Data

SBA loans to hotels in California: lenders, volume and loan sizes

Compiled by Matthews Hotel Markets · Last updated: September 18, 2026 · SBA data as of June 30, 2026

From FY2021 to FY2025, SBA approved 492 loans to hotels and motels in California for $1.37 billion: 318 under 7(a) and 174 under 504, per SBA loan-level data as of June 30, 2026. That is 9.3% of the 5,298 SBA hotel loans approved nationally in those years, which ranks California 2nd of 53 states and territories by loan count. In FY2025 alone, California had 77 SBA hotel loans. US Metro Bank is named on the most 7(a) hotel loans in California from FY2023 to FY2025: 20.

What stands out in California

  • The 504 program makes up 35.4% of SBA hotel loans in California from FY2021 to FY2025, versus 26.8% nationally. The rest are 7(a) loans.
  • The median 7(a) hotel loan in California was $2.57 million, 7.2% above the national median of $2.40 million for the same years. The median 504 debenture was $2.45 million, 16.0% above the national $2.12 million.
  • 39 different lenders are named on the 106 7(a) hotel loans in California from FY2023 to FY2025. The five with the most loans account for 38.7% of them.
  • SBA hotel lending in California peaked in FY2017 with 170 loans. FY2025 had 77.
  • FY2026 is a partial year in this release. Through June 30, 2026, SBA had approved 53 hotel loans in California.

What is counted. A loan counts toward California when SBA reports California as the project state, which is where the hotel is, not where the lender or borrower is based. Where SBA left the project state blank, the borrower state is used. Hotels means NAICS 721110, and cancelled loans are excluded. Dollar figures, averages and medians are withheld in any cell with fewer than three loans, because they would describe a single loan. The full method is on the national page. SBA loans to hotels, national figures and methodology

California against the national figures

All figures cover FY2021 to FY2025, the five most recent full SBA fiscal years. For 7(a), loan size is the full loan. For 504 it is the SBA/CDC debenture only, so the hotel project behind it is larger.

SBA hotel lending in California and the United States, FY2021 to FY2025
MeasureCaliforniaUnited States
SBA hotel loans4925,298
7(a) loans3183,879
504 loans1741,419
504 share of loans35.4%26.8%
Gross approval, both programs$1.37 billion$13.41 billion
Median 7(a) loan$2.57 million$2.40 million
Average 7(a) loan$2.72 million$2.58 million
Median 504 debenture$2.45 million$2.12 million
Average 504 debenture$2.91 million$2.39 million
Share of national SBA hotel loans9.3%100.0%
Share of national gross approval10.2%100.0%
Rank among states and territories, by loans2nd of 53n/a

SBA hotel loans in California by fiscal year

Approvals by SBA fiscal year, which ends September 30 and is named for the year it ends in. For 504, gross approval is the SBA/CDC debenture only. "Withheld" marks a year and program with one or two loans in California.

SBA hotel loans approved in California by fiscal year, 7(a) and 504, FY2010 to FY2026Grouped bar chart. FY2010: 7(a) 52, 504 11. FY2011: 7(a) 124, 504 21. FY2012: 7(a) 81, 504 56. FY2013: 7(a) 122, 504 29. FY2014: 7(a) 119, 504 32. FY2015: 7(a) 111, 504 30. FY2016: 7(a) 127, 504 27. FY2017: 7(a) 130, 504 40. FY2018: 7(a) 103, 504 30. FY2019: 7(a) 77, 504 20. FY2020: 7(a) 95, 504 16. FY2021: 7(a) 141, 504 23. FY2022: 7(a) 71, 504 39. FY2023: 7(a) 35, 504 36. FY2024: 7(a) 37, 504 33. FY2025: 7(a) 34, 504 43. FY2026 (partial): 7(a) 28, 504 25.0255075100125150'10'11'12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19'20141'21'22'23'2434'25'26partial7(a) loans504 loansSBA fiscal year of approval
Number of SBA loans to hotels in California by fiscal year of approval, NAICS 721110, cancelled loans excluded. FY2026 covers October 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026 only. The same counts are in the table below.
SBA hotel loan approvals in California by fiscal year and program
Fiscal year7(a) loans7(a) gross approval504 loans504 gross approvalAll SBA hotel loans
FY2026 (partial)28$73.2M25$78.3M53
FY202534$100.2M43$135.7M77
FY202437$92.0M33$84.2M70
FY202335$96.8M36$102.0M71
FY202271$222.4M39$125.8M110
FY2021141$353.5M23$58.0M164
FY202095$261.7M16$47.0M111
FY201977$189.0M20$43.7M97
FY2018103$230.5M30$89.7M133
FY2017130$255.1M40$96.6M170
FY2016127$239.2M27$83.1M154
FY2015111$224.6M30$58.2M141
FY2014119$219.8M32$78.1M151
FY2013122$228.5M29$63.6M151
FY201281$142.1M56$109.3M137
FY2011124$233.6M21$40.2M145
FY201052$53.0M11$15.8M63

Top SBA hotel lenders in California, FY2023 to FY2025

Lenders and certified development companies are ranked by the number of hotel loans in California from FY2023 to FY2025, the three most recent full fiscal years, using names exactly as SBA reports them. SBA defines the 7(a) name as the bank the loan is currently assigned to. Lenders with the same count are ordered by dollars. A ranking here is a count of public records. It is not a recommendation, and Matthews Hotel Markets has no arrangement with any lender on it.

7(a) lenders with the most hotel loans in California

106 7(a) hotel loans in California from FY2023 to FY2025, from 39 different lenders. US Metro Bank is named on the most 7(a) hotel loans in California from FY2023 to FY2025: 20.

Top 7(a) hotel lenders in California by loan count, FY2023 to FY2025
Rank7(a) lender, as SBA reports itHotel loansShare of the state's loans in this programGross approval
1US Metro Bank2018.9%$61.3M
2Readycap Lending, LLC65.7%$12.9M
3Open Bank54.7%$19.4M
4Bank of Hope54.7%$17.3M
5Southwestern National Bank54.7%$16.9M
6Commercial Bank of California54.7%$9.8M
7GBank43.8%$19.1M
8Harvest Small Business Finance, LLC43.8%$12.8M
9Summit State Bank43.8%$11.7M
10CalPrivate Bank43.8%$9.2M

504 certified development companies with the most hotel loans in California

112 504 hotel loans in California from FY2023 to FY2025, through 13 different CDCs. Mortgage Capital Development Corporation is named on the most 504 hotel loans in California from FY2023 to FY2025: 51.

Top 504 CDCs for hotels in California by loan count, FY2023 to FY2025
Rank504 CDC, as SBA reports itHotel loansShare of the state's loans in this programGross approval
1Mortgage Capital Development Corporation5145.5%$144.2M
2Business Finance Capital1311.6%$38.0M
3Bay Area Employment Development Company1210.7%$48.5M
4Advantage Certified Development Corporation119.8%$35.5M
5AMPAC Tri-State CDC, Inc.54.5%$11.6M
6California Statewide Certified Development Corporation54.5%$10.5M
7CDC Small Business Finance Corp.43.6%$9.9M
8Capital Access Group, Inc.43.6%$8.8M
9Cen Cal Business Finance Group21.8%Withheld
10Arcata Economic Development Corporation21.8%Withheld

How big are SBA hotel loans in California?

Loan size by gross approval, FY2021 to FY2025. The most common 7(a) hotel loan size in California is $2.0 million to $3.49 million, with 26.4% of loans, against 28.7% nationally in the same band. 19.2% of California's 7(a) hotel loans are in the top band, at the $5 million 7(a) limit, against 12.9% nationally. Bands show loan counts only.

SBA hotel loan size distribution in California and nationally, FY2021 to FY2025
Gross approval7(a) loans in CaliforniaShare in CaliforniaShare nationally, 7(a)504 loans in CaliforniaShare in California, 504Share nationally, 504
Under $350,000175.3%5.6%31.7%3.0%
$350,000 to $999,9995216.4%11.8%2212.6%18.6%
$1.0 million to $1.99 million5417.0%23.7%4324.7%25.2%
$2.0 million to $3.49 million8426.4%28.7%4023.0%28.6%
$3.5 million to $4.99 million5015.7%17.3%3017.2%16.1%
$5.0 million and over6119.2%12.9%3620.7%8.5%

Methodology

These figures are the California slice of our national compilation of SBA's "7(a) & 504 FOIA" loan-level files, as of June 30, 2026. The source files, the definitions, the caveats (approvals are not disbursements, NAICS codes are self-reported, lender names are not merged) and the reconciliation are on the national page, along with JSON and CSV downloads that include every state. SBA loans to hotels, national figures and methodology

Cite as

SBA's underlying loan data is a U.S. government work in the public domain. This compilation is published under CC BY 4.0. Cite SBA for the raw data and this page for the state aggregates. License: CC BY 4.0

Matthews Hotel Markets. "SBA loans to hotels in California: lenders, volume and loan sizes." https://matthewshotelmarkets.com/data/sba-hotel-lending/california. SBA data as of 2026-06-30. Last updated 2026-09-18.

Sources

  1. 7(a) & 504 FOIA dataset · U.S. Small Business Administration · files as of June 30, 2026; read September 18, 2026
  2. 7(a) and 504 FOIA Data Dictionary · U.S. Small Business Administration · defines GrossApproval, LoanStatus, BankName and the other fields used here; read September 18, 2026
  3. Dataset record for SBA-OHA-2016-08-001 (license, update frequency, file list) · U.S. Small Business Administration · read September 18, 2026
  4. 7(a) loans (maximum loan amount) · U.S. Small Business Administration · read September 18, 2026