OMB Receives Notable SBA Preferred Lender Status

Full-service bank OMB was recently designated a Preferred Lender by the U.S. Small Business Administration. The new status grants OMB’s commercial lending team the authority to make final credit decisions on SBA-guaranteed loans, shortening loan processing times considerably.

To be considered a Preferred Lender, a financial institution must demonstrate a history of efficiently and accurately servicing SBA loans while also meeting the SBA’s processing volume, performance, risk mitigation and policy knowledge criteria.

“OMB is proud and excited to now be a Preferred Lender with the SBA,” said Joey Orr, executive vice president and community bank president. “We are passionate about what we do and welcome the opportunity to help local small businesses and entrepreneurs secure the funding they need much faster than before. In my opinion, there is no better place to apply for an SBA loan than with a community bank like OMB.”

Traditionally, the entire SBA loan process - from application to approval and funding - can take anywhere from 30 to 90 days. SBA Preferred Lenders are able to decision and fund 7(a) loans, the SBA’s most popular loan program, much quicker than non-preferred lenders, who must submit loans to the SBA for approval.

For the SBA’s fiscal year 2023, OMB administered more than $7.5 million in SBA loans and was named an RMI Elite 504 Silver Lender for 2022.