How much do lenders finance for a WaterStation franchise?

The median SBA loan approved for a WaterStation franchise is $347,650, with the middle 80% of loans between $196,000 and $2,386,000. 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 WaterStation franchises?

By dollars approved, the most active SBA lenders for WaterStation have been UniBank, Celtic Bank Corporation, Newtek Small Business Finance, Inc., Meridian 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 WaterStation 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.

Franchise financing

Financing a WaterStation franchise

SBA lenders have approved 142 loans against the WaterStation brand since FY2010, totalling $115.6M. The median approval was $347,650. These are loans that actually closed - not projections from a disclosure document.

Rank by loan count

#128

of 1,651 brands

Loans approved

142

FY2010 onward

Median loan

$347,650

Typical range

$196K-$2.4M

Middle 80% of loans

Median term

10 yr

Charge-off rate

Cohort too small

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 WaterStation

Lender	Loans	Approved
UniBank	79	$49.8M
Celtic Bank Corporation	18	$23.0M
Newtek Small Business Finance, Inc.	19	$20.7M
Meridian Bank	3	$8.5M
FDIC - Community Bank & Trust-West Georgia	2	$3.7M
Stearns Bank	13	$3.4M
Stock Yards Bank & Trust Company	1	$3.1M
Banner Bank	1	$1.3M

Geography

Where WaterStation units were financed

State	Loans	Share
California	20
Texas	20
Indiana	11
Washington	10
Florida	8
Illinois	7
Colorado	5
Georgia	5

Approvals by fiscal year

’18

’19

’20

’21

’22

’23

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

Loan sizes

$50K - $150K
4%
$150K - $350K
46%
$350K - $1M
28%
$1M - $2M
8%
Over $2M
13%

Financing a WaterStation: common questions

How much do lenders finance for a WaterStation franchise?: The median SBA loan approved for a WaterStation franchise is $347,650, with the middle 80% of loans between $196,000 and $2,386,000. 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 WaterStation franchises?: By dollars approved, the most active SBA lenders for WaterStation have been UniBank, Celtic Bank Corporation, Newtek Small Business Finance, Inc., Meridian 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 WaterStation 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.

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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