Biz2Credit Small Business Lending Index Reports Record Breaking Approval Rates at Big Banks and Institutional Lenders in April 2014

Approval Rates by Small Banks, Alternative Lenders and Credit Unions Slip

Big Banks

Big Banks

Small business loan approval rates at big banks ($10 billion+ in assets) rose to 19.4% in April 2014, up from 18.8% in March, and a record high for the Biz2Credit Small Business Lending Index, a monthly analysis of 1,000 loan applications on Biz2Credit.com.

Aug 2018
26.5%
Sep 2018
26.7%

Monthly Comparison

Aug 2018
26.5%
Sep 2018
26.7%

Yearly Comparison

"In April, small business owners submit their tax filings, and banks use that data in making their lending decisions." "The economy is steadily improving, and established businesses are returning to the credit marketplace. They are able to get money from big banks that offer attractive rates. This is a very strong trend."

Rohit Arora

Rohit Arora, Biz2Credit CEO

Economy

"There was a lot of pent up demand in the marketplace. Retailers are buying inventory, and restaurants are upgrading their outdoor seating in preparation for the summer". "Big banks make speedier decisions on non-SBA loans, which take a long time to process. That is a major reason for the jump in approval rates by big banks."

Rohit Arora

Rohit Arora, Biz2Credit CEO

Small Banks

Small Banks

Small business loan approval rates at small banks decreased to 51.1% in April 2014, down from 51.6% last month.

Jul 2018
49.7%
Aug 2018
49.8%

Monthly Comparison

Aug 2017
49%
Aug 2018
49.8%

Yearly Comparison

"Small banks are down because they are not processing SBA Express loans as quickly as they were last month". "I was a little surprised to see them stall a bit in April."

Rohit Arora

Rohit Arora, Biz2Credit CEO

Institutional lenders

Institutional lenders

Institutional Lenders granted 58.3% of the funding requests they received in April, a moderate increase from 58.1% in March. These institutions include credit funds, insurance companies, family funds, and other yield-hungry, non-bank financial institutions. They typically offer more competitively priced loan options than alternative lenders in amounts up to $1 million.

Jul 2018
64.8%
Aug 2018
64.9%

Monthly Comparison

Jul 2018
63.9%
Aug 2018
64.9%

Yearly Comparison

"Institutional Investors are taking away market share from alternative lenders." "They are gathering momentum as a category of small business lender as company owners prefer to borrow larger sums of money at cheaper interest rates."

Rohit Arora

Rohit Arora, Biz2Credit CEO

Alternative lenders

Alternative lenders

Alternative lenders decreased for the fourth consecutive month to 63.5% in April from 63.6% in March 2014. Alternative lenders are starting to feel the squeeze from banks and institutional lenders, which are attracting higher quality borrowers who are willing to shop around.

Jul 2018
56.5%
Aug 2018
56.6%

Monthly Comparison

Aug 2017
57.1%
Aug 2018
56.6%

Yearly Comparison

Credit unions

Credit unions

Meanwhile, loan approvals by credit unions dropped to the lowest level ever in the three year history of the Biz2Credit Index. Small business loan approval rates at credit unions slightly decreased from 43.6% in March to 43.5% in April.

Jul 2018
40.3%
Aug 2018
40.2%

Monthly Comparison

Aug 2017
40.3%
Aug 2018
40.2%

Yearly Comparison

"Overall, credit unions keep slipping in the small business lending marketplace, and approval rate percentages have dropped to their lowest levels."

Rohit Arora

Rohit Arora, Biz2Credit CEO

View Past Months

Access Archives

October 2023

Small Business Loan Approvals Dropped at Big Banks, Rose at Small Banks and Alternative Lenders in October 2023: Biz2Credit Small Business Lending Index™

Loan approval rates at institutional investors and alternative lenders increase for 10th consecutive month, while credit union approval rate returns to all-time Index low.

View Report
September 2023

Small Business Loan Approvals Slid at Big Banks, Rose at Other Lenders in September: Biz2Credit Small Business Lending Index™

Loan approval percentages rose at regional and community banks and non-bank lenders.

View Report
August 2023

Business Loan Approvals at Big Banks and Credit Unions Continued to Slide in August: Biz2Credit Small Business Lending Index™

Big bank lending to small businesses has stalled for over a year, while credit unions return to an all-time low. Loan approval percentages rose at regional and community banks and non-bank lenders.

View Report
July 2023

Business Loan Approvals at Big Banks Continue to Drop, While Other Lenders Increased in July: Biz2Credit Small Business Lending Index™

Big bank approvals have declined steadily over the past 12 months. Approval percentages rose at small banks, institutional investors, and alternative lenders in July 2023.

View Report

About Biz2Credit Small Business Lending IndexTM

The Biz2Credit Small Business Lending IndexTM is an analysis of 1,000 monthly loan applications on the Biz2Credit website. The Index reports the loan approval rates of small business financing requests at Big Banks ($10 billion+ in assets), local and regional banks and non-bank lenders (credit unions, Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI), micro lenders, and others).

Unlike other surveys, the results are based on primary data submitted by more than 1,000 entrepreneurs who applied for funding on Biz2Credit's online lending platform, which connects small business borrowers with sources of capital.

Results of the Biz2Credit Small Business Lending IndexTM have been reported by The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Entrepreneur.com, Bloomberg Radio's "The Hays Advantage", SBA Radio, NY Daily News, Crain's NY Business, Michigan Banker, and other media.

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