Best SBA lenders
Best SBA lenders in Puerto Rico
The most active SBA lenders in Puerto Rico, ranked from every 7(a) and 504 loan in the SBA's public record, FY2010-2026. Banco Popular de Puerto Rico leads with 4,629 loans funded.
By Mario Bailey · Source: SBA FOIA 7(a) and 504 data, FY2010–2026, as of 2026-03-31
Top SBA lenders in Puerto Rico
The full Puerto Rico 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 Puerto Rico lending only, not its national book. A charge-off rate appears only when a lender has at least 20 funded 7(a) loans in Puerto Rico; 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 | Banco Popular de Puerto Rico | 4,629 | $553.6M | $120K | 2.27% |
| 2 | Oriental Bank | 1,407 | $193.9M | $138K | 3.13% |
| 3 | FirstBank Puerto Rico | 1,186 | $156.3M | $132K | 7.00% |
| 4 | Corp. Financiamiento Empresarial del Comercio y Comunidades (COFECC) | 499 | $163.6M | $328K | 0.00% |
| 5 | Economic Development Bank for Puerto Rico | 398 | $64.8M | $163K | 6.28% |
| 6 | PYMES Financial Partners, Inc. | 310 | $129.2M | $417K | not reported |
| 7 | Marketing Small Business Finance Corporation | 265 | $95.9M | $362K | not reported |
| 8 | Cooperativa de Ahorro y Cr<ac,e>dito de Arecibo (COOPACA) | 16 | $2.6M | $164K | not reported |
| 9 | Live Oak Banking Company | 10 | $22.1M | $2.2M | 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 Puerto Rico
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 Puerto Rico by each program's loans funded since FY2010:
- 1. Banco Popular de Puerto Rico 4,629 loans
- 2. Oriental Bank 1,407 loans
- 3. FirstBank Puerto Rico 1,186 loans
- 4. Economic Development Bank for Puerto Rico 398 loans
- 5. Corp. Financiamiento Empresarial del Comercio y Comunidades (COFECC) 25 loans
- 1. Corp. Financiamiento Empresarial del Comercio y Comunidades (COFECC) 474 loans
- 2. PYMES Financial Partners, Inc. 310 loans
- 3. Marketing Small Business Finance Corporation 265 loans
Counts are each program's funded loans in Puerto Rico. How the two programs differ: 504 vs 7(a), by the data.
Where SBA lending concentrates in Puerto Rico
The 3 industries with the most SBA loans in Puerto Rico 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 1,914 | $274.4M | Banco Popular de Puerto Rico (999 loans) |
| Retail Trade | 1,668 | $249.6M | Banco Popular de Puerto Rico (818 loans) |
| Accommodation and Food Services | 971 | $178.4M | Banco Popular de Puerto Rico (407 loans) |
Full industry, city, and yearly breakdowns: SBA lending in Puerto Rico.
How this ranking works
- “Most active” means loans funded. The ranking counts every SBA 7(a) and 504 loan funded to Puerto Rico 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 Puerto Rico 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 Puerto Rico; 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 Puerto Rico: frequently asked questions
Who is the most active SBA lender in Puerto Rico?
Banco Popular de Puerto Rico is the most active SBA lender in Puerto Rico in the public record, with 4,629 7(a) and 504 loans funded since FY2010 ($553.6M in Puerto Rico). The ranking counts loans funded, never who pays us.
Do these lenders only serve Puerto Rico?
No. The ranking measures activity in Puerto Rico: loans funded to Puerto Rico 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 Puerto Rico 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 Puerto Rico?
9 lenders have funded at least 10 SBA loans in Puerto Rico since FY2010 in the public record (as of 2026-03-31). The table above names the 9 most active of them; names that blend several same-named institutions are excluded from rankings.
Mario Bailey. (2026). Best SBA lenders in Puerto Rico. SBA Loan Index. https://sbaloanindex.com/best-sba-lenders/in/pr/
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