBA lenders in New Jersey
The most active SBA lenders in New Jersey, ranked from every 7(a) and 504 loan in the SBA's public record, FY2010-2026. TD Bank, National Association leads with 6,620 loans funded.
By Mario Bailey · Source: SBA FOIA 7(a) and 504 data, FY2010–2026, as of 2026-03-31
Top SBA lenders in New Jersey
The full New Jersey 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 New Jersey lending only, not its national book. A charge-off rate appears only when a lender has at least 20 funded 7(a) loans in New Jersey; 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 | TD Bank, National Association | 6,620 | $922.6M | $139K | 7.85% |
| 2 | Manufacturers and Traders Trust Company | 1,628 | $211.8M | $130K | 7.49% |
| 3 | JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association | 1,545 | $275.4M | $178K | 6.15% |
| 4 | Wells Fargo Bank National Association | 1,389 | $336.8M | $242K | 6.12% |
| 5 | Trenton Business Assistance Corporation | 1,208 | $1.2B | $973K | 3.51% |
| 6 | Fulton Bank, National Association | 984 | $872.0M | $886K | 3.66% |
| 7 | Santander Bank, National Association | 815 | $122.4M | $150K | 5.64% |
| 8 | PNC Bank, National Association | 732 | $180.5M | $247K | 3.69% |
| 9 | Northeast Bank | 705 | $125.8M | $178K | 2.13% |
| 10 | Provident Bank | 681 | $514.3M | $755K | 1.32% |
| 11 | Empire State Certified Development Corporation | 506 | $613.7M | $1.2M | 0.00% |
| 12 | The Huntington National Bank | 476 | $171.1M | $359K | 2.10% |
| 13 | NewBank | 469 | $293.5M | $626K | 4.05% |
| 14 | BayFirst National Bank | 466 | $90.9M | $195K | 7.30% |
| 15 | Live Oak Banking Company | 441 | $551.5M | $1.3M | 0.91% |
| 16 | Newtek Bank, National Association | 425 | $186.1M | $438K | 0.00% |
| 17 | Newtek Small Business Finance, Inc. | 392 | $278.7M | $711K | 2.55% |
| 18 | The Bank of Princeton | 391 | $288.5M | $738K | 4.86% |
| 19 | Readycap Lending, LLC | 378 | $163.3M | $432K | 0.79% |
| 20 | Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB | 358 | $279.2M | $780K | 1.68% |
| 21 | Unity Bank | 337 | $297.5M | $883K | 2.08% |
| 22 | Celtic Bank Corporation | 336 | $142.3M | $423K | 8.93% |
| 23 | Bank of Hope | 303 | $173.6M | $573K | 5.94% |
| 24 | New Millennium Bank | 295 | $177.4M | $601K | 1.69% |
| 25 | Beacon Bank and Trust | 271 | $270.0M | $996K | 3.69% |
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 New Jersey
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 New Jersey by each program's loans funded since FY2010:
- 1. TD Bank, National Association 6,620 loans
- 2. Manufacturers and Traders Trust Company 1,628 loans
- 3. JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association 1,545 loans
- 4. Wells Fargo Bank National Association 1,389 loans
- 5. Fulton Bank, National Association 984 loans
- 1. Trenton Business Assistance Corporation 895 loans
- 2. Empire State Certified Development Corporation 483 loans
- 3. SBA CLSC Servicing 99 loans
- 4. Union County Economic Development Corporation 79 loans
- 5. New Jersey Business Finance Corporation 70 loans
Counts are each program's funded loans in New Jersey. How the two programs differ: 504 vs 7(a), by the data.
Where SBA lending concentrates in New Jersey
The 3 industries with the most SBA loans in New Jersey 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 | 4,093 | $2.2B | TD Bank, National Association (765 loans) |
| Accommodation and Food Services | 3,958 | $2.7B | TD Bank, National Association (501 loans) |
| Construction | 3,085 | $799.7M | TD Bank, National Association (1,232 loans) |
Full industry, city, and yearly breakdowns: SBA lending in New Jersey.
How this ranking works
- “Most active” means loans funded. The ranking counts every SBA 7(a) and 504 loan funded to New Jersey 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 New Jersey 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 New Jersey; 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 New Jersey: frequently asked questions
Who is the most active SBA lender in New Jersey?
TD Bank, National Association is the most active SBA lender in New Jersey in the public record, with 6,620 7(a) and 504 loans funded since FY2010 ($922.6M in New Jersey). The ranking counts loans funded, never who pays us.
Do these lenders only serve New Jersey?
No. The ranking measures activity in New Jersey: loans funded to New Jersey 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 New Jersey 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 New Jersey?
128 lenders have funded at least 10 SBA loans in New Jersey 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 New Jersey. SBA Loan Index. https://sbaloanindex.com/best-sba-lenders/in/nj/
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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