Small business loans in Portsmouth, NH
Short answer
The most active SBA lenders in Portsmouth, NH since FY2024 are Eastern Bank (11 loans) and Kennebunk Savings Bank (7). The median loan was $137,500, and half fell between $51,250 and $296,750. For free help, see the New Hampshire Small Business Development Center. Source: SBA 7(a) loan data.
- SBA loans since FY2024
- 58
- approved since FY2024
- $14M
- median loan
- $137,500
- through SBA Express
- 58.6%
Lenders making SBA loans in Portsmouth
No lender made more than 19% of the loans in Portsmouth, and Eastern Bank made the most. The four largest lenders together made 50%.
| Lender | Loans | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern Bank | 11 | 19.0% |
| Kennebunk Savings Bank | 7 | 12.1% |
| Bangor Savings Bank | 6 | 10.3% |
| The Huntington National Bank | 5 | 8.6% |
Share is the percent of all Portsmouth loans in that period. Each name links to that lender's page for New Hampshire where one exists.
Portsmouth has four lenders with five or more loans since FY2024. Others had fewer, and the New Hampshire page counts 88 lenders with at least one approved loan statewide.
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Local help near Portsmouth
Portsmouth borrowers can start with SBA's district office for New Hampshire, an SBDC or SCORE.
34% of Portsmouth 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 New Hampshire. Its page points to state and federal resources and to lenders in the area. The New Hampshire Small Business Development Center gives free counseling across New Hampshire.
- SBA New Hampshire District Office (Concord)SBA district office
- New Hampshire Small Business Development CenterSmall Business Development Center
- SCORE mentors in New HampshireBusiness mentoring
Alongside SBA loans, New Hampshire runs three loan programs. The New Hampshire page describes each, and the official pages are linked here.
Loan counts and sizes in Portsmouth
Portsmouth ranks 3rd by loans since FY2024 among the 4 New Hampshire cities with 100 or more SBA loans since FY2020. Nationally it is the 470th busiest of the 580 cities that reach 100 loans.
The 58 loans, 4.2% of the 1,376 in New Hampshire, were approved for $14.0 million in all. The medianThe middle figure. Half the loans were larger and half were smaller. loan was $137,500, 9% below the national median of $150,300. Half of the loans fell between $51,250 and $296,750. The Portsmouth median is 53% above the New Hampshire median of $90,000.
| Measure | Portsmouth | New Hampshire | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loans | 58 | 1,376 | 162,355 |
| Median loan | $137,500 | $90,000 | $150,300 |
| 25th percentile | $51,250 | $40,000 | $50,000 |
| 75th percentile | $296,750 | $224,250 | $500,000 |
| Via SBA Express | 58.6% | 67.4% | 35.8% |
| Lines of credit | 34.5% | 51.0% | 28.1% |
| Startups | 25.9% | 9.6% | 16.1% |
| Ownership changes | 8.6% | 9.5% | 10.4% |
| Median term | 10 years | 10 years | 10 years |
| Median spread | 2.75 | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Charged off | Fewer than 5 | 1.6% | 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.
91% of the loans were $500,000 or less, the size SBA Express covers. 58.6% of all loans went through SBA Express, above the national 35.8%. Lines of credit were 34.5% of loans, above the national 28.1%.
Labels show each size's share of all loans. The highlighted bar is the size band that contains the median.
By business age, 56.9% of loans went to businesses more than two years old and 8.6% to businesses two years old or younger. Startups received 25.9% and changes of ownership 8.6%. The national startup share is 16.1%.
Fiscal years run October to September. The last bar covers nine of its twelve months.
Volume fell 22% from FY2024 (27 loans) to FY2025 (21), the two latest full years. The busiest full year in the file was FY2024, with 27 loans. FY2026 already shows 10 loans through June 30.
Of the 54 loans Portsmouth borrowers received in FY2020 to FY2022, fewer than 5 were charged offThe lender wrote the loan off as a loss because it was not being repaid. by June 30, 2026, against 3.6% nationally. Lenders reported 367 jobs supported across the 58 loans since FY2024, about 6.3 per loan. SBA does not audit these estimates.
What businesses in Portsmouth borrow for
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers was the largest borrower group in Portsmouth, with 8 loans or 13.8% of the total.
| Industry | Loans | Share | U.S. share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers | 8 | 13.8% | 2.1% |
| Full-Service Restaurants | 6 | 10.3% | 4.6% |
Share is the percent of all Portsmouth loans in that period. Industry is the NAICS code on each loan. A name links to the New Hampshire page for that industry where one exists.
A typical loan payment in Portsmouth
The median Portsmouth loan was $137,500 with a median term of 10 years.
The median variable-rate loan in Portsmouth was priced at Prime plus 2.75 percentage points at approval. At today's Prime that spread works out to 9.75%. On $137,500 over 10 years, principal and interest would come to about $1,798 a month. That is arithmetic on past loans, not a rate a lender is offering.
| Loan | Amount | Monthly payment |
|---|---|---|
| 25th percentile loan | $51,250 | $670 |
| Median loan | $137,500 | $1,798 |
| 75th percentile loan | $296,750 | $3,881 |
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 $137,500 is Prime plus 6.0 percentage points, or 13.00% today. The median variable-rate loan here was priced 3.2 points under that ceiling. Source: 13 CFR § 120.214(d)(2); SOP 50 10 8.1, App. 18, Para. A.2 (p. 395).
Portsmouth loans approved since FY2024 had a median starting rate of 9.56% 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 and SBA Express payment calculator.
SBA 504 loans near Portsmouth
Portsmouth has 7 SBA 504 loans since FY2024, with $3.7 million in SBA and CDC dollars.
The median 504 loan in Portsmouth was $312,000 in SBA and CDC dollars, 6% 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 Certified Development CompanyA nonprofit that SBA certifies and regulates to arrange 504 loans together with a bank. (CDC) named on the most loans since FY2020, with 23. Bay Colony Development Corporation follows with 6. The two CDCs listed are named on 29 loans between them.
| Certified Development Company | 504 loans |
|---|---|
| Granite State Economic Development Corporation | 23 |
| Bay Colony Development Corporation | 6 |
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 capitalMoney for day-to-day costs such as payroll, rent and inventory. Full definition or inventory. Source: SOP 50 10 8.1, Sec. C, Ch. 1, Para. B (p. 221). SBA keeps a list of Certified Development Companies.
New Hampshire cities near Portsmouth
Portsmouth made up 4.2% of New Hampshire's SBA loans since FY2024.
Portsmouth is one of 4 New Hampshire cities with 100 or more SBA loans since FY2020. The New Hampshire page covers all 1,376 loans in New Hampshire. The closest come first, ranked by county and ZIP code on their loans.
Common questions about SBA loans in Portsmouth
Which lenders make the most SBA loans in Portsmouth?
Eastern Bank leads with 11 loans in Portsmouth since FY2024. Kennebunk Savings Bank (7) and Bangor Savings Bank (6) follow. Only lenders with five or more Portsmouth loans are counted.
Which industries get SBA loans in Portsmouth?
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers leads with 8 loans in Portsmouth since FY2024. Full-Service Restaurants (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.
Sources
- SBA 7(a) and 504 FOIA loan-level data, as of June 30, 2026
- SBA, 504 loans
- SBA, resource partners: SBDCs and SCORE
- SBA New Hampshire District Office (Concord)
- New Hampshire Small Business Development Center
- SCORE, New Hampshire
- SOP 50 10 8.1, Sec. C, Ch. 1, Para. D.1 (p. 241); 13 CFR § 120.931
- SOP 50 10 8.1, Sec. C, Ch. 1, Para. B (p. 221)
- sba.gov/loans/504-loans; SOP 50 10 8.1, Sec. A, Ch. 3, Para. A (p. 51)
- SOP 50 10 8.1, Sec. B, Ch. 2, Para. B.1 (p. 126)
- 13 CFR § 120.214(d)(2); SOP 50 10 8.1, App. 18, Para. A.2 (p. 395)
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Cite this page: Small business loans in Portsmouth, NH. SBA Express Loans, Janover Capital LLC (data as of June 30, 2026). https://www.sbaexpress.loans/new-hampshire-small-business-loans/portsmouth/
Ask lending partners about a loan in Portsmouth
Tell us what you need and we refer your request to lending partners.
Janover Capital LLC is not a lender and is not the SBA. The lender makes the credit decision. A lender or marketplace may pay us a referral fee if we connect you, at no cost to you. Advertiser disclosure.