Small Business Loan Approvals at Banks Hit Record Highs, According to July 2019 Biz2Credit Small Business Lending IndexsuperscriptstartTMsuperscruptend

Alternative Lending Drops and Credit Unions Sink to a Record Low

Big Banks

Big Banks

Approval rates for small business loan applications rose to another post-recession record (27.7%) at big banks ($10 billion+ in assets), while also climbing above 50% at small banks in July

Aug 2018
26.5%
Sep 2018
26.7%

Monthly Comparison

Aug 2018
26.5%
Sep 2018
26.7%

Yearly Comparison

“Small business lending remains strong and is growing at big banks and at regional and community banks. Entrepreneurs who have a good credit history are having success in securing capital in 2019,” said Biz2Credit CEO Rohit Arora, who oversees the monthly research derived from more than 1,000 small business credit applications on his company’s online lending platform.

Rohit Arora

Rohit Arora, Biz2Credit CEO

Small Banks

Small Banks

Small bank approvals of small business loan applications inched up one-tenth of a percent to 50.1% from 50% in June. “The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is the largest economic development agency in the world,” said SBA New York District Director, Beth Goldberg. “With an annual credit line of more than $30 billion allocated by Congress, SBA guaranteed loans help bridge the gap between small businesses that lenders might turn away and those who are able to start or grow companies with financing.” Goldberg added that through the end of June, 2019, SBA had guaranteed $20.6 billion nationwide in small business loans. More-than $650 million of this went to firms in her district, which encompasses New York City, Long Island and seven counties of the Lower Hudson Valley. Meanwhile, the Labor Department’s Jobs Report released on August 5, reported that nonfarm payroll employment increased by 164,000 in July, while the unemployment rate remains at 3.7 percent. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics noted that significant job gains occurred in professional and business services, health care, and social services. “While the Jobs Report numbers slightly exceeded expectations, small business owners are expressing concerns about a tariff war with China, which could cause them to reconsider holiday season hiring and expansion plans,” Arora said. “On the other hand, the Federal Reserve cut interest rates for the first time in 11 years last week, which lowers the cost of capital for borrowers. Overall, rates are attractive right now.”

Jul 2018
49.7%
Aug 2018
49.8%

Monthly Comparison

Aug 2017
49%
Aug 2018
49.8%

Yearly Comparison

“More than half of the applicants who apply at small banks for funding, usually SBA loans, are getting the funding. SBA loans are certainly an important part of the mix,” Arora explained.

Rohit Arora

Rohit Arora, Biz2Credit CEO

Institutional lenders

Institutional lenders

Institutional lenders’ approval rates rose one-tenth of a percent to 65.7% from June’s figure of 65.6%.

Jul 2018
64.8%
Aug 2018
64.9%

Monthly Comparison

Jul 2018
63.9%
Aug 2018
64.9%

Yearly Comparison

“Institutional lenders are playing an increasingly important role in small business financing,” Arora said.

Rohit Arora

Rohit Arora, Biz2Credit CEO

Alternative lenders

Alternative lenders

Small business loan approval rates among alternative lenders dropped three-tenths of a percent to 56.8% from 57.1% in June.

Jul 2018
56.5%
Aug 2018
56.6%

Monthly Comparison

Aug 2017
57.1%
Aug 2018
56.6%

Yearly Comparison

“The renewed strength of bank lending to small businesses has negatively impacted alternative lenders,” Arora said. “High quality borrowers can get cheaper money at banks, but those with mediocre credit histories may still find that alternative lenders are the only ones who will fund them. Alternative lenders help business owners that the banks reject.”

Rohit Arora

Rohit Arora, Biz2Credit CEO

Credit unions

Credit unions

Credit unions fell below the 40% mark in July for the first time since Biz2Credit began analyzing small business loan approval percentages in 2011. Currently, credit unions are approving 39.9% of loan applications, which represents a record low point.

Jul 2018
40.3%
Aug 2018
40.2%

Monthly Comparison

Aug 2017
40.3%
Aug 2018
40.2%

Yearly Comparison

“Credit unions are still hurt by the Member Business Lending cap (12.25% of their assets), the aggressiveness of other categories of lenders, and by a lack of digitization,” said Arora, who oversees the Biz2Credit research. “Right now, there is not a lot of momentum in credit unions’ small business lending.”

Rohit Arora

Rohit Arora, Biz2Credit CEO

View Past Months

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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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