SBA Loans and Necessary Qualifications

Looking for some experienced-based input regarding SBA loans and the necessary qualifications of the borrower. With a 7(a) loan, it is possible to put 10% of the purchase price down, have 15% seller financed and the rest will be financed by a bank (and guaranteed by the SBA). For a loan of this sort:

Does anybody know what experience by is required by the SBA/bank to purchase a business (and can this be overcome by hiring a COO/Adviser/other employee)?

Are there any minimum thresholds/requirements for the personal collateral, cash flow or net worth of the borrower (separate from the business)? For example, if the business has decent collateral and solid and consistent cash flow to cover the debt service, will the lack of personal collateral or net worth of the borrower prevent the prospective borrower from securing the loan?

Is there any important advice you would impart to a person about to take out a loan pursuant to the above (apart from the fact that you should have enough cash to cover debt service and that this will likely have to be personally guaranteed)?

Has anybody here ever taken out an SBA/commercial loan to buy a business and willing to share their experience?

4 Comments
 

I interned at a bank that specialized in SBA lending last summer, what type of business would the loan be for?

When it comes to SBA lending it depends on whether your dealing with a cash flow based lender versus an asset based lender. Overall the answers to many of your questions could differ across various lenders, some SBA lenders specialize in specific low risk industries as well.

 

Thanks for the reply. Generally the industry is non-cyclical (e.g. healthcare) and the company has solid cash flow, but little assets. It seems as though you might be able to find a lender that would take the above structure, given that the lender would be guaranteed all of their capital back (through the SBA), but am interested to hear others thoughts/experiences

 
Best Response

A tenetur quasi expedita quia ipsam a necessitatibus ratione. Aut modi aut error earum odit architecto. Quia sint praesentium animi quae.

Of war men ask the outcome, not the cause.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.2%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.2%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (80) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”