1,577 SBA loans worth $1.0B went to Arkansas businesses between October 2021 and June 2026, from 142 lenders. Arvest Bank made the most 7(a) loans, 147 or 10% of the state's total, and the ten most active lenders made 55%. The median 7(a) loan was $231,500, above the national median of $158,000. Restaurants and hotels was the most financed industry, at 14% of loans. Annual loan count rose 31% from fiscal 2023 to fiscal 2025.
| # | Lender | Loans | Approved | Median loan | To startups | Most common borrower |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arvest Bank Bank · Fayetteville, AR | 147 | $33.4M | $90,000 | 73% | Construction |
| 2 | U.S. Bank Bank · Cincinnati, OH | 114 | $6.4M | $25,000 | 34% | Construction |
| 3 | Southern Bancorp Bank Bank · Arkadelphia, AR | 97 | $67.9M | $250,000 | 55% | Health care and social assistance |
| 4 | First Service Bank Bank · Greenbrier, AR | 96 | $71.8M | $300,000 | 65% | Agriculture, forestry and fishing |
| 5 | First Financial Bank Bank · El Dorado, AR | 85 | $100.7M | $835,000 | 31% | Agriculture, forestry and fishing |
| 6 | Huntington National Bank Bank · Columbus, OH | 64 | $35.6M | $286,000 | 67% | Construction |
| 7 | Newtek Bank Bank · Miami, FL | 57 | $14.5M | $125,000 | 16% | Health care and social assistance |
| 8 | FNBC Bank Bank · Ash Flat, AR | 55 | $29.5M | $258,100 | 64% | Restaurants and hotels |
| 9 | Northeast Bank Bank · Portland, ME | 53 | $8.0M | $126,800 | 4% | Construction |
| 10 | ACC Capital Non-bank lender · Little Rock, AR | 50 | $21.9M | $265,900 | 46% | Retail |
| 11 | Readycap Lending Non-bank lender · Berkeley Heights, NJ | 44 | $21.3M | $115,000 | 23% | Construction |
| 12 | Live Oak Banking Bank · Wilmington, NC | 41 | $70.7M | $1,075,000 | 32% | Agriculture, forestry and fishing |
| 13 | First Security Bank Bank · Searcy, AR | 36 | $9.2M | $165,000 | 42% | Health care and social assistance |
| 14 | BayFirst National Bank Bank · St. Petersburg, FL | 27 | $4.6M | $150,000 | 11% | Construction |
| 15 | Celtic Bank Bank · Salt Lake City, UT | 26 | $10.8M | $150,000 | 23% | Professional and technical services |
| 16 | Regions Bank Bank · Birmingham, AL | 22 | $20.0M | $522,800 | 32% | Construction |
| 17 | Simmons Bank Bank · Pine Bluff, AR | 22 | $8.5M | $264,750 | 45% | Retail |
| 18 | United Midwest Savings Bank Bank · Degraff, OH | 21 | $9.1M | $150,000 | 81% | Construction |
| 19 | Bank OZK Bank · Little Rock, AR | 20 | $15.0M | $380,250 | 55% | Retail |
| 20 | RiverBank Bank · Pocahontas, AR | 19 | $7.0M | $75,000 | 42% | Agriculture, forestry and fishing |
| 21 | Encore Bank Bank · Little Rock, AR | 18 | $10.8M | $561,500 | 78% | Other services (repair, personal care) |
| 22 | Equity Bank Bank · Andover, KS | 14 | $9.4M | $441,050 | 36% | Restaurants and hotels |
| 23 | Lendistry SBLC Non-bank lender · Los Angeles, CA | 14 | $2.5M | $150,000 | 0% | Finance and insurance |
| 24 | Arkansas FCU Credit union · Little Rock, AR | 13 | $6.2M | $334,000 | 85% | Other services (repair, personal care) |
| 25 | First National Bank of Fort Smith Bank · Fort Smith, AR | 13 | $2.9M | $53,000 | 62% | Construction |
| # | Certified development company | Loans | SBA portion approved | Median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rural Missouri Jefferson City, MO | 80 | $74.6M | $587,500 |
| 2 | Six Bridges Capital Little Rock, AR | 12 | $8.4M | $626,500 |
| 3 | Capital Certified Development Austin, TX | 8 | $9.0M | $557,500 |
| 4 | CDC Small Business Finance San Diego, CA | 1 | $2.6M | $2,623,000 |
| Industry | Loans | Share | Median loan | Most active lender |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurants and hotels | 227 | $312,700 | Arvest Bank | |
| Construction | 189 | $133,600 | U.S. Bank | |
| Retail | 186 | $333,250 | Arvest Bank | |
| Agriculture, forestry and fishing | 167 | $768,000 | First Financial Bank | |
| Other services (repair, personal care) | 161 | $225,000 | U.S. Bank | |
| Health care and social assistance | 150 | $246,750 | Southern Bancorp Bank | |
| Professional and technical services | 119 | $150,000 | Northeast Bank | |
| Manufacturing | 73 | $250,000 | First Security Bank | |
| Administrative and support services | 61 | $150,000 | U.S. Bank | |
| Transportation and warehousing | 60 | $116,700 | Arvest Bank | |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 59 | $350,000 | Arvest Bank | |
| Real estate and rental | 34 | $272,200 | First Service Bank |
| City | Loans | Approved | Median loan | Most active lender |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Little Rock | 160 | $96.4M | $241,000 | U.S. Bank |
| Rogers | 80 | $62.2M | $502,500 | Arvest Bank |
| Fayetteville | 79 | $52.6M | $382,400 | Rural Missouri |
| Bentonville | 65 | $35.9M | $260,000 | Arvest Bank |
| Hot Springs National Park | 57 | $20.2M | $126,500 | Arvest Bank |
| Springdale | 54 | $33.3M | $337,500 | Arvest Bank |
| Fort Smith | 54 | $43.0M | $214,200 | U.S. Bank |
| Conway | 52 | $39.8M | $265,000 | First Service Bank |
| North Little Rock | 48 | $32.0M | $310,700 | U.S. Bank |
| Benton | 40 | $11.1M | $162,100 | First Security Bank |
| Jonesboro | 30 | $25.9M | $469,900 | FNBC Bank |
| Pine Bluff | 27 | $24.2M | $300,000 | First Service Bank |
| Russellville | 23 | $16.5M | $343,000 | ACC Capital |
| Greenbrier | 23 | $6.3M | $165,000 | First Service Bank |
| Sherwood | 21 | $12.7M | $175,000 | U.S. Bank |
12 Arkansas cities and suburbs with at least 25 SBA loans since October 2021. Search any zip code at the top of the page.