How much do lenders finance for a 18 franchise?

The median SBA loan approved for a 18 franchise is $254,900, with the middle 80% of loans between $120,000 and $395,000. That is the financed portion only - it excludes the buyer's equity injection, which SBA lenders typically require at 10% or more of total project cost for a business acquisition or new franchise unit.

Which lenders finance 18 franchises?

By dollars approved, the most active SBA lenders for 18 have been Stearns Bank, Wells Fargo Bank, Simmons Bank, First Federal Bank. Many franchise brands also maintain their own lists of preferred lenders, which may differ from who has historically approved the most volume.

How long are 18 SBA loans?

The median term is 10 yr. SBA 7(a) terms run up to 10 years for working capital and equipment, and up to 25 years when the loan is secured by real estate - so a longer median usually means the loans included property.

Do 18 SBA loans get charged off often?

15.0% of 18 loans approved between FY2010 and FY2019 that have reached a terminal status were charged off, against 7.6% across all SBA lending. Franchise-level charge-off rates reflect the era a brand expanded in as much as the concept itself - brands that grew hardest into the 2010s carry more seasoned, and more resolved, loans.

Franchise financing

Financing a 18 franchise

SBA lenders have approved 46 loans against the 18 brand since FY2010, totalling $11.9M. The median approval was $254,900. These are loans that actually closed - not projections from a disclosure document.

Rank by loan count

#493

of 1,651 brands

Loans approved

FY2010 onward

Median loan

$254,900

Typical range

$120K-$395K

Middle 80% of loans

Median term

10 yr

Charge-off rate

15.0%

40 resolved FY10-19 loans

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.

Lenders

Who financed 18

Lender	Loans	Approved
Stearns Bank	10	$2.4M
Wells Fargo Bank	9	$2.1M
Simmons Bank	3	$1.8M
First Federal Bank	4	$1.4M
The Bancorp Bank	2	$877K
The Huntington National Bank	3	$814K
JPMorgan Chase Bank	4	$620K
Manufacturers and Traders Trust Company	3	$585K

Geography

Where 18 units were financed

State	Loans	Share
California	13
Texas	7
New Jersey	4
Georgia	3
Illinois	3
South Carolina	2
Maryland	2
Wisconsin	2

Approvals by fiscal year

’14

’15

’16

’17

’18

Loan count by fiscal year - a rough proxy for how fast the brand was opening units. Final bar is a partial year.

Loan sizes

Under $50K
2%
$50K - $150K
15%
$150K - $350K
70%
$350K - $1M
13%

Financing a 18: common questions

How much do lenders finance for a 18 franchise?: The median SBA loan approved for a 18 franchise is $254,900, with the middle 80% of loans between $120,000 and $395,000. That is the financed portion only - it excludes the buyer's equity injection, which SBA lenders typically require at 10% or more of total project cost for a business acquisition or new franchise unit.
Which lenders finance 18 franchises?: By dollars approved, the most active SBA lenders for 18 have been Stearns Bank, Wells Fargo Bank, Simmons Bank, First Federal Bank. Many franchise brands also maintain their own lists of preferred lenders, which may differ from who has historically approved the most volume.
How long are 18 SBA loans?: The median term is 10 yr. SBA 7(a) terms run up to 10 years for working capital and equipment, and up to 25 years when the loan is secured by real estate - so a longer median usually means the loans included property.
Do 18 SBA loans get charged off often?: 15.0% of 18 loans approved between FY2010 and FY2019 that have reached a terminal status were charged off, against 7.6% across all SBA lending. Franchise-level charge-off rates reflect the era a brand expanded in as much as the concept itself - brands that grew hardest into the 2010s carry more seasoned, and more resolved, loans.

Compare other brands

Median loan size and charge-off rate across every franchise in the SBA record.

How SBA 7(a) works

The programme most franchise buyers use, explained end to end.

Buying a franchise with an SBA loan

Equity injection, the franchise directory, and what lenders check.

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