OUR BLOG

Effective March 1st, 2026, SBA will no longer allow the use of FICO®’s Small Business Scoring Service to screen 7(a) small loans (loans up to $350,000). Instead – as has been an observable trend for over a year now – SBA is re-emphasizing that Lenders must return to traditional commercial credit analysis in alignment with how their non-SBA commercial loans are evaluated and underwritten, as outlined in the SBA SOP 50 10 8.

Lenders have always been responsible for verifying owners’ citizenship and residency according to SBA SOP 50 10 8. But beginning January 1st of 2026, and then again as of March 1st, standards have changed and are being enforced with greater precision. In short, ownership eligibility now more than ever is a key consideration for SBA compliance.

As always, NAGGL was a whirlwind of meetings, workshops, information, and saying Hello! to new and old friends. We’ll be writing more about what we learned in the coming weeks – and to start with, here are a few quick tips.

Disbursing funds for an SBA 7(a) loan isn’t just about getting the money to the Borrower. It’s about doing it right, so you stay well within SBA compliance rules. SBA’s SOP 50 10 8, effective June 1st, 2025, includes specific guidance on disbursement rules and required documentation. Here’s what you need to know, so you’ll stay compliant every step of the way.

Disbursing funds for an SBA 7(a) loan isn’t just about getting the money to the Borrower. It’s about doing it right, so you stay well within SBA compliance rules. SBA’s SOP 50 10 8, effective June 1st, 2025, includes specific guidance on disbursement rules and required documentation. Here’s what you need to know, so you’ll stay compliant every step of the way.

SBA debt refinancing can get complicated – and staying aligned with SBA guidelines for Lenders is essential. The latest SBA guidance in SOP 50 10 8 provides clarification on multiple issues. They’ve updated how debt refinancing is handled, and they’ve also reinforced the importance of the long-standing message that SBA loans aren’t intended to transfer risk or cover Lender losses.

Loan Applicants have always had to obtain appropriate insurance, and Lenders have always had to ensure it’s included in the Terms & Conditions and the Credit Memo. No new news there. But there are some new updates that Lenders should be aware of to make sure they remain in SBA compliance.

Applicant certification requirements under the recently-released SOP 50 10 8 are a mix of new, changed, and familiar. Many of the Applicant certifications can be found in the current Form 1919 from February 2025. However, we’ve heard that an updated Form 1919 is on the way, though its release date – and its changes – haven’t yet been announced.

Back in December, we believed FTA’s SBA training looked reasonably well done and complete. While there have been many opportunities for training sessions, there’s still confusion surrounding error codes and exactly how to fix them. We can offer Lender consulting services to support your team while they work their way through these issues.

SBA has issued a lot of new information in the last few weeks, creating a very real challenge for SBA teams trying to stay on top of all...

SBA is releasing what they’re referring to as a “modernized” Form 1502 and filing process – and yes, it’s a definite improvement over the...

Equity injection has always been an integral part of SBA Lending. And it’s always been an area where errors can impact the Lender’s...

SBA released a lot of new forms at the end of 2023. One of them was the much-anticipated streamlined Form 1919, bringing it into...

Did you notice the new notice? We’d like to draw your attention to the Information Notice  SBA released at the end of December (when you...

Getting the guarantee purchased is important; that’s not new news! What is news is that the new Universal Purchase Package, or UPP, is...

SBA is cheerfully categorizing the changes in its recently-released SOP 50 7 3 as “improvements” – which they may well be, but Lenders...

There’s either a Technical Update or revised SOP 50 10 7 coming soon, but who knows when “soon” will be. So, “Do what you do – until we...

There are a lot of changes in the new SOPs 50 10 7 and 50 57 3 , and all of them are effective 8/1/2023. Yikes. That’s just a few days...

We’ve written before about the importance of staying on top of your 1502 reporting to the SBA. There have been a few recent updates, so...

It’s here – what we’ve all been waiting for: the latest update for SOP 50 10 7, Lender and Development Company Loan Programs! (You have...