Top SBA Lenders in Kentucky
The 26 most active SBA 7(a) lenders in Kentucky, ranked by number of loans. Data comes directly from SBA FOIA records covering every approved 7(a) loan from 2021 through 2026.
Explore the full dataset →Why your SBA lender matters
Not every SBA lender will work your deal. Lenders specialize by industry, deal size, and loan purpose, and their approval, funding, and default patterns vary significantly from institution to institution. Matching your deal to a lender with the right historical activity in your market gives you a better shot at a clean, predictable close.
| # | Lender | Loans | Total Volume | Avg Loan | Funded % | Default % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Huntington National Bank | 348 | $104.6M | $301K | 83.0% | 1.7% |
| 2 | Community Trust Bank, Inc. | 336 | $72.3M | $215K | 88.7% | 2.7% |
| 3 | U.S. Bank, National Association | 318 | $55.8M | $176K | 80.5% | 3.9% |
| 4 | Stock Yards Bank & Trust Company | 220 | $134.9M | $613K | 83.2% | 2.2% |
| 5 | Republic Bank & Trust Company | 201 | $86.3M | $430K | 85.1% | 0.0% |
| 6 | Northeast Bank | 138 | $21.0M | $152K | 43.5% | 0.0% |
| 7 | Newtek Bank, National Association | 112 | $38.6M | $344K | 53.6% | 0.0% |
| 8 | Live Oak Banking Company | 73 | $101.9M | $1.4M | 86.3% | 0.0% |
| 9 | Readycap Lending, LLC | 72 | $13.4M | $186K | 88.9% | 1.6% |
| 10 | PNC Bank, National Association | 59 | $11.9M | $202K | 88.1% | 3.8% |
| 11 | BayFirst National Bank | 55 | $7.2M | $131K | 90.9% | 4.0% |
| 12 | Fifth Third Bank | 49 | $16.4M | $335K | 89.8% | 9.1% |
| 13 | Old National Bank | 46 | $39.0M | $847K | 93.5% | 0.0% |
| 14 | United Midwest Savings Bank National Association | 45 | $27.5M | $612K | 95.6% | 2.3% |
| 15 | JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association | 38 | $11.7M | $307K | 94.7% | 5.6% |
| 16 | Peoples Bank | 36 | $34.7M | $965K | 91.7% | 0.0% |
| 17 | South Central Bank, Inc. | 33 | $18.2M | $552K | 75.8% | 0.0% |
| 18 | Celtic Bank Corporation | 30 | $20.2M | $673K | 90.0% | 0.0% |
| 18 | Heritage Bank Inc | 30 | $40.2M | $1.3M | 90.0% | 0.0% |
| 20 | Newtek Small Business Finance, LLC | 27 | $17.9M | $665K | 66.7% | 0.0% |
| 20 | First Financial Bank | 27 | $18.3M | $679K | 63.0% | 0.0% |
| 22 | WesBanco Bank, Inc. | 26 | $5.0M | $193K | 88.5% | 0.0% |
| 23 | First Commonwealth Bank | 21 | $13.4M | $636K | 90.5% | 0.0% |
| 23 | GBank | 21 | $48.3M | $2.3M | 81.0% | 0.0% |
| 25 | Wilson & Muir Bank & Trust Company | 20 | $7.9M | $396K | 100.0% | 0.0% |
| 25 | German American Bank | 20 | $11.4M | $572K | 80.0% | 0.0% |
Source: SBA FOIA 7(a) loan-level data, FY2021–FY2026. Lenders with fewer than 3 approved loans in Kentucky during this period are excluded. Funded % = approved loans that were funded. Default % = SBA-purchased loans divided by funded loans. Rankings are by total loan count.
How to read this table
Funded % is the share of approved loans that actually closed. A lender with a high approval rate but low funded rate may be approving deals they later back out of, which is a sign of a disorganized process or shifting appetite.
Default % is the share of funded loans that the SBA had to purchase (the borrower stopped paying). A high default rate isn't automatically disqualifying (some lenders specialize in riskier deals), but it affects how cautious their underwriting is likely to be.
Loan count vs. total volume tell different stories. A lender at the top by loan count may specialize in smaller deals; a lender with fewer but larger loans may only work with mid-market acquisitions. Match your deal size to their typical range.
Volume rankings show who's historically active in Kentucky. They don't tell you who's actively lending right now or who has the right appetite for your specific industry and deal structure. That's where we come in.
Top SBA lending cities in Kentucky
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