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SBA
SBA loan programs, applications, and small business resources
The SBA's New 90% Grocery Guarantee: A Financing Lifeline for Small Grocers and Food Suppliers
The SBA's 2026 Grocery Guarantee raises its loan guarantee from 75% to 90% for roughly 20 qualifying food-supply-chain NAICS codes, covering loans up to $5 million with terms up to 25 years, and backed 19 loans totaling more than $30 million in its first month.
SBA MARC Loans Explained: FY2026 Fee Waivers for Manufacturers
The SBA has waived upfront fees on 7(a) and 504 loans for manufacturers through September 2026 and launched MARC, a revolving credit line up to $5 million for NAICS 31-33 businesses, after issuing its first $3.5 million in MARC loans to four manufacturers in December 2025.
SBA's Made in America Loan Guarantee: A Manufacturer's Financing Guide
The SBA's Made in America enhancement raises the 7(a) International Trade Loan guarantee to 90% on loans up to $5 million for manufacturers and waives guarantee fees through fiscal year 2026, cutting a lender's unguaranteed exposure on a $3 million loan from roughly $750,000 to $300,000.
Building Business Credit From Zero: The D-U-N-S, Net-30, and SBSS Playbook
Building business credit from zero follows a fixed sequence — form an LLC, get an EIN, obtain a D-U-N-S number, open vendor accounts that report to bureaus, then add a business credit card — with PAYDEX and FICO SBSS scores following naturally from on-time payment history.
The Fed's 2026 Rate Pause: What It Means for Your Variable-Rate SBA Loan
The Fed held rates at 3.50%-3.75% for a fourth consecutive meeting in June 2026, keeping the prime rate at 6.75% and SBA 7(a) variable rates near 9-11.5% APR, so refinancing into a fixed rate can pay off once you account for SBA prepayment penalties (5%/3%/1% in years one through three) and lender fees.
SBA 7(a) and 504 Loan Eligibility in 2026: New Citizenship Rules and the End of SBSS Credit Scoring
Effective March 1, 2026, SBA 7(a) and 504 loans require 100% of direct and indirect owners to be U.S. citizens or nationals with a U.S. principal residence — green card holders no longer qualify — and the FICO SBSS score is retired in favor of a 1.10 minimum debt service coverage ratio and full commercial credit analysis. Here's who's affected and how to prepare.
Small Business Grant Scams: How to Spot a Fake Offer Before You Pay
No legitimate grant ever requires an upfront fee — the FTC reports nearly 30% of 2026 scam victims were first contacted on social media with losses topping $2.1 billion, and fake grant offers follow a predictable four-step script from unsolicited contact to escalating "release fees."
SBA Decouples 7(a) and 504 Loan Caps, Doubling Combined Limit to $10 Million
As of July 4, 2026, the SBA has decoupled its 7(a) and 504 loan programs, replacing their shared $5 million cap with independent $5 million limits each — giving qualifying small businesses access to up to $10 million in combined SBA-guaranteed financing.
Government Shutdowns Freeze SBA Loans: A Bridge Financing Guide for Small Businesses
The 43-day 2025 federal shutdown froze $5.3 billion in SBA-guaranteed loans for roughly 10,000 small businesses; pre-arranged bridge financing and a 30/45/60-day cash forecast are the practical ways to keep operating while an SBA closing sits in the queue.
Key Person Insurance: Why Losing One Employee Could Sink Your Small Business
Key person insurance is a policy a business owns on a critical employee, paying the company 5 to 10 times that person's annual compensation if they die or become disabled, and premiums are not tax-deductible under IRC Section 264(a)(1) unless Section 101(j) notice-and-consent is completed before the policy is issued.
Purchase Order Financing: How to Fund an Order Bigger Than Your Cash Flow
Purchase order financing pays your supplier directly to fulfill a large customer order, typically costing 1-6% of supplier costs per 30-day period (roughly 20-60% effective APR), and is best suited for resellers with 20%+ gross margins and orders above $100,000.
Hurricane Season Financial Continuity for Coastal Small Businesses
A pre-storm playbook for coastal small businesses — 60 to 90 day cash reserves, geotagged inventory documentation, business interruption policy review, pre-positioned SBA EIDL and Physical Disaster Loan paperwork, and how IRS Section 7508A and Section 165(i) prior-year casualty loss elections work in federally declared disaster zones.