SBA Ledger

States › Arkansas

State0.5% of US approvals151 lenders active

SBA loans in Arkansas

7(a) and 504 approvals by fiscal year, the lenders behind them, and where in the state they went. Pick a fiscal year for that year's lenders and counties.

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.

Businesses in Arkansas received 1,686 SBA loan approvals worth $1.05bn in FY2021 to FY2025, 1,565 of them 7(a) loans and 121 504 loans.

That is 23.9 approvals for every 1,000 business establishments in the state, against 41.0 nationally, and 0.5% of all approvals in the country (40th of 54 states and territories).

In FY2025 there were 421 approvals totalling $263M, up 40% on FY2024. The median 7(a) approval over the five years was $234K and the median 504 approval $569K.

151 lenders had at least one approval in the state; by number of 7(a) approvals the most active were Arvest Bank (193), U.S. Bank, National Association (120) and Southern Bancorp Bank (99).

Of 7(a) loans approved in FY2010 to FY2021 and disbursed, SBA records 6.9% as charged off, against 6.6% nationally.

421approvals, FY20251,686 in FY2021–FY2025
$263Mapproved, FY2025$1.05bn in FY2021–FY2025
23.9approvals per 1,000 establishments, FY2021–FY2025US: 41.0
$234Kmedian 7(a) approvalUS: $190K
6.9%7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2021 charged offUS: 6.6%

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. Data through 30 Jun 2026.

Most active 7(a) lenders in Arkansas

Ranked by number of approvals to businesses in the state, FY2021–FY2025. The column of bars shows each lender's approvals here in every fiscal year; the charged-off column is the lender's nationwide figure.

#LenderApprovals in AR, FY2021–25DollarsShareMedian approval, all statesFY2016–26Charged off, FY2010–21 loans
1Arvest BankFayetteville, AR193$53.1M12.3%$100K4.9%
2U.S. Bank, National AssociationCincinnati, OH120$5.8M7.7%$45K6.2%
3Southern Bancorp BankArkadelphia, AR99$66.9M6.3%$327K2.9%
4First Service BankGreenbrier, AR98$62.0M6.3%$315K1.9%
5First Financial BankEl Dorado, AR89$106M5.7%$925K4.3%
6The Huntington National BankColumbus, OH71$39.1M4.5%$92K5.7%
7FNBC BankAsh Flat, AR55$24.7M3.5%$237K3.7%
8ACC CapitalLittle Rock, AR51$20.6M3.3%$309K5.6%
9Northeast BankLewiston, ME45$6.5M2.9%$106K12.8%
10Live Oak Banking CompanyWilmington, NC43$61.3M2.7%$850K2.2%
11Newtek Bank, National AssociationMiami, FL39$10.9M2.5%$225K—
12Readycap Lending, LLCBerkeley Heights, NJ36$18.7M2.3%$138K4.3%
13Bank OZKLittle Rock, AR35$23.4M2.2%$226K4.4%
14First Security BankSearcy, AR35$9.0M2.2%$160K—
15BayFirst National BankSaint Petersburg, FL29$5.7M1.9%$150K19.2%
16Simmons BankPine Bluff, AR25$10.6M1.6%$348K10.6%
17United Midwest Savings Bank National AssociationDe Graff, OH25$8.5M1.6%$150K15.9%
18Regions BankBirmingham, AL23$22.8M1.5%$527K4.7%
19Celtic Bank CorporationSalt Lake City, UT23$7.4M1.5%$150K17.0%
20RiverBankPocahontas, AR20$6.6M1.3%$70K—
21Encore BankLittle Rock, AR16$8.8M1.0%$454K—
22Equity BankAndover, KS15$9.7M1.0%$272K1.7%
23The First National Bank of Fort SmithFort Smith, AR15$3.3M1.0%$130K6.8%
24Byline BankChicago, IL14$27.8M0.9%$806K9.5%
25CS BankEureka Springs, AR14$4.9M0.9%$345K—
26Newtek Small Business Finance, Inc.Lake Success, NY14$4.4M0.9%$300K6.8%
27Arkansas FCULittle Rock, AR13$6.2M0.8%$334K—
28Lendistry SBLC, LLCLos Angeles, CA13$2.3M0.8%$150K22.7%
29Wells Fargo Bank National AssociationSioux Falls, SD12$12.4M0.8%$15K7.9%
30First Bank of the LakeOsage Beach, MO11$8.8M0.7%$350K2.7%
31Southern BankPoplar Bluff, MO10$3.0M0.6%$309K6.5%
32The Citizens BankBatesville, AR10$2.7M0.6%$178K9.1%
33First Internet Bank of IndianaFishers, IN8$10.5M0.5%$895K5.3%
34Commercial Bank & Trust CompanyMonticello, AR8$4.2M0.5%$391K—
35Stone BankMountain View, AR7$7.3M0.4%$150K10.3%
36First Community BankBatesville, AR7$2.2M0.4%$200K7.7%
37Evolve Bank and TrustWest Memphis, AR6$8.5M0.4%$685K4.0%
38Metro City BankDoraville, GA6$6.1M0.4%$1.3M2.1%
39Bank of America, National AssociationCharlotte, NC6$4.7M0.4%$300K2.6%
40OakStar BankSpringfield, MO6$2.7M0.4%$393K8.8%

504 certified development companies

#LenderApprovals in AR, FY2021–25DollarsShareMedian approval, all statesFY2016–26Charged off, FY2010–21 loans
1Rural Missouri, Inc.Jefferson City, MO · 504 CDC90$76.6M74.4%$588K0.8%
2Six Bridges Capital CorporationLittle Rock, AR · 504 CDC22$16.6M18.2%$604K4.1%
3Capital Certified Development CorporationAustin, TX · 504 CDC8$11.0M6.6%$933K1.3%
4Independent Development Services CorporationFort Myers, FL · 504 CDC1—0.8%$1.4M0.7%

Fiscal-year ledger

Fiscal year7(a) approvals7(a) dollarsMedian 7(a)504 approvals504 dollarsAll approvalsJobs supported, as reported
FY2026*217$166M$250K19$18.4M2362,444
FY2025401$247M$249K20$15.5M4214,194
FY2024286$144M$191K15$18.3M3012,643
FY2023306$199M$253K16$17.7M3223,585
FY2022266$149M$202K31$24.7M2973,016
FY2021306$201M$270K39$31.5M3454,223
FY2020297$111M$100K21$15.9M3182,722
FY2019330$156M$150K10$5.7M3403,606
FY2018352$201M$152K10$12.0M3623,869
FY2017338$192M$185K7$10.8M3453,280
FY2016363$220M$225K3$3.1M3663,726

7(a) approvals504 approvals

919293949596979899000102030405060708091011121314151617181920212223242526
SBA approvals in Arkansas by fiscal year, FY1991 to FY2026.

Counties

Approvals in FY2021–FY2025 set against the Census Bureau's count of business establishments. Counties with at least 30 approvals have their own page.

#CountyApprovalsDollarsEstablishmentsPer 1,000 establishmentsBy fiscal year
1Pulaski County249$155M12,18520.4
2Benton County242$156M7,78831.1
3Washington County157$107M6,28125.0
4Faulkner County88$43.1M2,99029.4
5Garland County88$31.2M2,95329.8
6Saline County78$30.1M2,38932.6
7Sebastian County68$55.7M3,39820.0
8Craighead County44$38.6M2,78815.8
9Carroll County38$17.9M72252.6
10Baxter County37$10.6M1,12532.9
11White County34$23.4M1,63720.8
12Randolph County32$10.9M314101.9
13Jefferson County28$31.1M1,19923.4
14Union County25$17.0M1,03624.1
15Pope County25$20.6M1,60115.6
16Lonoke County24$5.4M1,17520.4
17Crawford County23$7.9M1,13020.4
18Boone County21$19.3M91622.9
19Conway County20$5.3M41748.0
20Clark County18$7.7M54033.3
21Madison County18$12.3M24274.4
22Hot Spring County18$6.4M51335.1
23Drew County16$5.9M42337.8
24Polk County15$5.2M42935.0
25Crittenden County15$16.8M84417.8
26Cleveland County14$12.1M77181.8
27Greene County13$9.9M84215.4
28Stone County12$4.7M24449.2
29Independence County11$6.6M81013.6
30Sharp County11$8.0M34232.2
31Columbia County11$16.4M53520.6
32Cleburne County11$7.0M60118.3
33Lawrence County9$16.8M28431.7
34Van Buren County9$8.4M31928.2
35Johnson County9$8.4M41321.8
36Desha County9$7.1M27033.3
37Miller County8$8.8M73011.0
38Mississippi County8$2.4M73710.9
39Izard County8$815K21337.6
40Arkansas County8$2.3M47316.9
41Ouachita County8$3.1M46517.2
42Lincoln County7$6.0M15644.9
43Marion County7$2.3M24628.5
44Clay County6$2.9M27821.6
45Ashley County5$1.1M32915.2
46Bradley County5$4.8M23421.4
47Grant County5$4.2M31615.8
48Chicot County5$1.8M19725.4
49Franklin County5$4.4M30916.2
50Cross County5$3.3M36913.6
51Hempstead County4$7.2M37810.6
52Fulton County4$617K16524.2
53Logan County4$7.5M36011.1
54Lafayette County4$3.2M9940.4
55Poinsett County4$2.6M33312.0
56Monroe County4$9.6M17023.5
57Sevier County3$3.5M26311.4
58Perry County3$904K11526.1
59Yell County3$614K3239.3
60Jackson County3$1.8M3109.7
61St. Francis County3$1.8M4047.4
62Phillips County3$566K3299.1
63Pike County2—2149.3
64Scott County2—14214.1
65Prairie County2—13614.7
66Searcy County2—11717.1
67Newton County2—8523.5
68Howard County1—2703.7
69Montgomery County1—1347.5
70Lee County1—1029.8
71Little River County1—1686.0

Industries

#Industry group (NAICS 4-digit)ApprovalsDollarsShare
1Restaurants and Other Eating PlacesNAICS 7225157$66.6M9.3%
2Poultry and Egg ProductionNAICS 1123143$180M8.5%
3Offices of Other Health PractitionersNAICS 621376$28.6M4.5%
4Traveler AccommodationNAICS 721158$112M3.4%
5Building Equipment ContractorsNAICS 238255$14.7M3.3%
6Personal Care ServicesNAICS 812154$17.0M3.2%
7Automotive Repair and MaintenanceNAICS 811147$24.0M2.8%
8Other Amusement and Recreation IndustriesNAICS 713945$23.4M2.7%
9Other Specialty Trade ContractorsNAICS 238935$16.3M2.1%
10Services to Buildings and DwellingsNAICS 561734$8.8M2.0%
11Other Personal ServicesNAICS 812933$15.6M2.0%
12General Freight TruckingNAICS 484133$13.5M2.0%
13Child Day Care ServicesNAICS 624431$24.9M1.8%
14Foundation, Structure, and Building Exterior ContractorsNAICS 238128$7.6M1.7%
15Residential Building ConstructionNAICS 236128$3.0M1.7%

Sectors

#NAICS sectorApprovalsShare
1Accommodation and Food Services25014.8%
2Retail Trade20912.4%
3Construction18110.7%
4Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting17410.3%
5Other Services (except Public Administration)1669.8%
6Health Care and Social Assistance1659.8%
7Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services1096.5%
8Manufacturing794.7%
9Transportation and Warehousing794.7%
10Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services704.2%

Franchise brands

#BrandApprovalsShare
1The Goddard School100.6%
2Glo Tanning60.4%
3Best Western50.3%
4La Quinta by Wyndham40.2%
5Jersey Mike’s Subs40.2%
6Crumbl40.2%
7The UPS Store40.2%
8Baymont by Wyndham30.2%
9Ace Hardware30.2%
10Quality Inn30.2%

How earlier loans turned out

Arkansas, 7(a)6.9%
United States, 7(a)6.6%
Arkansas, 5046.2%
United States, 5041.2%
Share of disbursed loans approved FY2010–FY2021 that SBA records as charged off, by program.
Loans approved FY2010–FY2021AR 7(a)US 7(a)AR 504US 504
Approvals in these years3,649639,90518785,591
Cancelled or never disbursed39479,3132612,514
Disbursed loans3,255560,59216173,077
Paid in full2,511435,8136835,491
Charged off22436,89110905
Still outstanding (status exempt from disclosure)52087,8888336,681
Charged off, share of disbursed loans6.9%6.6%6.2%1.2%
Dollars charged off, share of disbursed dollars3.4%2.5%5.9%0.9%
Dollars charged off$56.9M$5.70bn$7.9M$499M

Approval sizes

Age of the businesses

Against the country

FY2021–FY2025ArkansasUnited States
Approvals per 1,000 establishments23.941.0
Median 7(a) approval$234K$190K
Median 504 approval$569K$657K
504 share of approvals7.2%11.0%
Jobs supported per approval, as reported10.510.5
Approvals, change on FY2016–FY2020-3%10%

Questions and answers

Which lenders make the most SBA loans in Arkansas?

By 7(a) approvals in FY2021 to FY2025: Arvest Bank (193), U.S. Bank, National Association (120), Southern Bancorp Bank (99), First Service Bank (98), First Financial Bank (89). For 504 loans: Rural Missouri, Inc. (90), Six Bridges Capital Corporation (22), Capital Certified Development Corporation (8). Volume says how active a lender is, nothing about terms or service.

How large are typical SBA loans in Arkansas?

The median 7(a) approval was $234K and the median 504 approval $569K; the average across both programs was $622K.

Which industries get the most SBA loans in Arkansas?

Restaurants and Other Eating Places (157); Poultry and Egg Production (143); Offices of Other Health Practitioners (76); Traveler Accommodation (58); Building Equipment Contractors (55).

Which Arkansas counties receive the most SBA loans?

Pulaski County (249), Benton County (242), Washington County (157), Faulkner County (88), Garland County (88), by approvals in FY2021 to FY2025.

Is SBA lending in Arkansas rising?

Approvals in the three latest complete fiscal years total 1,044, against 960 in the three before: broadly level (+9%).

What share of SBA loans in Arkansas are charged off?

Of 7(a) loans approved in FY2010 to FY2021 and disbursed, 6.9% are recorded as charged off (national: 6.6%); for 504 loans the figure is 6.2% (national: 1.2%). Newer loans are left out because most have not had time to reach either outcome.

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. Establishment counts are from the Census Bureau's County Business Patterns 2023, which leaves out most farms, government and businesses without employees. Dollar figures behind fewer than three approvals are not shown, and no borrower is named anywhere on this site.Methodology · Report an error