SBA Ledger

States › North Carolina

State2.1% of US approvals222 lenders active

SBA loans in North Carolina

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.

SBA approved 7,353 small business loans in North Carolina in FY2021 to FY2025: 6,885 under the 7(a) program and 468 under 504, worth $5.37bn together.

That is 28.5 approvals for every 1,000 business establishments in the state, against 41.0 nationally, and 2.1% of all approvals in the country (15th of 54 states and territories).

In FY2025 there were 1,990 approvals totalling $1.33bn, up 19% on FY2024. The median 7(a) approval over the five years was $326K and the median 504 approval $753K.

222 lenders had at least one approval in the state; by number of 7(a) approvals the most active were Live Oak Banking Company (500), The Huntington National Bank (496) and Wells Fargo Bank National Association (458).

Of 7(a) loans approved in FY2010 to FY2021 and disbursed, SBA records 6.2% as charged off, against 6.6% nationally.

1,990approvals, FY20257,353 in FY2021–FY2025
$1.33bnapproved, FY2025$5.37bn in FY2021–FY2025
28.5approvals per 1,000 establishments, FY2021–FY2025US: 41.0
$326Kmedian 7(a) approvalUS: $190K
6.2%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 North Carolina

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 NC, FY2021–25DollarsShareMedian approval, all statesFY2016–26Charged off, FY2010–21 loans
1Live Oak Banking CompanyWilmington, NC500$615M7.3%$850K2.2%
2The Huntington National BankColumbus, OH496$200M7.2%$92K5.7%
3Wells Fargo Bank National AssociationSioux Falls, SD458$79.3M6.7%$15K7.9%
4Northeast BankLewiston, ME348$48.7M5.1%$106K12.8%
5Readycap Lending, LLCBerkeley Heights, NJ268$88.6M3.9%$138K4.3%
6Newtek Bank, National AssociationMiami, FL245$120M3.6%$225K—
7TowneBankPortsmouth, VA230$243M3.3%$638K3.3%
8Pinnacle BankNashville, TN214$228M3.1%$745K6.0%
9TD Bank, National AssociationWilmington, DE193$60.2M2.8%$50K14.4%
10BayFirst National BankSaint Petersburg, FL185$30.9M2.7%$150K19.2%
11United Midwest Savings Bank National AssociationDe Graff, OH175$53.7M2.5%$150K15.9%
12SouthState Bank, National AssociationWinter Haven, FL135$56.5M2.0%$350K2.8%
13First BankSouthern Pines, NC132$114M1.9%$688K5.6%
14Bank of America, National AssociationCharlotte, NC126$62.8M1.8%$300K2.6%
15Celtic Bank CorporationSalt Lake City, UT126$62.0M1.8%$150K17.0%
16First National Bank of PennsylvaniaGreenville, PA122$132M1.8%$621K9.2%
17Bank of Oak RidgeOak Ridge, NC116$108M1.7%$572K5.3%
18First Community BankBluefield, VA116$56.4M1.7%$182K0.7%
19PNC Bank, National AssociationWilmington, DE113$31.5M1.6%$50K8.1%
20Newtek Small Business Finance, Inc.Lake Success, NY112$72.4M1.6%$300K6.8%
21The Fidelity BankFuquay Varina, NC105$94.6M1.5%$670K6.5%
22Citizens BankElizabethton, TN102$97.5M1.5%$495K5.4%
23GBankLas Vegas, NV100$294M1.5%$2.2M1.7%
24HomeTrust BankAsheville, NC97$106M1.4%$817K2.8%
25United Community BankGreenville, SC97$83.3M1.4%$550K4.5%
26First Bank of the LakeOsage Beach, MO86$58.6M1.2%$350K2.7%
27U.S. Bank, National AssociationCincinnati, OH85$29.1M1.2%$45K6.2%
28Truist BankCharlotte, NC80$79.5M1.2%$771K4.5%
29North State BankRaleigh, NC62$51.4M0.9%$500K2.8%
30Fifth Third BankCincinnati, OH59$32.3M0.9%$200K5.5%
31Carolina Small Business Development FundRaleigh, NC58$12.0M0.8%$193K10.3%
32First-Citizens Bank & Trust CompanyRaleigh, NC56$50.9M0.8%$697K5.4%
33JPMorgan Chase Bank, National AssociationColumbus, OH55$10.0M0.8%$200K7.4%
34Truliant FCUWinston-Salem, NC54$85.3M0.8%$1.1M7.6%
35First Financial BankEl Dorado, AR53$51.2M0.8%$925K4.3%
36Lendistry SBLC, LLCLos Angeles, CA52$10.2M0.8%$150K22.7%
37Mountain Bizcapital, Inc.Asheville, NC49$7.8M0.7%$125K12.0%
38Byline BankChicago, IL42$59.3M0.6%$806K9.5%
39The Bancorp Bank National AssociationSioux Falls, SD41$34.6M0.6%$589K6.7%
40Harvest Small Business Finance, LLCLaguna Hills, CA37$27.1M0.5%$765K0.4%

504 certified development companies

#LenderApprovals in NC, FY2021–25DollarsShareMedian approval, all statesFY2016–26Charged off, FY2010–21 loans
1Business Expansion Funding CorporationCharlotte, NC · 504 CDC312$355M66.7%$754K0.7%
2504 Capital CorporationChesapeake, VA · 504 CDC68$82.4M14.5%$537K0.5%
3Carolina Business Capital, Inc.Charlotte, NC · 504 CDC66$73.9M14.1%$752K2.1%
4Florida Business Development CorporationTampa, FL · 504 CDC4$7.8M0.9%$597K1.2%
5Certified Development Corporation of South CarolinaColumbia, SC · 504 CDC3$2.8M0.6%$1.1M2.6%
6Provident Business Financial Services, Inc.West Columbia, SC · 504 CDC3$2.7M0.6%$841K0.0%
7Florida First Capital Finance Corporation, Inc.Tallahassee, FL · 504 CDC2—0.4%$684K1.1%
8Business Finance Group, Inc.Fairfax, VA · 504 CDC2—0.4%$584K0.9%
9Independent Development Services CorporationFort Myers, FL · 504 CDC1—0.2%$1.4M0.7%
10Michigan Certified Development CorporationEast Lansing, MI · 504 CDC1—0.2%$583K0.8%
11Trenton Business Assistance CorporationPrinceton, NJ · 504 CDC1—0.2%$1.1M0.7%

Fiscal-year ledger

Fiscal year7(a) approvals7(a) dollarsMedian 7(a)504 approvals504 dollarsAll approvalsJobs supported, as reported
FY2026*1,028$657M$275K57$76.4M1,08512,021
FY20251,906$1.20bn$271K84$130M1,99021,928
FY20241,603$970M$250K76$117M1,67917,855
FY20231,303$875M$305K73$86.0M1,37618,368
FY2022982$752M$350K120$120M1,10215,155
FY20211,091$1.04bn$505K115$83.8M1,20616,298
FY2020974$751M$350K92$92.6M1,06614,788
FY20191,122$629M$255K71$57.1M1,19313,865
FY20181,292$750M$200K63$59.0M1,35515,877
FY20171,368$765M$217K93$84.0M1,46116,701
FY20161,298$744M$200K98$71.2M1,39615,351

7(a) approvals504 approvals

919293949596979899000102030405060708091011121314151617181920212223242526
SBA approvals in North Carolina 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
1Mecklenburg County1,248$903M36,47234.2
2Wake County1,170$739M33,87334.5
3Guilford County373$296M14,30626.1
4New Hanover County315$253M8,71036.2
5Buncombe County280$196M9,86328.4
6Durham County260$213M8,28231.4
7Union County255$147M5,73244.5
8Forsyth County209$166M9,14122.9
9Cabarrus County181$104M5,27934.3
10Iredell County166$130M5,40530.7
11Gaston County145$101M4,59431.6
12Cumberland County143$127M5,94724.0
13Johnston County117$71.0M4,15128.2
14Onslow County112$77.8M3,08036.4
15Catawba County103$87.8M4,34923.7
16Pitt County92$62.5M3,81724.1
17Brunswick County91$63.9M3,09329.4
18Henderson County90$72.0M3,08529.2
19Orange County88$51.7M3,49125.2
20Alamance County82$75.1M3,65222.5
21Moore County68$72.8M2,51627.0
22Surry County68$34.0M1,66140.9
23Davidson County64$51.2M2,99421.4
24Lincoln County63$37.9M2,08130.3
25Chatham County60$53.0M1,71934.9
26Nash County59$62.3M2,11427.9
27Carteret County55$35.4M2,24924.5
28Dare County54$47.4M2,07926.0
29Harnett County54$40.7M1,96027.6
30Pender County52$40.7M1,49934.7
31Rowan County50$39.1M2,90817.2
32Craven County49$39.8M2,22422.0
33Randolph County48$31.2M2,65118.1
34Wilkes County45$23.5M1,15738.9
35Haywood County45$33.1M1,54629.1
36Burke County44$36.6M1,54028.6
37Stanly County43$30.6M1,45929.5
38Watauga County42$27.6M1,74024.1
39Wayne County39$21.6M2,19517.8
40Cleveland County38$21.7M2,02818.7
41Franklin County38$17.6M1,22830.9
42Lee County37$31.1M1,46025.3
43Wilson County37$27.1M1,81820.4
44Rutherford County35$25.9M1,28927.2
45Rockingham County34$23.3M1,63220.8
46Robeson County33$26.3M1,78718.5
47Pasquotank County27$26.2M93129.0
48Caldwell County26$15.9M1,41418.4
49Richmond County25$33.0M81430.7
50Granville County23$31.2M96223.9
51Beaufort County23$16.8M1,13820.2
52Currituck County23$14.9M76630.0
53Macon County23$23.6M1,28217.9
54Jackson County21$18.2M1,11318.9
55Duplin County19$15.9M87021.8
56Transylvania County19$14.2M1,01118.8
57Person County17$8.6M72523.4
58Alexander County17$10.0M59828.4
59Yadkin County16$16.5M65024.6
60Halifax County16$20.6M93417.1
61Davie County15$11.1M87717.1
62Scotland County14$20.1M62422.4
63Sampson County14$12.8M1,01413.8
64Cherokee County13$11.0M64920.0
65Stokes County13$10.1M67419.3
66Polk County13$11.4M50425.8
67Hoke County12$4.7M49124.4
68Vance County12$11.5M88013.6
69Madison County12$4.8M40229.9
70Lenoir County11$12.6M1,2209.0
71Yancey County11$5.9M35730.8
72Columbus County10$17.0M99710.0
73McDowell County10$4.0M82212.2
74Swain County10$4.4M38226.2
75Ashe County9$11.1M57115.8
76Montgomery County9$12.9M50317.9
77Greene County9$3.6M27133.2
78Hyde County8$10.6M15053.3
79Chowan County7$4.6M37218.8
80Caswell County7$2.7M24228.9
81Avery County6$1.2M53911.1
82Anson County6$7.3M38015.8
83Clay County5$3.2M25219.8
84Warren County5$1.7M29117.2
85Graham County5$10.1M16430.5
86Washington County4$5.0M22118.1
87Martin County4$2.0M4269.4
88Bertie County4$2.3M27714.4
89Edgecombe County4$1.3M7025.7
90Camden County4$3.2M12432.3
91Pamlico County3$2.5M26111.5
92Gates County3$560K11526.1
93Mitchell County3$2.4M3718.1
94Bladen County2—5403.7
95Hertford County2—4594.4
96Alleghany County2—2577.8
97Tyrrell County1—7114.1
98Jones County1—1258.0
99Northampton County1—2553.9

Industries

#Industry group (NAICS 4-digit)ApprovalsDollarsShare
1Restaurants and Other Eating PlacesNAICS 7225773$544M10.5%
2Traveler AccommodationNAICS 7211277$727M3.8%
3Other Amusement and Recreation IndustriesNAICS 7139271$211M3.7%
4Personal Care ServicesNAICS 8121222$82.2M3.0%
5Services to Buildings and DwellingsNAICS 5617216$67.0M2.9%
6Residential Building ConstructionNAICS 2361214$92.6M2.9%
7Offices of Other Health PractitionersNAICS 6213210$89.7M2.9%
8Automotive Repair and MaintenanceNAICS 8111207$171M2.8%
9Building Equipment ContractorsNAICS 2382190$105M2.6%
10Other Personal ServicesNAICS 8129163$101M2.2%
11General Freight TruckingNAICS 4841156$61.3M2.1%
12Other Specialty Trade ContractorsNAICS 2389150$89.5M2.0%
13Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting ServicesNAICS 5416144$45.5M2.0%
14Child Day Care ServicesNAICS 6244140$150M1.9%
15Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll ServicesNAICS 5412127$59.7M1.7%

Sectors

#NAICS sectorApprovalsShare
1Accommodation and Food Services1,20116.3%
2Retail Trade85811.7%
3Construction84511.5%
4Other Services (except Public Administration)7089.6%
5Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services6919.4%
6Health Care and Social Assistance6719.1%
7Manufacturing4966.7%
8Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services4135.6%
9Transportation and Warehousing3284.5%
10Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation3224.4%

Franchise brands

#BrandApprovalsShare
1The UPS Store430.6%
2Quality Inn300.4%
3Hotworx220.3%
4ISI Elite Training210.3%
5Servpro170.2%
6Tropical Smoothie Cafe170.2%
7Primrose Schools160.2%
8Super 8 by Wyndhan140.2%
9Days Inn140.2%
10Eggs Up Grill140.2%

How earlier loans turned out

North Carolina, 7(a)6.2%
United States, 7(a)6.6%
North Carolina, 5041.1%
United States, 5041.2%
Share of disbursed loans approved FY2010–FY2021 that SBA records as charged off, by program.
Loans approved FY2010–FY2021NC 7(a)US 7(a)NC 504US 504
Approvals in these years12,808639,9051,19585,591
Cancelled or never disbursed1,48079,31321512,514
Disbursed loans11,328560,59298073,077
Paid in full8,649435,81354235,491
Charged off70536,89111905
Still outstanding (status exempt from disclosure)1,97487,88842736,681
Charged off, share of disbursed loans6.2%6.6%1.1%1.2%
Dollars charged off, share of disbursed dollars1.8%2.5%1.2%0.9%
Dollars charged off$111M$5.70bn$7.9M$499M

Approval sizes

Age of the businesses

Against the country

FY2021–FY2025North CarolinaUnited States
Approvals per 1,000 establishments28.541.0
Median 7(a) approval$326K$190K
Median 504 approval$753K$657K
504 share of approvals6.4%11.0%
Jobs supported per approval, as reported12.210.5
Approvals, change on FY2016–FY202014%10%

Questions and answers

Which lenders make the most SBA loans in North Carolina?

By 7(a) approvals in FY2021 to FY2025: Live Oak Banking Company (500), The Huntington National Bank (496), Wells Fargo Bank National Association (458), Northeast Bank (348), Readycap Lending, LLC (268). For 504 loans: Business Expansion Funding Corporation (312), 504 Capital Corporation (68), Carolina Business Capital, Inc. (66). Volume says how active a lender is, nothing about terms or service.

How large are typical SBA loans in North Carolina?

The median 7(a) approval was $326K and the median 504 approval $753K; the average across both programs was $731K.

Which industries get the most SBA loans in North Carolina?

Restaurants and Other Eating Places (773); Traveler Accommodation (277); Other Amusement and Recreation Industries (271); Personal Care Services (222); Services to Buildings and Dwellings (216).

Which North Carolina counties receive the most SBA loans?

Mecklenburg County (1,248), Wake County (1,170), Guilford County (373), New Hanover County (315), Buncombe County (280), by approvals in FY2021 to FY2025.

Is SBA lending in North Carolina rising?

Approvals in the three latest complete fiscal years total 5,045, against 3,374 in the three before: rising (+50%).

What share of SBA loans in North Carolina are charged off?

Of 7(a) loans approved in FY2010 to FY2021 and disbursed, 6.2% are recorded as charged off (national: 6.6%); for 504 loans the figure is 1.1% (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