SBA Today

Hosted by Art of SBA

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129

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Oct 2026

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About the show

There's a lot going on in the world of SBA lending these days. We mean, a LOT! So let's have a conversation about it. Join co-anchors Tonya Mazurek and Paul T Long weekly as they break down what's happening in SBA TODAY Brought to you by Art of SBA

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60 recent

October 7, 202639 min

Happy New Fiscal Year! SBLC Defaults Spike + Technical Corrections Drop | SBA Today October 5, 2026

In this episode of SBA Today, Paul Long and Tonya Mazurek are joined by David Parrish —former Senior Examiner at the SBA Office of Credit Risk Management (OCRM)— to give into a bombshell SBA Office of Inspector General (OIG) report exposing massive default concentration within Small Business Lending Companies (SBLCs). Plus, Paul and Tonya unpack the long-awaited SBA Technical Corrections, analyze Q2 buyer sentiment, and have an honest conversation about where lender economics and automation are driving the program. Catch SBA Today LIVE every other Tuesday morning on LinkedIn and YouTube! 🌐Connect directly with Paul T. Long and Tonya Mazurek on LinkedIn to send in your deal questions, share feedback, or suggest topics for future shows. Disclaimer: The views expressed on this show are our own and not necessarily the views of our employer.

September 23, 202631 min

Prime Hits 7.00% + 870,000 Borrowers Suspended | Sep. 22, 2026 | SBA Today

This week on SBA Today, Paul and Tonya are breaking down: 📈How is this week's rate hike impacting your borrowers' debt service coverage and pending approvals? 🚫With $39B in suspected pandemic fraud flagged, what will this mean for your CAIVRS pulls and existing portfolio reviews? ⚡Could the expanded International Trade Loan program open new doors for energy and supply-chain borrowers in your pipeline? 📑 Can the same firm handle both your business valuation and Quality of Earnings report without triggering SBA pushback? 📊 Restaurant sales dip while service businesses dominate—are buyers and sellers finally aligning on multiples? DISCLAIMER: Views expressed are our own and not necessarily those of our employer.

September 9, 202622 min

SBA is Going to War, Bancorp Exists, & More | Sep. 8, 2026 | SBA Today

Is the SBA going to war? In this episode of SBA Today, Paul Long and Tonya Mazurek break down: 🛡️ SBA Goes to War: SBA and Department of War launch Smaller War Plants Commission with up to 90% guarantees for defense suppliers 🏛️ Bancorp Exits SBA Originations: Major national lender phasing out new 7(a) and 504 originations by year-end 🏢 25-Year CRE Refi Rescued: SBA technical update to clarify historical mixed-purpose refinances keep 25-year terms 💸 FY27 Fee Bombshell: Manufacturer zero-fee cap drops to $700K while qualifying rural borrowers score a zero-fee break ⚠️ The 30-Day Extension Trap: Extending short-term 7(a) past 12 months triggers new upfront fees or guaranty cancellation. Disclaimer: The views expressed on this show are our own and not necessarily the views of our employer.

August 26, 202636 min

Major SOP Changes Every SBA Lender Needs to Know | August 26, 2026 | SBA Today

The new SBA SOP just dropped — and it changes everything for acquisitions. In this episode of SBA Today, Paul Long and Tonya Mazurek dive deep into the 400+ page update to unpack the critical changes going into effect on October 1st. 00:45 – Meet ICAP: The Next-Gen E-Tran & Secondary Market System 02:00 – New SOP Overview: 416 Pages & October 1st Effective Date 04:20 – Eligible Expenses, Franchises & MARC Working Capital Updates 08:15 – Debt Refinancing: 36-Month Ownership Rule & MCA Term-Loan Restrictions 10:55 – Business Acquisitions: Mandatory Quality of Earnings ($3M+) & Buyer Rebates 14:05 – Extended Seller Transitions & Co-Borrower vs. Guarantor Liability 16:35 – The 4 Change-of-Ownership Categories & NAICS Code Rules 21:55 – Commercial Real Estate: Ending the 25-Year Loophole & Blended Rate s 25:00 – Equity Injection, External Capital & Minority Equity Investor Guidelines 31:40 – Underwriting Mandates: 1.25x Historical DSCR, Add-Backs & System Reporting 🛠This episode is sponsored by SBA Collective — empowering community banks and credit unions to compete and win in SBA lending. Disclaimer: The views expressed on this show are our own and not necessarily the views of our employer.

August 12, 202620 min

Senate CR Surprises, Capacity Threats, & Secondary Market Secrets | August 11, 2026 | SBA Today

This week on SBA Today, Paul and Tonya are pulling apart a few lines buried inside Washington legislation that could have a very real impact on SBA lending. 🏛️ The Senate CR — The Senate passed a Continuing Resolution Saturday morning. But there are a few words tucked inside it that caught our attention. 🚦 An "Apportionment Anomaly" — Sounds riveting, right? 😂 Turns out, if you're an SBA lender, borrower, broker, or anyone waiting for a loan to close…you may want to know what this means. 💰 Can SBA actually "run out" of lending authority? — There's more than one way capacity can become an issue, and the distinction matters. 🎭 Behind the Curtain — What does the secondary market have to do with any of this…and why should a borrower care about something they may never even see? Sometimes the biggest SBA news isn't the headline. It's the few lines buried underneath it. 🛠This episode is sponsored by SBA Collective — empowering community banks and credit unions to compete and win in SBA lending. Disclaimer: The views expressed on this show are our own and not necessarily the views of our employer.

July 29, 202622 min

Quadrupled Defaults, System Overhauls, & a New SOP | July 28, 2026 | SBA Today

Paul and Tonya are back on SBA Today to break down: 📉 The Default Surge: Small loan default ratios have skyrocketed, sparking massive friction over relaxed underwriting rules. 💻 Workflow Disruption: Will this fix the guardrails or completely choke up deal turn times? 🏛️ Green Card Lending Battle: Could we see an immediate reversal on borrower eligibility? 📋 The Next-Gen SOP: With acquisitions already under tight scrutiny, what structural curveballs are you expecting? With default numbers climbing so aggressively, do you think a more restrictive, technology-driven front end will restore bank confidence, or will it simply make it harder for legitimate small businesses to secure funding? 🛠 This episode is sponsored by SBA Collective — empowering community banks and credit unions to compete and win in SBA lending. Disclaimer: The views expressed on this show are our own and not necessarily those of our employer.

July 8, 202617 min

SBA & NASA Team Up, Foreclosure Failures & Rural Deregulation | July 7, 2026 | SBA Today

This week on SBA Today, Paul and Tonya unpack: 🔍 OIG Foreclosure Audit—how will this impact lender oversight? 🚀 The NASA Supply Chain Alliance—what kinds of specialized deal structures will this bring to your desk? 🌾 The SBA-USDA Deregulation Push—will this regulatory relief successfully unleash trapped capital? 🛠This episode is sponsored by SBA Collective — empowering community banks and credit unions to compete and win in SBA lending. Disclaimer: The views expressed on this show are our own and not necessarily the views of our employer.

July 1, 202623 min

Siemens Shifts the Market & SOP Warning Signs | SBA Today | June 30, 2026

This week on SBA Today, Paul and Tonya are back to dissect: ⚙️ Siemens Secures SBLC Status—how fast will this industrial tech giant reshape competition in manufacturing and equipment deals? 🚨 SBA Brain Drain? Are we about to see a massive loss of institutional underwriting knowledge? 📉 Conservative Acquisition Pivot—what the latest whispers about the upcoming SOP revision may mean for business acquisitions. 🔍 Cross-Agency Crackdown—why the Senate is flagging 7(a) lenders. How is your institution adjusting its portfolio risk strategy to withstand this dual wave of tightening regulations and new non-bank competition? 🛠 This episode is sponsored by SBA Collective — empowering community banks and credit unions to compete and win in SBA lending. Disclaimer: The views expressed on this show are our own and not necessarily those of our employer.

June 17, 202629 min

SBA Reorg: What Lenders Need to Know & More | June 16, 2025 | SBA Today

This week on SBA Today, Paul and Tonya break down the major agency updates including: 🏢 Agency-Wide Reorganization: The SBA is centralizing core operational units into specialized "centers of excellence" to cut redundancies and lower overhead costs. 📩 Policy Inbox Tracking: While email addresses remain exactly the same, all future policy inquiries will now be assigned a unique Case Reference Number for standardized tracking. ⛪ New Specialized Outreach: The agency has officially launched a new Office of Rural Affairs and a Center for Faith to expand capital and counseling access to underserved communities. 🛒 $30M Grocery Milestone: The enhanced 90% Grocery Guarantee approved 19 loans totaling over $30 million in its very first month, averaging $1.57M per deal. How do you think this structural shift will impact your pipeline's turnaround times over the next few months? 🛠 This episode is sponsored by SBA Collective — empowering community banks and credit unions to compete and win in SBA lending. Disclaimer: The views expressed on this show are our own and not necessarily those of our employer.

June 10, 202623 min

The $10M Combined Cap Reminder + Myths That Kill Deals | June 9, 2026

This week on SBA Today, Paul and Tonya are tackling: ⏳ The Countdown to $10M: The historic $10M combined 7(a) and 504 loan limit officially takes effect on July 4, and lenders are actively structuring deals now. 🛑 The Sourcing Trap: Many borrowers assume creative deal structures or unverified assets satisfy equity rules, only to watch their deals freeze during final source-of-funds verification. ⚖️ Creative ≠ Compliant: There is a massive gap between what a lender finds acceptable and what the SBA will actually guarantee. 📜 What "Good" Equity Looks Like: Tonya maps out the clear boundaries between problematic funds and acceptable capital—proving that equity isn't just about money, it's about the paper trail. How are you and your team preparing your pipeline for the upcoming July 4th limit changes? 🛠 This episode is sponsored by SBA Collective — empowering community banks and credit unions to compete and win in SBA lending. Disclaimer: The views expressed on this show are our own and not necessarily those of our employer.