# Small business loans in Portland, ME

**Short answer:** The most active SBA lenders in Portland, ME since FY2024 are Bangor Savings Bank (20 loans) and Maine Community Bank (18). The median loan was $150,000, and half fell between $55,000 and $330,000. For free help, see the Maine Small Business Development Centers. Source: SBA 7(a) loan data.

Canonical page: https://www.sbaexpress.loans/maine-small-business-loans/portland/
Data as of: 2026-06-30

## Lenders making SBA loans in Portland

Bangor Savings Bank made the most loans in Portland, 25% of the total. The five largest lenders together made 75%.

**Lenders with five or more SBA loans in Portland, ME, FY2024 to June 2026**

| Lender | Loans | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Bangor Savings Bank](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-express-lenders/bangor-savings-bank/) | 20 | 25.3% |
| [Maine Community Bank](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-express-lenders/maine-community-bank/) | 18 | 22.8% |
| [Norway Savings Bank](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-express-lenders/norway-savings-bank/) | 9 | 11.4% |
| [TD Bank](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-express-lenders/td-bank/) | 7 | 8.9% |
| [Androscoggin Savings Bank](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-express-lenders/androscoggin-savings-bank/) | 5 | 6.3% |

Share is the percent of all Portland loans in that period. Each name links to that lender's page for Maine where one exists.

## Local help near Portland

Portland borrowers can start with SBA's district office for Maine, an SBDC or SCORE.

51% of Portland borrowers since FY2024 were startups or businesses two years old or younger. SBDCs provide counseling and training, and SCORE mentors give advice at no cost, according to SBA.

SBA has one district office for Maine. Its page points to state and federal resources and to lenders in the area. The Maine Small Business Development Centers gives free counseling across Maine.

- [SBA Maine District Office (Augusta, with Portland and Bangor offices): SBA district office](https://www.sba.gov/district/maine)
- [Maine Small Business Development Centers: Small Business Development Center](https://www.mainesbdc.org/)
- [SCORE mentors in Maine: Business mentoring](https://www.score.org/me/maine/)

Alongside SBA loans, Maine runs two loan programs. The [Maine page](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/maine-small-business-loans/#loan-programs-in-maine) describes each, and the official pages are linked here.

- [FAME Commercial Loan Insurance](https://www.famemaine.com/business-financing/for-lenders/commercial-loan-insurance/)
- [FAME Direct Loan](https://www.famemaine.com/business-financing/for-business-owners/fame-financing-programs/direct-loan-programs/fame-direct-loan/)

## Loan counts and sizes in Portland

Portland is the only Maine city with 100 or more SBA loans since FY2020. Nationally it is the 295th busiest of the 580 cities that reach 100 loans.

The 79 loans, 9.3% of the 852 in Maine, were approved for $22.2 million in all. The median loan was $150,000, close to the national median of $150,300. Half of the loans fell between $55,000 and $330,000. The Portland median is 50% above the Maine median of $100,000.

**Portland, ME compared with Maine and the nation, loans from FY2024 to June 2026**

| Measure | Portland | Maine | U.S. |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Loans | 79 | 852 | 162,355 |
| Median loan | $150,000 | $100,000 | $150,300 |
| 25th percentile | $55,000 | $40,475 | $50,000 |
| 75th percentile | $330,000 | $250,000 | $500,000 |
| Via SBA Express | 49.4% | 59.6% | 35.8% |
| Lines of credit | 35.4% | 42.3% | 28.1% |
| Startups | 38.0% | 18.4% | 16.1% |
| Ownership changes | 8.9% | 10.2% | 10.4% |
| Median term | 10 years | 10 years | 10 years |
| Median spread | 1.25 | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Charged off | Fewer than 5 | 1.2% | 3.6% |

A quarter of loans were smaller than the 25th percentile loan and a quarter were larger than the 75th. Median spread is in percentage points over Prime. Charged off is the share of FY2020 to FY2022 loans a lender wrote off as a loss. It is shown only for groups of 30 loans or more. Fewer than 5 marks a share that would stand for 1 to 4 loans, which we do not publish. U.S. covers every loan in the file.

86% of the loans were $500,000 or less, the size SBA Express covers. 49.4% of all loans went through SBA Express, above the national 35.8%. Lines of credit were 35.4% of loans, above the national 28.1%.

SBA loans in Portland, ME by size, FY2024 to June 2026

- $50,000 or less (25%): 20
- $50,001 to $150,000 (28%): 22
- $150,001 to $350,000 (23%): 18
- $350,001 to $500,000 (10%): 8
- $500,001 to $1,000,000 (11%): 9
- $1,000,001 to $2,000,000: Fewer than 5
- Over $2,000,000: Fewer than 5

Labels show each size's share of all loans. The highlighted bar is the size band that contains the median.

By business age, 40.5% of loans went to businesses more than two years old and 12.7% to businesses two years old or younger. Startups received 38.0% and changes of ownership 8.9%. The national startup share is 16.1%.

SBA loans in Portland, ME by fiscal year

- FY2020: 22
- FY2021: 22
- FY2022: 28
- FY2023: 36
- FY2024: 37
- FY2025: 32
- FY2026 (through June 30): 10

Fiscal years run October to September. The last bar covers nine of its twelve months.

Volume fell 14% from FY2024 (37 loans) to FY2025 (32), the two latest full years. The busiest full year in the file was FY2024, with 37 loans. FY2026 already shows 10 loans through June 30.

Of the 72 loans Portland borrowers received in FY2020 to FY2022, fewer than 5 were charged off by June 30, 2026, against 3.6% nationally. Lenders reported 1,004 jobs supported across the 79 loans since FY2024, about 12.7 per loan. SBA does not audit these estimates.

## What businesses in Portland borrow for

Full-Service Restaurants was the largest borrower group in Portland, with 7 loans or 8.9% of the total.

**Industries with the most SBA loans in Portland, ME, FY2024 to June 2026**

| Industry | Loans | Share | U.S. share |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Full-Service Restaurants](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/industries/full-service-restaurants/maine/) | 7 | 8.9% | 4.6% |
| [Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/industries/drinking-places/) | 6 | 7.6% | 0.5% |

Share is the percent of all Portland loans in that period. Industry is the NAICS code on each loan. A name links to the Maine page for that industry where one exists.

## A typical loan payment in Portland

The median Portland loan was $150,000 with a median term of 10 years.

The median variable-rate loan in Portland was priced at Prime plus 1.25 percentage points at approval. At today's Prime that spread works out to 8.25%. On $150,000 over 10 years, principal and interest would come to about $1,840 a month. That is arithmetic on past loans, not a rate a lender is offering.

**Payment at today's rate on three Portland loan sizes over 10 years**

| Loan | Amount | Monthly payment |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 25th percentile loan | $55,000 | $675 |
| Median loan | $150,000 | $1,840 |
| 75th percentile loan | $330,000 | $4,048 |

Principal and interest only. Fees, a different term or a fixed rate change the payment. This is an illustration from SBA's file, not an offer.

SBA's rate ceiling for this loan size

SBA's maximum for a loan of $150,000 is Prime plus 6.0 percentage points, or 13.00% today. The median variable-rate loan here was priced 4.8 points under that ceiling. Source: 13 CFR § 120.214(d)(2); SOP 50 10 8.1, App. 18, Para. A.2 (p. 395).

Portland loans approved since FY2024 had a median starting rate of 8.5% at approval, against 10.25% nationally. Prime changed during those years, so use the spread above, not that rate, as the guide to today's cost.

Run your own numbers: [payments on a $150,000 loan](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/loan-amounts/150000-business-loan/) and [SBA Express payment calculator](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-express-payment-calculator/).

## SBA 504 loans near Portland

Portland has 9 SBA 504 loans since FY2024, with $8.9 million in SBA and CDC dollars.

The median 504 loan in Portland was $880,000 in SBA and CDC dollars, 18% of the $5,000,000 program maximum. The bank's share of each project is separate and is not counted in these figures.

Granite State Economic Development Corporation is the one Certified Development Company (CDC) named on five or more loans, 35 since FY2020.

**CDCs named on five or more 504 loans in Portland, FY2020 to June 2026**

| Certified Development Company | 504 loans |
| --- | --- |
| Granite State Economic Development Corporation | 35 |

How a 504 loan is split

A standard 504 project is 50% third party lender, 40% CDC debenture, 10% borrower. 504 money pays for major fixed assets such as land, buildings and long-term machinery and equipment, not working capital or inventory. Source: SOP 50 10 8.1, Sec. C, Ch. 1, Para. B (p. 221). SBA keeps a [list of Certified Development Companies](https://www.sba.gov/loans/504-loans/list-of-certified-development-companies/).

## Portland in Maine

Portland made up 9.3% of Maine's SBA loans since FY2024.

Portland is the only Maine city with 100 or more SBA loans since FY2020. The [Maine page](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/maine-small-business-loans/) covers all 852 loans in Maine.

## Common questions about SBA loans in Portland

### Which lenders make the most SBA loans in Portland?

Bangor Savings Bank leads with 20 loans in Portland since FY2024. Maine Community Bank (18) and Norway Savings Bank (9) follow. Only lenders with five or more Portland loans are counted.

### Which industries get SBA loans in Portland?

Full-Service Restaurants leads with 7 loans in Portland since FY2024. Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (6) follows.

How to read this

Counts come from SBA's 7(a) loan-level data release, as of June 30, 2026. The file lists loans SBA approved. It does not list declined applications, so it cannot show approval odds. We do not publish any figure built on fewer than 5 loans. Location is the borrower's address in the file, and city names are as SBA recorded them. Recent means FY2024 through June 30, 2026. Charge-off rates use FY2020 to FY2022 loans, the only years old enough to have had time to go bad. Jobs supported are lender-reported estimates. [How we build these pages](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/method/).

## Sources

- [SBA 7(a) and 504 FOIA loan-level data, as of June 30, 2026](https://data.sba.gov/dataset/7a-504-foia)
- [SBA, 504 loans](https://www.sba.gov/loans/504-loans/)
- [SBA, resource partners: SBDCs and SCORE](https://www.sba.gov/counseling/local-assistance/resource-partners/)
- [SBA Maine District Office (Augusta, with Portland and Bangor offices)](https://www.sba.gov/district/maine)
- [Maine Small Business Development Centers](https://www.mainesbdc.org/)
- [SCORE, Maine](https://www.score.org/me/maine/)
- [SOP 50 10 8.1, Sec. C, Ch. 1, Para. D.1 (p. 241); 13 CFR § 120.931](https://legacy.sba.gov/sites/default/files/2026-10/SOP%2050%2010%208.1%20Technical%20Policy%20Updates%20effective%20%2010.1.2026.docx)
- [SOP 50 10 8.1, Sec. C, Ch. 1, Para. B (p. 221)](https://legacy.sba.gov/sites/default/files/2026-10/SOP%2050%2010%208.1%20Technical%20Policy%20Updates%20effective%20%2010.1.2026.docx)
- [sba.gov/loans/504-loans; SOP 50 10 8.1, Sec. A, Ch. 3, Para. A (p. 51)](https://www.sba.gov/loans/504-loans/)
- [SOP 50 10 8.1, Sec. B, Ch. 2, Para. B.1 (p. 126)](https://legacy.sba.gov/sites/default/files/2026-10/SOP%2050%2010%208.1%20Technical%20Policy%20Updates%20effective%20%2010.1.2026.docx)
- [13 CFR § 120.214(d)(2); SOP 50 10 8.1, App. 18, Para. A.2 (p. 395)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-13/section-120.214)