SBA Lafayette Gains Preferred Lender Authority for 7(a) Loans From U.S. Small Business Administration

SBA Lafayette, one of 14 active Small Business Lending Companies licensed by the U.S. Small Business Administration to originate 7(a) loans, has been named a Preferred Lender by the agency, the company announced October 27, 2026 in a PR Newswire release. The designation gives the lender delegated authority to make SBA 7(a) credit decisions.

What the Preferred Lender Designation Changes

Lafayette Square SBLC, LLC, which does business as SBA Lafayette, is an independent portfolio company of Lafayette Square USA, Inc., an externally managed, non-diversified, closed-end investment company regulated as a business development company under the Investment Company Act of 1940. The U.S. Small Business Administration is an independent federal agency that guarantees loans, licenses investment funds, delivers disaster assistance and runs contracting programs.

Under the Preferred Lender Program, SBA Lafayette can make 7(a) credit decisions itself, which the company said expedites funding approval. The SBA backed 77,600 7(a) loans totaling $37 billion in fiscal year 2025.

"Our 30-person team brings experience and preparedness to fund borrowers seeking transparent and swift loan decisions from a lender that understands Working-Class people and places," said Rocco Perate, chief executive officer of SBA Lafayette. Perate also cited his 35-year relationship with the SBA, now with the support of Lafayette Square USA, Inc.

Since inception SBA Lafayette has approved 25 loans. One was a transaction with Manhattan Shade & Associates, a New York manufacturer and installer of high-end window treatments, whose loan proceeds funded the acquisition of Merrill Y. Landis, Ltd., a family-owned custom window treatment manufacturer in Telford, Pennsylvania. "SBA Lafayette understood that this acquisition was about much more than a transaction; it was about preserving craftsmanship, growing our capabilities, and investing into the fourth generation of our family business," said Mitchell Schulman, principal of Manhattan Shade & Associates.

SBA Lending Volume in Federal Records

According to akta.pro company records, the SBA guaranteed $45 billion in capital to 85,000 small businesses in fiscal year 2025. The same records show the agency doubled its combined maximum SBA loan limit from $5 million to $10 million in July 2026, split as $5 million each across the 7(a) and 504 programs.

Earlier SBA Actions in 2026

The SBA launched its inaugural Critical Suppliers Prize Competition in August 2026, offering up to $20 million in non-dilutive capital to small businesses working on domestic supply chain vulnerabilities, Smallbiztrends reported. In October 2026 the agency awarded more than $18 million in non-dilutive funding to seven companies in that competition, targeting defense, aerospace and advanced materials, according to Smallbiztrends. The SBA also referred $34 million in unresolved Shuttered Venue Operators Grant debt to the U.S. Department of the Treasury for collection in August 2026, FinancialContent Business Page reported.

SBA Lafayette's Next Steps

SBA Lafayette said it will originate and fund government-guaranteed loans under the 7(a) program through its own site.