Best SBA lenders
Best SBA lenders in Tennessee
The most active SBA lenders in Tennessee, ranked from every 7(a) and 504 loan in the SBA's public record, FY2010-2026. U.S. Bank, National Association leads with 1,249 loans funded.
By Mario Bailey · Source: SBA FOIA 7(a) and 504 data, FY2010–2026, as of 2026-03-31
Top SBA lenders in Tennessee
The full Tennessee 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 Tennessee lending only, not its national book. A charge-off rate appears only when a lender has at least 20 funded 7(a) loans in Tennessee; 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 | U.S. Bank, National Association | 1,249 | $247.6M | $198K | 3.12% |
| 2 | Pinnacle Bank | 511 | $490.9M | $961K | 2.35% |
| 3 | The Huntington National Bank | 510 | $208.7M | $409K | 1.57% |
| 4 | Brightbridge, Inc. | 390 | $365.1M | $936K | 5.00% |
| 5 | VelocitySBA, LLC | 366 | $6.9M | $19K | 9.29% |
| 6 | Live Oak Banking Company | 329 | $444.5M | $1.4M | 2.13% |
| 7 | Truist Bank | 292 | $145.5M | $498K | 2.74% |
| 8 | Wells Fargo Bank National Association | 270 | $90.8M | $336K | 7.78% |
| 9 | Northeast Bank | 252 | $34.0M | $135K | 1.98% |
| 10 | Newtek Bank, National Association | 250 | $96.1M | $385K | 0.00% |
| 11 | BayFirst National Bank | 240 | $47.6M | $198K | 3.33% |
| 12 | Celtic Bank Corporation | 235 | $104.6M | $445K | 14.04% |
| 13 | Simmons Bank | 220 | $114.9M | $522K | 7.73% |
| 14 | Regions Bank | 211 | $158.9M | $753K | 3.79% |
| 15 | United Midwest Savings Bank National Association | 203 | $50.7M | $250K | 6.40% |
| 16 | Readycap Lending, LLC | 192 | $66.3M | $345K | 1.56% |
| 17 | United Community Bank | 185 | $161.0M | $870K | 3.24% |
| 18 | Old National Bank | 121 | $96.3M | $796K | 0.83% |
| 19 | Newtek Small Business Finance, Inc. | 121 | $78.3M | $647K | 4.96% |
| 20 | Fifth Third Bank | 121 | $47.3M | $391K | 2.48% |
| 21 | Byline Bank | 107 | $101.3M | $947K | 5.61% |
| 22 | First Horizon Bank | 100 | $113.4M | $1.1M | 0.00% |
| 23 | Bank of America, National Association | 98 | $39.5M | $403K | 0.00% |
| 24 | Citizens Bank | 96 | $73.8M | $769K | 5.21% |
| 25 | First Financial Bank | 94 | $97.2M | $1.0M | 1.06% |
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 Tennessee
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 Tennessee by each program's loans funded since FY2010:
- 1. U.S. Bank, National Association 1,249 loans
- 2. Pinnacle Bank 511 loans
- 3. The Huntington National Bank 510 loans
- 4. VelocitySBA, LLC 366 loans
- 5. Live Oak Banking Company 329 loans
- 1. Brightbridge, Inc. 330 loans
- 2. Mid-Cumberland Area Development Corporation 75 loans
- 3. South Central Tennessee Business Development Corporation 68 loans
- 4. Six Bridges Capital Corporation 12 loans
- 5. Tennessee Business Development Corporation 11 loans
Counts are each program's funded loans in Tennessee. How the two programs differ: 504 vs 7(a), by the data.
Where SBA lending concentrates in Tennessee
The 3 industries with the most SBA loans in Tennessee 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 | 1,492 | $1.3B | The Huntington National Bank (112 loans) |
| Retail Trade | 1,307 | $668.9M | U.S. Bank, National Association (137 loans) |
| Construction | 1,030 | $306.6M | U.S. Bank, National Association (353 loans) |
Full industry, city, and yearly breakdowns: SBA lending in Tennessee.
How this ranking works
- “Most active” means loans funded. The ranking counts every SBA 7(a) and 504 loan funded to Tennessee 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 Tennessee 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 Tennessee; 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 Tennessee: frequently asked questions
Who is the most active SBA lender in Tennessee?
U.S. Bank, National Association is the most active SBA lender in Tennessee in the public record, with 1,249 7(a) and 504 loans funded since FY2010 ($247.6M in Tennessee). The ranking counts loans funded, never who pays us.
Do these lenders only serve Tennessee?
No. The ranking measures activity in Tennessee: loans funded to Tennessee 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 Tennessee 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 Tennessee?
111 lenders have funded at least 10 SBA loans in Tennessee 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 Tennessee. SBA Loan Index. https://sbaloanindex.com/best-sba-lenders/in/tn/
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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