IE small business borrowing: fewer loans, bigger checks

Citrus Belt Review: SBA lenders approved 230 7(a) loans totaling $128.1 million for Riverside and San Bernardino county businesses in the first quarter of 2026, according to SBA loan-level data. That's 23% fewer loans than the same quarter a year ago, but nearly identical dollars — the average approval climbed from $427,000 to $557,000, a 30% jump.

The shift runs through the whole distribution. The median loan rose from $150,000 in Q1 2025 to $252,000 this quarter, and approvals under $150,000 fell from 133 to 81. Smaller borrowers are either not applying or not getting through; larger deals are carrying the program's dollar volume.

The borrower mix moved too. Established businesses took 60% of approvals, down from 71% a year earlier, while change-of-ownership loans more than doubled their share to 13% and startup loans rose from 6% to 10%. More of the corridor's SBA money is financing business purchases and new launches than it was a year ago.

Riverside County borrowers took 138 of the quarter's approvals against San Bernardino County's 92. U.S. Bank was the most active lender with 42 approvals, and the quarter's loans supported 2,341 jobs by SBA's count.