How LenderHawk Rankings Work

Every number on this site comes from real SBA lending data. Here’s exactly how we turn raw loan records into actionable lender rankings.

01

Data Sources

LenderHawk is built on real SBA lending data — a comprehensive record of every SBA-approved loan. Our current dataset includes 1,000,000+ approved loans.

For each loan, the data includes: the approved lender, loan amount, borrower state, industry classification (NAICS code), program type (7(a) or 504), approval date, and interest rate. This allows us to calculate estimated spreads over prime. The dataset is refreshed quarterly as new SBA lending data becomes available.

02

How Rankings Work

When you search for lenders, we score each one using a weighted system across four dimensions: deal count, geographic concentration, industry specialization, and pricing competitiveness. The result is a three-tier ranking:

Strong Match

High activity in your exact state + industry + size range with competitive pricing. These lenders have a proven track record doing deals like yours.

Good Match

Solid in two or more of three dimensions (state, industry, size) with meaningful deal volume. Worth serious consideration.

Worth Exploring

Active lender with limited data in your specific segment. They may still be a great fit — the data just doesn’t tell us enough to rank them higher.

03

How Spreads Are Estimated

Spreads are estimated by matching each loan’s interest rate against the prime rate at the time of approval. This gives an estimated spread over prime (e.g., “P + 1.50%”).

Important caveat: these are estimates based on public data, not exact quotes. Actual rates vary by borrower creditworthiness, collateral, loan structure, and other factors only the lender can assess.

04

What The Data Does NOT Tell You

  • We can’t tell you what rate YOU will get
  • We don’t know a lender’s current capacity or appetite
  • Historical activity doesn’t guarantee future performance
  • Some lenders may have changed their focus since the data was collected
  • Spreads are estimates, not quotes

05

Update Frequency

Data is refreshed quarterly as new SBA lending records become available. When new data arrives, all rankings, spreads, and lender profiles are recalculated to reflect the most current information.

06

Promoted Content

Core search results are purely data-driven with no pay-to-play placement, ordering, or prominence. If we ever introduce promoted or sponsored placements, they will always be clearly labeled.

07

What LenderHawk Is NOT

  • NOT a broker — we don’t charge fees or package loans
  • NOT a lender — we don’t make loans
  • NOT pay-to-play — search results are ranked by data, not by who pays us
  • We ARE a data tool that helps borrowers make informed decisions independently