13 CFR § 120.150 - What are SBA's lending criteria?
---identifier: "/us/cfr/t13/s120.150"source: "ecfr"legal_status: "authoritative_unofficial"title: "13 CFR § 120.150 - What are SBA's lending criteria?"title_number: 13title_name: "Business Credit and Assistance"section_number: "120.150"section_name: "What are SBA's lending criteria?"chapter_name: "SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION"part_number: "120"part_name: "BUSINESS LOANS"positive_law: falsecurrency: "2026-04-05"last_updated: "2026-04-05"format_version: "1.1.0"generator: "[email protected]"authority: "15 U.S.C. 634(b) (6), (b) (7), (b) (14), (h), and note, 636(a), (h) and (m), 650, 687(f), 696(3) and (7), and 697(a) and (e); sec. 521, Pub. L. 114-113, 129 Stat. 2242; sec. 328(a), Pub. L. 116-260, 134 Stat. 1182."regulatory_source: "61 FR 3235, Jan. 31, 1996, unless otherwise noted."cfr_part: "120"---
Identifier
/us/cfr/t13/s120.150
Currency
2026-04-05
Positive Law
No
Updated
2026-04-05
Chapter
Small Business Administration
Authority
15 U.S.C. 634(b) (6), (b) (7), (b) (14), (h), and note, 636(a), (h) and (m), 650, 687(f), 696(3) and (7), and 697(a) and (e); sec. 521, Pub. L. 114-113, 129 Stat. 2242; sec. 328(a), Pub. L. 116-260, 1... 15 U.S.C. 634(b) (6), (b) (7), (b) (14), (h), and note, 636(a), (h) and (m), 650, 687(f), 696(3) and (7), and 697(a) and (e); sec. 521, Pub. L. 114-113, 129 Stat. 2242; sec. 328(a), Pub. L. 116-260, 134 Stat. 1182.
# 120.150 What are SBA's lending criteria?The applicant (including an Operating Company) must be creditworthy. Loans must be so sound as to reasonably assure repayment. Lenders and CDCs must use appropriate and prudent generally acceptable commercial credit analysis processes and procedures consistent with those used for their similarly-sized, non-SBA guaranteed commercial loans. Lenders, CDCs, and SBA may use a business credit scoring model. When approving direct or guaranteed loans, Lenders, CDCs, and SBA may consider (as applicable) the following criteria: credit score or credit history of the applicant (and the Operating Company, if applicable), its Associates and any guarantors; the earnings or cashflow of applicant; or where applicable any equity or collateral of the applicant.[88 FR 21085, Apr. 10, 2023]