Small Business Loan Approvals at Big Banks Stay at Record Post-Recession High, According to May 2019 Biz2Credit Small Business Lending IndexsuperscriptstartTMsuperscruptend

Small Banks and Institutional Lenders Climb, Credit Union Lending Remains at Post-Recession Low, Alternative Lending Stalls Again

Big Banks

Big Banks

Approval rates for small business loan applications remained at a record high of 27.5% at big banks ($10 billion+ in assets) in May, while the approval percentage climbed yet again at small banks, which reached 49.9%, according to the Biz2Credit Small Business Lending IndexsuperscriptstartTMsuperscruptend released today.

Aug 2018
26.5%
Sep 2018
26.7%

Monthly Comparison

Aug 2018
26.5%
Sep 2018
26.7%

Yearly Comparison

"Bank approvals of small business loans are as high as they have ever been in the 21st century's post-recession era", who oversees the monthly research derived from more than 1,000 small business credit applications on his company's online lending platform. "The economy is strong, which bodes well for small businesses searching for capital."

Rohit Arora

Rohit Arora, Biz2Credit CEO

Small Banks

Small Banks

Small bank approvals of small business loan applications climbed one-tenth of a percent from 49.8% in April to 49.9% in May. Meanwhile, in the Jobs Report released on June 7, the Labor Department reported that employment increased by 75,000 in May, while the unemployment rate remained at 3.6 percent. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics also reported job gains in professional and business services and in health care. The NFIB Small Business Optimism Index increased in April, the last month reported by the NFIB, to a historically strong level. Profits are still trending upwards, and expectations for sales, business conditions, and credit conditions all improved, according to the NFIB Small Business Optimism Index."
Jul 2018
49.7%
Aug 2018
49.8%

Monthly Comparison

Aug 2017
49%
Aug 2018
49.8%

Yearly Comparison

"SBA lending is a big part of small business loan-making by small banks."

Rohit Arora

Rohit Arora, Biz2Credit CEO

Institutional lenders

Institutional lenders

Institutional lenders climbed two-tenths of a percent to a 65.5% approval rate, up from 65.3% in April.

Jul 2018
64.8%
Aug 2018
64.9%

Monthly Comparison

Jul 2018
63.9%
Aug 2018
64.9%

Yearly Comparison

"Institutional lenders are an excellent source for small business financing, and are continuing to play in increasing role in the small business lending marketplace."

Rohit Arora

Rohit Arora, Biz2Credit CEO

Alternative lenders

Alternative lenders

Loan approval rates among alternative lenders dropped one-tenth of a percent to 57.1% in May, down a notch from 57.2% in April.

Jul 2018
56.5%
Aug 2018
56.6%

Monthly Comparison

Aug 2017
57.1%
Aug 2018
56.6%

Yearly Comparison

"Because the banks are lending aggressively and can offer better rates and terms, alternative lenders have declined slowly but steadily this year". "The banks receive applications from higher quality borrowers, and they offer lower interest rates because default rates are so low at the moment. This is, in part, due to improvements in data analytics among lenders that offer digital online applications."

Rohit Arora

Rohit Arora, Biz2Credit CEO

Credit unions

Credit unions

Credit unions again stayed at a record low 40.1% of loan applications in April.

Jul 2018
40.3%
Aug 2018
40.2%

Monthly Comparison

Aug 2017
40.3%
Aug 2018
40.2%

Yearly Comparison

"Credit unions are looking for ways to expand, including partnering with the SBA on small business loans."

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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