Worked Example: SBA 7(a) Gas Station Feasibility Study in Tennessee
A worked example of the feasibility study a lender would read for a gas station project in Tennessee, financed with an SBA 7(a) loan.
Feasibility Study Data for the Chattanooga, TN-GA Metro Area
What SBA's own loan files show about lending in the Chattanooga, TN-GA Metro Area, every asset class together, and what a feasibility study for a project there has to test.
A franchise-driven record across a state line
Chattanooga, TN-GA stands out for franchising: 29.1% of its 585 loans are franchise brands. It spans two states, with Hamilton County, TN at 454 loans, Walker County, GA at 50, Catoosa County, GA at 48 and Marion County, TN at 22. Loans total $430.2 million from FY2017 to FY2026, ranking 155 of 928. Median borrowing of $304,000 reaches 1.46x the national level, and loans from $150,000 to $862,000 form the middle of the range. The programme split is 546 under 7(a) and 39 under 504.
Hotel and motel leads the tracked classes at 28 loans, ahead of limited-service restaurant at 24, full-service restaurant at 23 and fitness center at 22. Dental office has 11, and self storage and beauty salon 8 each. A further 407 loans belong to no tracked class. A franchise share this high, combined with lodging at the top, suggests that brand-backed projects with a national system behind them are the usual borrowers.
Holders
SBA's holder field names who holds or held a loan; it is no description of anyone's standards. The Huntington National Bank holds 63 7(a) loans worth $36.6 million. Next, United Midwest Savings Bank National Association holds 35, worth only $5.3 million. Brightbridge, Inc. holds 33 under 7(a) and is also the sole 504 holder listed, with 28 loans worth $29.3 million. Live Oak Banking Company holds 31 loans worth $42.3 million and Pinnacle Bank (TN) 30 worth $33.7 million, both large per loan.
Cancellation after approval is 12.7% or more of approvals through FY2024; the matching ceiling is not published, so it is neither shown nor treated as zero. Among 232 funded loans, 7.8% are charged off to date and 4.7% within five years, both floors. Approvals fell to 33 loans in FY2020, though that year carried $43.7 million, and reached 79 loans and $71.1 million in FY2025.
The Chattanooga study
A study should confirm which side of the state line the project sits on, test demand against supply for the specific brand or use, and check that the franchise system's standards, where relevant, are met by the site and budget. Coverage has to survive the charge-off floors on this page, and the valuation has to be defensible. Counties are placed by the 2023 delineation. We offer no assurance about approval to anyone reading.
SBA loans in the Chattanooga, TN-GA Metro Area
| Loans approved, FY2017 to FY2026 | 585 |
|---|---|
| Gross dollars approved | $430.2 million |
| Median loan | $304,000 |
| Middle half of loans, from | $150,000 |
| Middle half of loans, to | $862,000 |
| SBA 7(a) loans | 546 |
| SBA 504 loans | 39 |
| Franchise share of loans | 29.1% |
| Rank among metro and micro areas by loans | 155 of 928 |
| Median loan against the national median | 1.46x |
Cancellation and charge-off
| Cancelled after approval, FY2017 to FY2024 approvals (a floor) | 12.7% |
|---|---|
| The same, counting loans still undisbursed as cancelled (a ceiling) | withheld |
| Charged off to date, FY2017 to FY2021 disbursed loans (a floor) | 7.8% |
| Charged off within five years of approval | 4.7% |
| Loans in that cohort | 232 |
Both rates are floors. SBA withholds the status of open loans, so a loan counts as charged off only once SBA reports it; a rate needs at least 30 loans in its cohort and is otherwise not reported.
SBA loans approved in the Chattanooga, TN-GA Metro Area, by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Loans | Dollars |
|---|---|---|
| FY2017 | 60 | $29.0 million |
| FY2018 | 62 | $44.4 million |
| FY2019 | 39 | $22.9 million |
| FY2020 | 33 | $43.7 million |
| FY2021 | 73 | $59.8 million |
| FY2022 | 45 | $30.6 million |
| FY2023 | 60 | $35.5 million |
| FY2024 | 76 | $47.3 million |
| FY2025 | 79 | $71.1 million |
| FY2026 | 58 | $45.9 million |
Loans by asset class
| Asset class | Loans |
|---|---|
| Not in any of the 39 asset classes | 407 |
| Hotel and motel | 28 |
| Limited-service restaurant | 24 |
| Full-service restaurant | 23 |
| Fitness center | 22 |
| Dental office | 11 |
| Automotive mechanical repair (car and truck) | 9 |
| Gas station and truck stop | 8 |
| Self storage | 8 |
| Beauty salon | 8 |
| Coffee shop and snack bar | 7 |
| Veterinary clinic | 6 |
Classes with 5 or more loans; smaller ones are withheld, and more where a small one could be derived.
Most active SBA lenders
| Lender | Loans | Dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Brightbridge, Inc. | 28 | $29.3 million |
| Lender | Loans | Dollars |
|---|---|---|
| The Huntington National Bank | 63 | $36.6 million |
| United Midwest Savings Bank National Association | 35 | $5.3 million |
| Brightbridge, Inc. | 33 | $6.1 million |
| Live Oak Banking Company | 31 | $42.3 million |
| Pinnacle Bank (TN) | 30 | $33.7 million |
Lenders with 5 or more loans here; a lender with fewer is not listed, and loans SBA or a receiver holds are counted but never listed as a lender.
Where the loans are, by county
| County | Loans |
|---|---|
| Hamilton County, TN | 454 |
| Walker County, GA | 50 |
| Catoosa County, GA | 48 |
| Marion County, TN | 22 |
Counties with 5 or more loans; smaller ones are not listed.
Metro is the CBSA (metropolitan or micropolitan statistical area) of the loan's project county, July 2023 delineation (OMB Bulletin 23-01). The county is matched by name (manifests/ld2/county-cbsa-map.csv); a loan whose county cannot be placed in a 2023 CBSA is left out of every metro.
All assets: every 7(a) and 504 approval in the metro, including those outside the 39 asset classes.
A value marked withheld rests on fewer than 5 loans, or is withheld so that such a figure cannot be derived from other published figures.
Source: U.S. Small Business Administration, 7(a) and 504 loan-level FOIA files (data.sba.gov), as of 2026-09-30; areas from the U.S. Census Bureau CBSA delineation, July 2023 (OMB Bulletin 23-01); Loan Analytics metro cell MT-16860.
Related feasibility study pages
- Tennessee feasibility study consultant
- Georgia feasibility studies for SBA and USDA loans
- Feasibility Study Data by Metro Area
- SBA feasibility study company
- Feasibility Study Data for the Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN Metro Area
- Feasibility Study Data for the Memphis, TN-MS-AR Metro Area
- Feasibility Study Data for the Knoxville, TN Metro Area
- Feasibility Study Data for the Clarksville, TN-KY Metro Area
- Feasibility Study Data for the Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA Metro Area
- Feasibility Study Data for the Johnson City, TN Metro Area
- Feasibility Study Data for the Sevierville, TN Micro Area
Feasibility study data by asset class in the Chattanooga, TN-GA Metro Area
Worked examples
Worked Example: USDA B&I Hotel Acquisition Feasibility Study in Georgia
A worked example of the feasibility study a lender would read for a hotel project in Georgia, financed with a USDA Business and Industry guaranteed loan.
Loan Analytics prepares the feasibility study a lender reads before it commits: for a commercial project in the Chattanooga, TN-GA Metro Area, financed under SBA 7(a), SBA 504, USDA Business and Industry or a conventional bank loan. Tell us the project and the lender's deadline, and we reply with scope, timeline and fee.
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