Lender head to head
Live Oak Banking Company vs Byline Bank
Two of the largest SBA lenders in the country, compared on what they actually did rather than on what they say. Every figure below is computed from the SBA’s own loan-level file, so no part of this comparison can be bought.
| Live Oak Banking Company | Byline Bank | |
|---|---|---|
| Total approved | $23.10B | $7.16B |
| Loans approved | 17,770 | 6,400 |
| Median loanNeither is better. A larger median signals real-estate and acquisition work; a smaller one signals Express and working capital. | $850,000 | $738,000 |
| Median 7(a) rateA historical median across all approvals since FY2010, not a quote. | 6.25% | 6.25% |
| Median term | 10 yr | 10 yr |
| Charge-off rateDescribes the credit box each lender chose, not service quality. | 3.2% | 13.9% |
| New businessesShare of approvals to businesses the SBA classified as new rather than existing. | 8% | 18% |
| Jobs supported | 258,712 | 125,990 |
Highlighted figures are simply the larger or, for rate and charge-off, the lower of the two. Median loan size and term are not highlighted because neither direction is better - they describe different books of business. National medians for context: $180,000 loan, 6.75% rate, 7.6% charge-off.
Source: U.S. Small Business Administration, SBA 7(a) and 504 FOIA data, as of 2026-06-30. Approvals from FY2010 onward. How we calculate this.
Live Oak Banking Company
Approvals by fiscal year
Most active states
- California2,269
- Texas1,796
- Florida1,351
- North Carolina1,070
- Colorado753
Byline Bank
Approvals by fiscal year
Most active states
- Illinois2,329
- Wisconsin812
- California424
- Texas315
- Indiana294
Industries both lend into
Where their books overlap, they are realistic alternatives to each other for a business in that sector.
Common questions
- Which is bigger, Live Oak Banking Company or Byline Bank?
- By dollars approved since FY2010, Live Oak Banking Company is larger: $23.10B against $7.16B. Size is a measure of volume, not of whether either will approve a particular business.
- Which one lends at a lower rate?
- The median initial note rate on 7(a) approvals is 6.25% at Live Oak Banking Company and 6.25% at Byline Bank. These are medians across fifteen years and reflect the mix of loan sizes and vintages each wrote as much as pricing posture. Neither is a quote.
- Do they lend in the same places?
- Both are among the most active lenders in California, Texas, Florida, so for a business there they are realistic alternatives to each other.
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