Small business capital in the Rio Grande Valley and Texas.
Every SBA loan is public record, and so is Texas's small business credit program. We tabulate them so owners, buyers, lenders and reporters can see who is borrowing, who is buying, and who is lending. Updated quarterly.
Data as of: SBA Lender Activity Report, September 30, 2026; SBA loan-level FOIA data, June 30, 2026; TSBCI lender list, October 29, 2026. Page updated October 30, 2026.
The Valley borrowed $72.6M through the SBA in FY2026.
Full-year totals: SBA FY2026 Lender 7(a) Activity Report (as of Sep 30, 2026). Median, acquisitions and breakdowns: SBA 7(a) loan-level FOIA data (as of Jun 30, 2026), Nov 13, 2025 to Jun 26, 2026 (89 loans, $48.1M).
Who is borrowing
60% of loans went to businesses operating for more than two years. 8 existing businesses changed hands with SBA financing ($14.1M), and 12 loans went to franchise operators.
Top SBA 7(a) lenders in the district, FY2026
| Lender | Loans | Dollars |
|---|---|---|
| PlainsCapital Bank | 27 | $5.1M |
| Newtek Bank | 21 | $3.5M |
| Huntington National Bank | 9 | $7.3M |
| Northeast Bank | 6 | $736K |
| Celtic Bank | 5 | $2.7M |
| Live Oak Bank | 4 | $5.2M |
| Readycap Lending, LLC | 4 | $150K |
Loans by county
| County | Loans | Dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Hidalgo | 36 | $12.1M |
| Cameron | 23 | $10.5M |
| Nueces | 12 | $8.5M |
| Aransas | 8 | $3.0M |
| San Patricio | 5 | $9.4M |
| Starr | 2 | $380K |
| Jim Wells | 1 | $3.5M |
| Kleberg | 1 | $554K |
Most-financed industries
| Industry | Loans | Dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars | 5 | $4.9M |
| Full-Service Restaurants | 4 | $1.7M |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Retailers | 4 | $434K |
| Gasoline Stations with Convenience Stores | 3 | $2.7M |
| Limited-Service Restaurants | 3 | $650K |
| Architectural Services | 3 | $475K |
| Lessors of Miniwarehouses and Self-Storage Units | 2 | $4.6M |
| Veterinary Services | 2 | $2.5M |
Texas: 3,371 SBA 7(a) loans and $2.49B in nine months.
SBA 7(a) loan-level FOIA data (as of Jun 30, 2026), Oct 1, 2025 to Jun 30, 2026, project state Texas.
466 Texas loans financed the purchase of an existing business ($682.9M, median $973K), about 14% of all 7(a) loans in the state. 627 loans (19%) used the faster SBA Express program.
Top SBA 7(a) lenders in Texas, FY2026
| Lender | Loans | Dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Newtek Bank | 502 | $146.4M |
| Northeast Bank | 388 | $70.5M |
| Huntington National Bank | 297 | $164.1M |
| Live Oak Bank | 256 | $328.2M |
| Zions Bancorporation | 181 | $57.4M |
| Readycap Lending, LLC | 134 | $31.8M |
| Celtic Bank | 122 | $63.4M |
| United Midwest Savings Bank | 106 | $42.7M |
| JPMorgan Chase Bank | 106 | $37.8M |
| PlainsCapital Bank | 93 | $26.7M |
Cities with the most 7(a) loans
| City | Loans |
|---|---|
| Houston | 348 |
| Austin | 190 |
| Dallas | 172 |
| San Antonio | 159 |
| Fort Worth | 113 |
| Plano | 71 |
Lender totals: SBA FY2026 Lender 7(a) Activity Report (as of Sep 30, 2026) (project state Texas). City counts: SBA 7(a) loan-level FOIA data (as of Jun 30, 2026), Oct 1, 2025 to Jun 30, 2026.
Who finances business acquisitions in Texas.
The 7(a) program is the SBA's main loan for buying, starting or expanding a business, and the standard way buyers finance an acquisition with as little as 10% down. These lenders made the most change-of-ownership 7(a) loans in Texas in Q1 to Q3 FY2026.
| Lender | Acquisition loans | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Huntington National Bank | 57 | $500K |
| Live Oak Bank | 52 | $840K |
| First Internet Bank of Indiana | 19 | $953K |
| Zions Bancorporation | 15 | $382K |
| T Bank | 14 | $1.4M |
In the Valley district, 8 businesses changed hands with 7(a) financing ($14.1M): a storage facility, a hotel, an HVAC contractor, a bakery, a laundromat, a convenience store and a landscaping company, among others.
Source: SBA 7(a) loan-level FOIA data (as of Jun 30, 2026), Q1 to Q3 FY2026.
SBA 504: 202 Texas loans and $314.4M for real estate and equipment.
The 504 program finances owner-occupied real estate and major equipment. A bank lends about half, a Certified Development Company (CDC) lends up to 40% with an SBA-backed debenture, and the borrower puts in as little as 10%. In Texas, the median bank first loan alongside a 504 was $1.7M, and 57 of the 202 loans (28%) went to startups.
Top CDCs in Texas
| CDC | Loans | CDC dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Capital Certified Development | 91 | $148.4M |
| North Texas Certified Development | 29 | $44.0M |
| LiftFund, Inc. | 23 | $36.6M |
| Greater East Texas Certified Development Company | 21 | $27.0M |
| Community Certified Development | 9 | $13.8M |
504 loans in the Valley district
| CDC | Loans | CDC dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Capital Certified Development | 3 | $5.0M |
| Brownsville Local Development Company | 1 | $3.4M |
| LiftFund, Inc. | 1 | $739K |
Banks most often partnering on Texas 504 loans
| Bank (first lien lender) | 504 loans |
|---|---|
| Horizon Bank SSB | 12 |
| Prosperity Bank | 10 |
| Texas First Bank | 10 |
| Bank of America | 9 |
| Live Oak Bank | 7 |
| First Financial Bank | 7 |
| Bank Five Nine | 7 |
Source: SBA 504 loan-level FOIA data (as of June 30, 2026), Oct 1, 2025 to Jun 30, 2026. Dollar figures are the CDC portion (gross approval).
Small loans keep Valley businesses running.
34% of Texas 7(a) loans were for $150,000 or less (median $100K). In the Valley district, 42 loans of $150,000 or less totaled $3.7M.
Community lenders (CDFIs) making SBA 7(a) loans in Texas
Community Development Financial Institutions focus on borrowers banks often pass over: newer businesses, thinner credit and smaller loans.
| CDFI | 7(a) loans | Dollars |
|---|---|---|
| LiftFund | 36 | $5.7M |
| Accion Opportunity Fund | 15 | $3.7M |
| PeopleFund | 10 | $1.3M |
| DreamSpring | 4 | $561K |
Most active small-loan lenders ($150K or less)
| Lender, Texas | Loans | Dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Newtek Bank | 201 | $14.9M |
| Northeast Bank | 143 | $13.4M |
| Zions Bank | 94 | $7.6M |
| Huntington National Bank | 90 | $5.4M |
| Celtic Bank | 77 | $9.5M |
| PlainsCapital Bank | 42 | $4.1M |
| Lender, Valley district | Loans | Dollars |
|---|---|---|
| PlainsCapital Bank | 12 | $1.3M |
| Newtek Bank | 9 | $687K |
| Celtic Bank | 4 | $469K |
| Northeast Bank | 3 | $300K |
| Huntington National Bank | 3 | $175K |
Source: SBA 7(a) and 504 loan-level FOIA data (as of June 30, 2026), Oct 1, 2025 to Jun 30, 2026. SBA Microloan program intermediary loans are reported separately by SBA and are not included here.
TSBCI: Texas's $472 million small business credit program.
The Texas State Small Business Credit Initiative (TSBCI) is the state's share of the federal SSBCI program, run by the Office of the Governor. It does not lend directly. It backs loans made by participating banks and CDFIs, through a loan loss reserve (Capital Access Program, CAP) or a partial state guarantee of up to 80% for very small and SEDI-owned businesses (Loan Guarantee Program, LGP). Treasury approved Texas for up to $472.1M in March 2023.
In fiscal year 2025, 20 participating lenders enrolled 88 loans (52 CAP and 36 LGP) with more than $3.3M in credit enhancements, creating 211 jobs and retaining 332. As of October 29, 2026, 14 banks and 21 CDFIs were approved to participate.
TSBCI lenders serving the Valley
| Lender | Type | Programs |
|---|---|---|
| Lone Star National Bank | Bank | LGP, CAP |
| Rio Bank | Bank | LGP, CAP |
| Texas National Bank | Bank | LGP, CAP |
| LiftFund | CDFI (McAllen office) | LGP, CAP |
| PeopleFund | CDFI (statewide, active in the RGV) | LGP, CAP, CDLP |
What TSBCI can and cannot fund in an acquisition
TSBCI-backed loans can fund equipment, inventory, owner-occupied real estate, improvements and working capital, but not goodwill or a purchase of stock or membership interests. A buyer can pair an SBA 7(a) loan for the goodwill-heavy purchase price with a separate TSBCI-backed loan for another purpose. The two cannot cover the same dollars.
Sources: TSBCI program page; participating lender list (October 29, 2026); Texas Economic Development Bank FY2025 report; U.S. Treasury, March 2, 2023. Lone Star National Bank 7(a) counts: SBA 7(a) FOIA data. Program rules: 10 TAC Chapter 200.
For reporters, lenders and researchers.
Data as of: SBA Lender Activity Report, September 30, 2026; SBA loan-level FOIA data, June 30, 2026; TSBCI lender list, October 29, 2026. Page updated October 30, 2026.
Press and data questions: Spencer Gareiss, Delta Brokers, inquiries@greenridgegroup.org. The underlying aggregate data is available as JSON. Link to any section directly, for example /rgv-sba-lending-data#tsbci.
Method. SBA loans are counted by project state (Texas) or by the SBA district office field (Lower Rio Grande Valley: Hidalgo, Cameron, Starr, Willacy, Nueces and nearby counties). "Acquisitions" are loans SBA codes as change of ownership; in the district tables, businesses with more than one loan are counted once. Dollar figures are gross approvals. Full-year FY2026 lender totals come from the SBA Lender 7(a) Activity Report; all breakdowns come from the loan-level FOIA files, which run through June 30, 2026. TSBCI figures come from the Texas Office of the Governor's published reports and lender list. These are Delta Brokers' tabulations and may differ from official summaries. Lenders are listed by activity only; this is not a recommendation of any lender. This page reports public data only. It is not investment, lending, legal or tax advice, and Delta Brokers does not provide real estate or property valuations.
Curious what your business is worth?
Lenders are active in the Valley, and buyers are using SBA money to buy businesses here. A free, confidential valuation tells you where you stand.