Lenders › Citizens Bank
7(a) lenderElizabethton, TennesseeFDIC-insured bank31st of 2,184 by approvals
Citizens Bank
SBA 7(a) loan approvals by fiscal year, where they went, how large they were, and how loans from earlier years turned out.
SBA approvals by fiscal year. The federal fiscal year runs 1 October to 30 September, so FY2025 is 1 October 2024 to 30 September 2025. *FY2026 is open: approvals to 30 Jun 2026 only.
Citizens Bank, based in Elizabethton, Tennessee, is an FDIC-insured bank in the SBA 7(a) program. SBA approved 1,323 of its 7(a) loans worth $936M in FY2021 to FY2025, which places it 31st of 2,184 active 7(a) lenders by number of approvals.
In FY2025, the latest complete fiscal year, it had 303 approvals totalling $213M, up 16% on FY2024 (262). FY2026 to 30 Jun 2026 adds 165 more.
The median approval was $495K, against $190K for the 7(a) program as a whole; 2.1% of its approvals were for $150,000 or less (program: 47.8%).
Its loans went to businesses in 45 states and territories and 464 counties, led by Texas (13.8%), Florida (11.8%) and California (9.4%). The largest industry group was accommodation and food services at 22.7% of approvals, and 56.2% of approvals were to franchise businesses.
Of 988 disbursed loans approved in FY2010 to FY2021, SBA records 53 as charged off (5.4%), 545 as paid in full and 390 still outstanding; the 7(a) program figure for the same approval years is 6.6%, so the rate here is below it.
Loan status is as recorded by SBA at the data date; charge-off rates are computed on loans approved at least five fiscal years ago. Jobs supported are self-reported estimates from the SBA loan application, which SBA does not review, audit or validate. Loans appear under the lender they are assigned to today, so a lender's figures include loans it took over. Data through 30 Jun 2026.
Approvals by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Approvals | Dollars approved | Median approval | Average approval | Jobs supported, as reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2026* | 165 | $159M | $566K | $963K | 1,788 |
| FY2025 | 303 | $213M | $500K | $705K | 3,149 |
| FY2024 | 262 | $173M | $500K | $661K | 2,911 |
| FY2023 | 208 | $152M | $500K | $730K | 3,266 |
| FY2022 | 202 | $135M | $469K | $667K | 3,360 |
| FY2021 | 348 | $262M | $455K | $754K | 5,914 |
| FY2020 | 189 | $167M | $442K | $881K | 2,690 |
| FY2019 | 162 | $131M | $469K | $810K | 2,517 |
| FY2018 | 141 | $111M | $350K | $786K | 2,126 |
| FY2017 | 96 | $95.3M | $458K | $993K | 1,279 |
| FY2016 | 90 | $83.7M | $520K | $930K | 1,054 |
Approvals are counted in the year SBA approved them and include approvals later cancelled. In the five fiscal years before the current window (FY2016–FY2020) the lender had 678 approvals. First approval on file: FY2010.
How earlier loans turned out
Only loans approved at least five fiscal years ago (FY2010–FY2021) are counted, because newer loans have had little time to be paid in full or charged off. "Charged off" is SBA's status for a loan on which it has written off the remaining balance.
| Loans approved FY2010–FY2021 | This lender | Texas | 7(a) program |
|---|---|---|---|
| Approvals in these years | 1,049 | 48,931 | 639,905 |
| Cancelled or never disbursed | 61 | 5,758 | 79,313 |
| Disbursed loans | 988 | 43,173 | 560,592 |
| Paid in full | 545 | 31,848 | 435,813 |
| Charged off | 53 | 3,650 | 36,891 |
| Still outstanding (status exempt from disclosure) | 390 | 7,675 | 87,888 |
| Charged off, share of disbursed loans | 5.4% | 8.5% | 6.6% |
| Dollars charged off, share of disbursed dollars | 1.7% | 2.9% | 2.5% |
| Dollars charged off | $13.9M | $682M | $5.70bn |
By approval year
| Approved in | Disbursed | Paid in full | Charged off | Charged off, share | 7(a) program, same year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2021 | 332 | 141 | 11 | 3.3% | 2.8% |
| FY2020 | 176 | 95 | 8 | 4.5% | 4.0% |
| FY2019 | 157 | 95 | 14 | 8.9% | 6.7% |
| FY2018 | 130 | 81 | 7 | 5.4% | 7.9% |
| FY2017 | 95 | 57 | 9 | 9.5% | 7.7% |
| FY2016 | 77 | 57 | 4 | 5.2% | 7.2% |
| FY2015 | 5 | 5 | 0 | — | 6.9% |
| FY2014 | 3 | 3 | 0 | — | 6.4% |
| FY2013 | 8 | 8 | 0 | — | 6.0% |
| FY2012 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 6.3% |
| FY2011 | 3 | 2 | 0 | — | 6.9% |
| FY2010 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 9.2% |
A share is shown only where at least 30 loans from that year were disbursed.
Against the 7(a) program
| FY2021–FY2025 | This lender | 7(a) program |
|---|---|---|
| Median approval | $495K | $190K |
| Average approval | $707K | $518K |
| Approvals of $150,000 or less | 2.1% | 47.8% |
| Approvals to startups and businesses 2 years old or less | 71.5% | 34.3% |
| Approvals to franchise businesses | 56.2% | 11.5% |
| Jobs supported per approval, as reported | 14.1 | 10.5 |
| Charged off, loans approved FY2010–FY2021 | 5.4% | 6.6% |
States served
| # | State of the business (45 in all) | Approvals | Dollars | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas | 183 | $143M | 13.8% | |
| 2 | Florida | 156 | $110M | 11.8% | |
| 3 | California | 124 | $74.5M | 9.4% | |
| 4 | Georgia | 115 | $90.3M | 8.7% | |
| 5 | North Carolina | 102 | $97.5M | 7.7% | |
| 6 | Virginia | 53 | $28.9M | 4.0% | |
| 7 | Utah | 50 | $38.4M | 3.8% | |
| 8 | Tennessee | 42 | $28.4M | 3.2% | |
| 9 | Colorado | 40 | $22.9M | 3.0% | |
| 10 | South Carolina | 39 | $27.2M | 2.9% | |
| 11 | Illinois | 32 | $27.7M | 2.4% | |
| 12 | Louisiana | 29 | $22.2M | 2.2% |
In Texas the lender accounts for 0.8% of all 7(a) approvals in FY2021–FY2025.
Counties served
| # | County of the business (464 in all) | Approvals | Dollars | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles County, CA | 31 | $19.7M | 2.3% | |
| 2 | Harris County, TX | 29 | $23.1M | 2.2% | |
| 3 | Wake County, NC | 24 | $21.8M | 1.8% | |
| 4 | Broward County, FL | 23 | $15.0M | 1.7% | |
| 5 | Dallas County, TX | 22 | $23.3M | 1.7% | |
| 6 | Cook County, IL | 20 | $17.5M | 1.5% | |
| 7 | Salt Lake County, UT | 20 | $17.3M | 1.5% | |
| 8 | Cobb County, GA | 19 | $13.3M | 1.4% | |
| 9 | Orange County, FL | 17 | $15.3M | 1.3% | |
| 10 | Maricopa County, AZ | 17 | $7.6M | 1.3% | |
| 11 | Gwinnett County, GA | 16 | $13.0M | 1.2% | |
| 12 | Tarrant County, TX | 16 | $11.5M | 1.2% |
Industry mix
| # | NAICS sector | Approvals | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Accommodation and Food Services | 300 | 22.7% | |
| 2 | Retail Trade | 221 | 16.7% | |
| 3 | Other Services (except Public Administration) | 184 | 13.9% | |
| 4 | Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation | 177 | 13.4% | |
| 5 | Health Care and Social Assistance | 156 | 11.8% | |
| 6 | Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 92 | 7.0% | |
| 7 | Construction | 54 | 4.1% | |
| 8 | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 44 | 3.3% |
| # | Industry group | Approvals | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Restaurants and Other Eating PlacesNAICS 7225 | 272 | 20.6% | |
| 2 | Other Amusement and Recreation IndustriesNAICS 7139 | 172 | 13.0% | |
| 3 | Offices of Other Health PractitionersNAICS 6213 | 64 | 4.8% | |
| 4 | Personal Care ServicesNAICS 8121 | 60 | 4.5% | |
| 5 | Automotive Repair and MaintenanceNAICS 8111 | 56 | 4.2% | |
| 6 | Services to Buildings and DwellingsNAICS 5617 | 48 | 3.6% | |
| 7 | Gasoline StationsNAICS 4571 | 45 | 3.4% | |
| 8 | Business Support ServicesNAICS 5614 | 31 | 2.3% | |
| 9 | Gasoline StationsNAICS 4471 | 29 | 2.2% | |
| 10 | Child Day Care ServicesNAICS 6244 | 25 | 1.9% |
Approval sizes
- $50,000 or less0.3%4
- $50,001 to $150,0001.8%24
- $150,001 to $350,00023.9%316
- $350,001 to $1 million58.0%768
- $1 million to $2 million10.4%138
- Over $2 million5.5%73
Loan terms
- Over 5 to 10 years34.3%454
- Over 10 to 20 years40.0%529
- Over 20 years25.7%340
Age of the businesses
- Existing, more than 2 years old15.9%210
- New business, 2 years or less17.9%237
- Startup, loan funds will open the business53.6%709
- Change of ownership12.6%167
SBA processing method
| # | Method | Approvals | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Preferred Lenders Program | 1,275 | 96.4% | |
| 2 | 7a General | 46 | 3.5% | |
| 3 | International Trade Loans | 2 | 0.2% |
Franchise share
744 of 1,323 approvals in FY2021–FY2025 (56.2%) carried an SBA franchise code; across the 7(a) program the share is 11.5%.
| # | Franchise brand | Approvals | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hotworx | 68 | 5.1% | |
| 2 | The UPS Store | 31 | 2.3% | |
| 3 | Cold Stone Creamery | 21 | 1.6% | |
| 4 | Smoothie King | 17 | 1.3% | |
| 5 | Kid to Kid | 17 | 1.3% | |
| 6 | American Family Care | 16 | 1.2% | |
| 7 | Uptown Cheapskate | 16 | 1.2% | |
| 8 | Tropical Smoothie Cafe | 16 | 1.2% |
Questions and answers
How many SBA loans does Citizens Bank make?
SBA approved 303 7(a) loans through Citizens Bank in FY2025, worth $213M, and 1,323 over FY2021 to FY2025. That ranks 31st of 2,184 active 7(a) lenders by number of approvals.
How large are Citizens Bank's typical SBA loans?
The median 7(a) approval in FY2021 to FY2025 was $495K and the average $707K. The program-wide median was $190K.
What is Citizens Bank's charge-off rate?
Of 988 disbursed loans approved in FY2010 to FY2021, SBA records 53 as charged off (5.4%), 545 as paid in full and 390 still outstanding; the 7(a) program figure for the same approval years is 6.6%, so the rate here is below it. Loans are listed under the lender that holds them today, so the figure includes loans taken over from other lenders. Status is as recorded by SBA on 30 Jun 2026.
Which industries does Citizens Bank lend to most?
By number of approvals in FY2021 to FY2025: restaurants and other eating places (272); other amusement and recreation industries (172); offices of other health practitioners (64); personal care services (60).
Where does Citizens Bank make SBA loans?
In 45 states and territories. Texas 183, Florida 156, California 124, Georgia 115, North Carolina 102. In Texas it accounts for 0.8% of all 7(a) approvals.
Is Citizens Bank's SBA lending rising?
Approvals in the three latest complete fiscal years total 773, against 739 in the three before: broadly level (+5%).
Where does this data come from?
From the Small Business Administration's 7(a) and 504 FOIA loan files, as of 30 Jun 2026. Borrower names and addresses in those files are discarded when the files are read and appear nowhere on this site.
About these figures
Figures are totals of the Small Business Administration's 7(a) and 504 FOIA loan files, data through 30 Jun 2026. SBA updates the files quarterly. Counts are loan approvals, including approvals later cancelled; the five-year window is FY2021–FY2025, the five latest complete fiscal years. Charge-off rates use only loans approved in FY2010–FY2021, at least five fiscal years ago, and count disbursed loans SBA records as charged off. Loans are listed under the lender they are assigned to today. Dollar figures behind fewer than three approvals are not shown, and no borrower is named anywhere on this site.Methodology · Report an error