Lenders › Sabre Finance
7(a) lenderBirmingham, Alabamanon-bank 7(a) lender409th of 2,184 by approvals
Sabre Finance
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.
Sabre Finance, based in Birmingham, Alabama, is a non-bank 7(a) lender in the SBA 7(a) program. SBA approved 71 of its 7(a) loans worth $11.2M in FY2021 to FY2025, which places it 409th of 2,184 active 7(a) lenders by number of approvals.
In FY2025, the latest complete fiscal year, it had 34 approvals totalling $5.9M, up 48% on FY2024 (23). FY2026 to 30 Jun 2026 adds 12 more.
The median approval was $133K, against $190K for the 7(a) program as a whole; 56.3% of its approvals were for $150,000 or less (program: 47.8%).
Its loans went to businesses in 2 states and territories and 25 counties, led by Alabama (98.6%) and Georgia (1.4%). The largest industry group was accommodation and food services at 35.2% of approvals, and 4.2% of approvals were to franchise businesses.
Sabre Finance has fewer than 30 disbursed loans from the FY2010 to FY2021 approval years on record, too few for a charge-off rate to be shown.
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* | 12 | $2.2M | $173K | $184K | 80 |
| FY2025 | 34 | $5.9M | $165K | $175K | 370 |
| FY2024 | 23 | $3.7M | $115K | $162K | 234 |
| FY2023 | 12 | $1.3M | $103K | $109K | 101 |
| FY2022 | 2 | — | — | — | 12 |
| FY2021 | 0 | — | — | — | 0 |
| FY2020 | 0 | — | — | — | 0 |
| FY2019 | 0 | — | — | — | 0 |
| FY2018 | 0 | — | — | — | 0 |
| FY2017 | 0 | — | — | — | 0 |
| FY2016 | 0 | — | — | — | 0 |
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 0 approvals. First approval on file: FY2022.
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 | Alabama | 7(a) program |
|---|---|---|---|
| Approvals in these years | 0 | 4,508 | 639,905 |
| Cancelled or never disbursed | 0 | 574 | 79,313 |
| Disbursed loans | 0 | 3,934 | 560,592 |
| Paid in full | 0 | 2,967 | 435,813 |
| Charged off | 0 | 310 | 36,891 |
| Still outstanding (status exempt from disclosure) | 0 | 657 | 87,888 |
| Charged off, share of disbursed loans | too few loans | 7.9% | 6.6% |
| Dollars charged off, share of disbursed dollars | too few loans | 3.0% | 2.5% |
| Dollars charged off | — | $60.0M | $5.70bn |
Against the 7(a) program
| FY2021–FY2025 | This lender | 7(a) program |
|---|---|---|
| Median approval | $133K | $190K |
| Average approval | $157K | $518K |
| Approvals of $150,000 or less | 56.3% | 47.8% |
| Approvals to startups and businesses 2 years old or less | 52.1% | 34.3% |
| Approvals to franchise businesses | 4.2% | 11.5% |
| Jobs supported per approval, as reported | 10.1 | 10.5 |
| Charged off, loans approved FY2010–FY2021 | too few loans | 6.6% |
States served
| # | State of the business (2 in all) | Approvals | Dollars | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama | 70 | $11.1M | 98.6% | |
| 2 | Georgia | 1 | — | 1.4% |
In Alabama the lender accounts for 3.2% of all 7(a) approvals in FY2021–FY2025.
Counties served
| # | County of the business (25 in all) | Approvals | Dollars | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jefferson County, AL | 22 | $3.2M | 31.0% | |
| 2 | Madison County, AL | 11 | $1.7M | 15.5% | |
| 3 | Shelby County, AL | 8 | $1.3M | 11.3% | |
| 4 | Lee County, AL | 3 | $328K | 4.2% | |
| 5 | Baldwin County, AL | 3 | $176K | 4.2% | |
| 6 | Colbert County, AL | 2 | — | 2.8% | |
| 7 | Jackson County, AL | 2 | — | 2.8% | |
| 8 | St. Clair County, AL | 2 | — | 2.8% | |
| 9 | Marshall County, AL | 2 | — | 2.8% | |
| 10 | Morgan County, AL | 1 | — | 1.4% | |
| 11 | Bibb County, AL | 1 | — | 1.4% | |
| 12 | Wilcox County, AL | 1 | — | 1.4% |
Industry mix
| # | NAICS sector | Approvals | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Accommodation and Food Services | 25 | 35.2% | |
| 2 | Other Services (except Public Administration) | 7 | 9.9% | |
| 3 | Manufacturing | 6 | 8.5% | |
| 4 | Retail Trade | 6 | 8.5% | |
| 5 | Transportation and Warehousing | 6 | 8.5% | |
| 6 | Health Care and Social Assistance | 5 | 7.0% | |
| 7 | Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation | 4 | 5.6% | |
| 8 | Wholesale Trade | 3 | 4.2% |
| # | Industry group | Approvals | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Restaurants and Other Eating PlacesNAICS 7225 | 17 | 23.9% | |
| 2 | Other Personal ServicesNAICS 8129 | 5 | 7.0% | |
| 3 | Special Food ServicesNAICS 7223 | 5 | 7.0% | |
| 4 | Other Amusement and Recreation IndustriesNAICS 7139 | 3 | 4.2% | |
| 5 | Bakeries and Tortilla ManufacturingNAICS 3118 | 3 | 4.2% | |
| 6 | Offices of Other Health PractitionersNAICS 6213 | 3 | 4.2% | |
| 7 | Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)NAICS 7224 | 2 | 2.8% | |
| 8 | Other Schools and InstructionNAICS 6116 | 2 | 2.8% | |
| 9 | Automotive Repair and MaintenanceNAICS 8111 | 2 | 2.8% | |
| 10 | Commercial and Service Industry Machinery ManufacturingNAICS 3333 | 2 | 2.8% |
Approval sizes
- $50,000 or less9.9%7
- $50,001 to $150,00046.5%33
- $150,001 to $350,00043.7%31
Loan terms
- 5 years or less11.3%8
- Over 5 to 10 years78.9%56
- Over 10 to 20 years4.2%3
- Over 20 years5.6%4
Age of the businesses
- Existing, more than 2 years old45.1%32
- New business, 2 years or less26.8%19
- Startup, loan funds will open the business25.4%18
- Change of ownership2.8%2
SBA processing method
| # | Method | Approvals | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7a General | 56 | 78.9% | |
| 2 | Community Advantage Initiative | 14 | 19.7% | |
| 3 | 7(a) WCP | 1 | 1.4% |
Franchise share
3 of 71 approvals in FY2021–FY2025 (4.2%) carried an SBA franchise code; across the 7(a) program the share is 11.5%.
| # | Franchise brand | Approvals | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Subway | 2 | 2.8% | |
| 2 | Pak Mail | 1 | 1.4% |
Questions and answers
How many SBA loans does Sabre Finance make?
SBA approved 34 7(a) loans through Sabre Finance in FY2025, worth $5.9M, and 71 over FY2021 to FY2025. That ranks 409th of 2,184 active 7(a) lenders by number of approvals.
How large are Sabre Finance's typical SBA loans?
The median 7(a) approval in FY2021 to FY2025 was $133K and the average $157K. The program-wide median was $190K.
What is Sabre Finance's charge-off rate?
Sabre Finance has fewer than 30 disbursed loans from the FY2010 to FY2021 approval years on record, too few for a charge-off rate to be shown. 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 Sabre Finance lend to most?
By number of approvals in FY2021 to FY2025: restaurants and other eating places (17); other personal services (5); special food services (5); other amusement and recreation industries (3).
Where does Sabre Finance make SBA loans?
In 2 states and territories. Alabama 70, Georgia 1. In Alabama it accounts for 3.2% of all 7(a) approvals.
Is Sabre Finance's SBA lending rising?
Volumes are too small to compare periods.
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