Lenders › First Interstate Bank
7(a) lenderBillings, MontanaFDIC-insured bank103rd of 2,184 by approvals
First Interstate 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.
In FY2021 to FY2025 SBA approved 368 7(a) loans, worth $182M, through First Interstate Bank of Billings, Montana, an FDIC-insured bank in the SBA 7(a) program. By number of approvals that is 103rd among 2,184 active 7(a) lenders.
In FY2025, the latest complete fiscal year, it had 94 approvals totalling $30.7M, up 32% on FY2024 (71). FY2026 to 30 Jun 2026 adds 28 more.
The median approval was $222K, against $190K for the 7(a) program as a whole; 43.2% of its approvals were for $150,000 or less (program: 47.8%).
Its loans went to businesses in 13 states and territories and 94 counties, led by Oregon (20.4%), Montana (14.9%) and Washington (13.3%). The largest industry group was retail trade at 18.5% of approvals, and 7.9% of approvals were to franchise businesses.
Of 1,660 disbursed loans approved in FY2010 to FY2021, SBA records 94 as charged off (5.7%), 1,446 as paid in full and 120 still outstanding; the 7(a) program figure for the same approval years is 6.6%, so the rate here is close to 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* | 28 | $28.5M | $225K | $1.0M | 316 |
| FY2025 | 94 | $30.7M | $80K | $326K | 894 |
| FY2024 | 71 | $30.1M | $150K | $424K | 925 |
| FY2023 | 72 | $30.3M | $252K | $421K | 716 |
| FY2022 | 63 | $54.6M | $539K | $866K | 985 |
| FY2021 | 68 | $36.7M | $278K | $540K | 843 |
| FY2020 | 45 | $19.6M | $150K | $435K | 466 |
| FY2019 | 42 | $14.7M | $248K | $349K | 905 |
| FY2018 | 76 | $31.0M | $233K | $408K | 974 |
| FY2017 | 132 | $75.0M | $248K | $569K | 1,314 |
| FY2016 | 190 | $79.9M | $206K | $420K | 2,285 |
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 485 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 | Oregon | 7(a) program |
|---|---|---|---|
| Approvals in these years | 1,840 | 9,418 | 639,905 |
| Cancelled or never disbursed | 180 | 1,129 | 79,313 |
| Disbursed loans | 1,660 | 8,289 | 560,592 |
| Paid in full | 1,446 | 6,528 | 435,813 |
| Charged off | 94 | 384 | 36,891 |
| Still outstanding (status exempt from disclosure) | 120 | 1,377 | 87,888 |
| Charged off, share of disbursed loans | 5.7% | 4.6% | 6.6% |
| Dollars charged off, share of disbursed dollars | 2.7% | 1.4% | 2.5% |
| Dollars charged off | $18.4M | $46.1M | $5.70bn |
By approval year
| Approved in | Disbursed | Paid in full | Charged off | Charged off, share | 7(a) program, same year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2021 | 64 | 34 | 0 | 0.0% | 2.8% |
| FY2020 | 43 | 23 | 0 | 0.0% | 4.0% |
| FY2019 | 41 | 30 | 1 | 2.4% | 6.7% |
| FY2018 | 71 | 59 | 1 | 1.4% | 7.9% |
| FY2017 | 119 | 103 | 2 | 1.7% | 7.7% |
| FY2016 | 185 | 164 | 8 | 4.3% | 7.2% |
| FY2015 | 125 | 118 | 0 | 0.0% | 6.9% |
| FY2014 | 190 | 173 | 14 | 7.4% | 6.4% |
| FY2013 | 208 | 176 | 25 | 12.0% | 6.0% |
| FY2012 | 187 | 177 | 9 | 4.8% | 6.3% |
| FY2011 | 211 | 196 | 13 | 6.2% | 6.9% |
| FY2010 | 216 | 193 | 21 | 9.7% | 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 | $222K | $190K |
| Average approval | $496K | $518K |
| Approvals of $150,000 or less | 43.2% | 47.8% |
| Approvals to startups and businesses 2 years old or less | 41.0% | 34.3% |
| Approvals to franchise businesses | 7.9% | 11.5% |
| Jobs supported per approval, as reported | 11.9 | 10.5 |
| Charged off, loans approved FY2010–FY2021 | 5.7% | 6.6% |
States served
| # | State of the business (13 in all) | Approvals | Dollars | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon | 75 | $33.0M | 20.4% | |
| 2 | Montana | 55 | $20.7M | 14.9% | |
| 3 | Washington | 49 | $27.1M | 13.3% | |
| 4 | Idaho | 48 | $28.0M | 13.0% | |
| 5 | South Dakota | 44 | $20.4M | 12.0% | |
| 6 | Colorado | 25 | $20.9M | 6.8% | |
| 7 | Iowa | 23 | $12.5M | 6.3% | |
| 8 | Kansas | 13 | $4.4M | 3.5% | |
| 9 | Nebraska | 12 | $5.5M | 3.3% | |
| 10 | Missouri | 8 | $5.7M | 2.2% | |
| 11 | Arizona | 8 | $2.5M | 2.2% | |
| 12 | Wyoming | 7 | $1.4M | 1.9% |
In Oregon the lender accounts for 1.6% of all 7(a) approvals in FY2021–FY2025.
Counties served
| # | County of the business (94 in all) | Approvals | Dollars | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Deschutes County, OR | 45 | $17.5M | 12.2% | |
| 2 | Spokane County, WA | 35 | $19.5M | 9.5% | |
| 3 | Ada County, ID | 26 | $11.1M | 7.1% | |
| 4 | Yellowstone County, MT | 21 | $5.5M | 5.7% | |
| 5 | Pennington County, SD | 10 | $5.4M | 2.7% | |
| 6 | Gallatin County, MT | 8 | $5.8M | 2.2% | |
| 7 | Lawrence County, SD | 8 | $4.4M | 2.2% | |
| 8 | Canyon County, ID | 8 | $3.4M | 2.2% | |
| 9 | Johnson County, KS | 8 | $1.8M | 2.2% | |
| 10 | Kootenai County, ID | 7 | $11.8M | 1.9% | |
| 11 | Larimer County, CO | 7 | $4.6M | 1.9% | |
| 12 | Minnehaha County, SD | 7 | $996K | 1.9% |
Industry mix
| # | NAICS sector | Approvals | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Retail Trade | 68 | 18.5% | |
| 2 | Accommodation and Food Services | 64 | 17.4% | |
| 3 | Manufacturing | 42 | 11.4% | |
| 4 | Other Services (except Public Administration) | 40 | 10.9% | |
| 5 | Construction | 37 | 10.1% | |
| 6 | Health Care and Social Assistance | 36 | 9.8% | |
| 7 | Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 17 | 4.6% | |
| 8 | Real Estate and Rental and Leasing | 11 | 3.0% |
| # | Industry group | Approvals | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Restaurants and Other Eating PlacesNAICS 7225 | 61 | 16.6% | |
| 2 | Offices of Other Health PractitionersNAICS 6213 | 21 | 5.7% | |
| 3 | Personal Care ServicesNAICS 8121 | 15 | 4.1% | |
| 4 | Services to Buildings and DwellingsNAICS 5617 | 15 | 4.1% | |
| 5 | Automotive Repair and MaintenanceNAICS 8111 | 11 | 3.0% | |
| 6 | Building Equipment ContractorsNAICS 2382 | 10 | 2.7% | |
| 7 | Other Personal ServicesNAICS 8129 | 9 | 2.4% | |
| 8 | Child Day Care ServicesNAICS 6244 | 8 | 2.2% | |
| 9 | Sporting Goods, Hobby, and Musical Instrument RetailersNAICS 4591 | 8 | 2.2% | |
| 10 | Grocery StoresNAICS 4451 | 8 | 2.2% |
Approval sizes
- $50,000 or less21.7%80
- $50,001 to $150,00021.5%79
- $150,001 to $350,00018.2%67
- $350,001 to $1 million25.8%95
- $1 million to $2 million8.7%32
- Over $2 million4.1%15
Loan terms
- 5 years or less6.5%24
- Over 5 to 10 years72.6%267
- Over 10 to 20 years6.3%23
- Over 20 years14.7%54
Age of the businesses
- Existing, more than 2 years old35.6%131
- New business, 2 years or less23.9%88
- Startup, loan funds will open the business17.1%63
- Change of ownership23.4%86
SBA processing method
| # | Method | Approvals | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Preferred Lenders Program | 221 | 60.1% | |
| 2 | SBA Express Program | 127 | 34.5% | |
| 3 | 7a General | 17 | 4.6% | |
| 4 | Working Capital CAPLine | 3 | 0.8% |
Franchise share
29 of 368 approvals in FY2021–FY2025 (7.9%) carried an SBA franchise code; across the 7(a) program the share is 11.5%.
| # | Franchise brand | Approvals | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vital Care | 2 | 0.5% | |
| 2 | Iga Usa | 2 | 0.5% | |
| 3 | TemperaturePro | 2 | 0.5% | |
| 4 | Nothing Bundt Cakes | 2 | 0.5% | |
| 5 | Kawasaki | 2 | 0.5% | |
| 6 | Dairy Queen Montana | 1 | 0.3% | |
| 7 | Little Caesars | 1 | 0.3% | |
| 8 | AAMCO Transmissions and Total Car Care | 1 | 0.3% |
Questions and answers
How many SBA loans does First Interstate Bank make?
SBA approved 94 7(a) loans through First Interstate Bank in FY2025, worth $30.7M, and 368 over FY2021 to FY2025. That ranks 103rd of 2,184 active 7(a) lenders by number of approvals.
How large are First Interstate Bank's typical SBA loans?
The median 7(a) approval in FY2021 to FY2025 was $222K and the average $496K. The program-wide median was $190K.
What is First Interstate Bank's charge-off rate?
Of 1,660 disbursed loans approved in FY2010 to FY2021, SBA records 94 as charged off (5.7%), 1,446 as paid in full and 120 still outstanding; the 7(a) program figure for the same approval years is 6.6%, so the rate here is close to 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 First Interstate Bank lend to most?
By number of approvals in FY2021 to FY2025: restaurants and other eating places (61); offices of other health practitioners (21); personal care services (15); services to buildings and dwellings (15).
Where does First Interstate Bank make SBA loans?
In 13 states and territories. Oregon 75, Montana 55, Washington 49, Idaho 48, South Dakota 44. In Oregon it accounts for 1.6% of all 7(a) approvals.
Is First Interstate Bank's SBA lending rising?
Approvals in the three latest complete fiscal years total 237, against 176 in the three before: rising (+35%).
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