Best SBA lenders
Best SBA lenders in South Carolina
The most active SBA lenders in South Carolina, ranked from every 7(a) and 504 loan in the SBA's public record, FY2010-2026. TD Bank, National Association leads with 1,270 loans funded.
By Mario Bailey · Source: SBA FOIA 7(a) and 504 data, FY2010–2026, as of 2026-03-31
Top SBA lenders in South Carolina
The full South Carolina 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 South Carolina lending only, not its national book. A charge-off rate appears only when a lender has at least 20 funded 7(a) loans in South Carolina; 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 | 1,270 | $317.7M | $250K | 6.46% |
| 2 | Wells Fargo Bank National Association | 976 | $200.5M | $205K | 6.66% |
| 3 | Live Oak Banking Company | 353 | $435.7M | $1.2M | 0.57% |
| 4 | Pinnacle Bank | 352 | $355.6M | $1.0M | 4.26% |
| 5 | Truist Bank | 349 | $136.3M | $391K | 4.30% |
| 6 | The Huntington National Bank | 344 | $181.4M | $527K | 0.87% |
| 7 | United Community Bank | 261 | $237.1M | $908K | 3.83% |
| 8 | Provident Business Financial Services, Inc. | 230 | $239.8M | $1.0M | not reported |
| 9 | Business Development Corporation of South Carolina | 212 | $69.9M | $330K | 1.89% |
| 10 | Celtic Bank Corporation | 198 | $75.2M | $380K | 14.65% |
| 11 | SouthState Bank, National Association | 184 | $121.3M | $659K | 0.00% |
| 12 | BayFirst National Bank | 184 | $41.4M | $225K | 3.26% |
| 13 | Northeast Bank | 183 | $30.2M | $165K | 3.83% |
| 14 | Certified Development Corporation of South Carolina | 181 | $139.9M | $773K | not reported |
| 15 | United Midwest Savings Bank National Association | 180 | $45.5M | $253K | 7.78% |
| 16 | Countybank | 173 | $155.4M | $898K | 0.00% |
| 17 | Appalachian Development Corporation | 170 | $151.8M | $893K | not reported |
| 18 | Readycap Lending, LLC | 170 | $88.3M | $519K | 1.18% |
| 19 | Newtek Bank, National Association | 151 | $65.7M | $435K | 0.00% |
| 20 | VelocitySBA, LLC | 143 | $13.7M | $96K | 15.38% |
| 21 | Newtek Small Business Finance, Inc. | 116 | $52.7M | $454K | 2.59% |
| 22 | First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company | 109 | $98.4M | $903K | 1.83% |
| 23 | Bank of Travelers Rest | 102 | $63.3M | $621K | 0.00% |
| 24 | Columbia Bank | 90 | $29.1M | $323K | 8.89% |
| 25 | Stearns Bank National Association | 86 | $20.6M | $239K | 9.30% |
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 South Carolina
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 South Carolina by each program's loans funded since FY2010:
- 1. TD Bank, National Association 1,270 loans
- 2. Wells Fargo Bank National Association 976 loans
- 3. Live Oak Banking Company 353 loans
- 4. Pinnacle Bank 352 loans
- 5. Truist Bank 349 loans
- 1. Provident Business Financial Services, Inc. 230 loans
- 2. Certified Development Corporation of South Carolina 177 loans
- 3. Appalachian Development Corporation 170 loans
- 4. CSRA Local Development Corporation 51 loans
- 5. Catawba Regional Development Corporation 43 loans
Counts are each program's funded loans in South Carolina. How the two programs differ: 504 vs 7(a), by the data.
Where SBA lending concentrates in South Carolina
The 3 industries with the most SBA loans in South Carolina 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 | 1,610 | $1.7B | TD Bank, National Association (125 loans) |
| Retail Trade | 1,183 | $633.6M | Wells Fargo Bank National Association (153 loans) |
| Other Services | 917 | $428.5M | TD Bank, National Association (144 loans) |
Full industry, city, and yearly breakdowns: SBA lending in South Carolina.
How this ranking works
- “Most active” means loans funded. The ranking counts every SBA 7(a) and 504 loan funded to South Carolina 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 South Carolina 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 South Carolina; 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 South Carolina: frequently asked questions
Who is the most active SBA lender in South Carolina?
TD Bank, National Association is the most active SBA lender in South Carolina in the public record, with 1,270 7(a) and 504 loans funded since FY2010 ($317.7M in South Carolina). The ranking counts loans funded, never who pays us.
Do these lenders only serve South Carolina?
No. The ranking measures activity in South Carolina: loans funded to South Carolina 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 South Carolina 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 South Carolina?
89 lenders have funded at least 10 SBA loans in South Carolina 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 South Carolina. SBA Loan Index. https://sbaloanindex.com/best-sba-lenders/in/sc/
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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