Worked Example: SBA 7(a) Hotel Feasibility Study in Arizona, a Closed Motor Inn Reopened as an Independent Lodge
A worked example of the feasibility study a lender would read for a hotel project in Arizona, financed with an SBA 7(a) loan.
What SBA's own loan files show about lending in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ Metro Area, every asset class together, and what a feasibility study for a project there has to test.
Across Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, the SBA loan files record 9,960 approvals from FY2017 through FY2026, totalling $6.43 billion in gross dollars. Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler ranks against the whole list of areas, measured by loan count, at rank 13 of 928. The central half of Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler approvals falls between $110,750 and $778,250, about a typical loan of $334,000; which sets the median at 1.61x the national median. Here, SBA 7(a) holds 8,717 loans, and 1,243 by way of SBA 504. For the record, franchises make up 13.0% of the loans.
Inside the tracked classes we name for Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, full-service restaurant is largest with 348 loans, then limited-service restaurant (261) and fitness center (257). A further 7,337 loans in Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler fall outside the classes. By county, Maricopa County, AZ holds 9,581 loans, and behind it come Pinal County, AZ (379).
Holders shown for Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler stem from SBA's published Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler records of the 9,960 approvals in Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, carried at present or before; such records log every loan though pass no judgment on lender standards. Next, for Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler loans under 7(a), SBA's records name Wells Fargo Bank National Association (672 loans, $233.2 million); next, U.S. Bank, National Association at 591 loans and $136.0 million. Among 504 loans in Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, SBA names The Mortgage Capital Development Corporation (479 loans, $610.3 million); next, CDC Small Business Finance Corp. ($335.0 million across 348 loans). Worth noting, these rows are context for a borrower near Maricopa County, AZ and do not rank one holder above another.
Among Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler approvals from FY2017 through FY2024, not below 10.0% were cancelled after approval in Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, and that is a floor; the full Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler share is no lower. Next, among disbursed Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler loans approved in FY2017 through FY2021, 5.0% are charged off as of today, again only a floor; 3.0% had been charged off in the first five years after approval, in a base of 4,095 loans. On the calendar, Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler peaked in FY2025 at 1,437 loans and $903.7 million, and was weakest in FY2020 at 753 loans and $485.8 million.
In Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, demand comes first: who lives in Maricopa County, AZ, who lives in Pinal County, AZ, measured against Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler as a whole, and whether the 348 full-service restaurant loans leave room. Budget: $334,000 is the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler median and $110,750 to $778,250 the central range, so a Maricopa County, AZ site should cost itself against this $334,000 midpoint. Repayment: Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler coverage absorbs a slow year against the 10.0% rate of cancellation with the 5.0% charge-off floor. An appraisal in Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler needs to agree with the figure assumed. Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler adopts the July 2023 boundaries; a record whose project county is not matched appears in none of all areas, Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler no exception, while the totals cover loans sitting outside the class list.
| Loans approved, FY2017 to FY2026 | 9,960 |
|---|---|
| Gross dollars approved | $6.43 billion |
| Median loan | $334,000 |
| Middle half of loans, from | $110,750 |
| Middle half of loans, to | $778,250 |
| SBA 7(a) loans | 8,717 |
| SBA 504 loans | 1,243 |
| Franchise share of loans | 13.0% |
| Rank among metro and micro areas by loans | 13 of 928 |
| Median loan against the national median | 1.61x |
| Cancelled after approval, FY2017 to FY2024 approvals (a floor) | 10.0% |
|---|---|
| The same, counting loans still undisbursed as cancelled (a ceiling) | 11.3% |
| Charged off to date, FY2017 to FY2021 disbursed loans (a floor) | 5.0% |
| Charged off within five years of approval | 3.0% |
| Loans in that cohort | 4,095 |
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 Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ Metro Area, by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Loans | Dollars |
|---|---|---|
| FY2017 | 1,020 | $552.8 million |
| FY2018 | 909 | $495.1 million |
| FY2019 | 902 | $510.7 million |
| FY2020 | 753 | $485.8 million |
| FY2021 | 975 | $815.4 million |
| FY2022 | 795 | $586.0 million |
| FY2023 | 1,003 | $664.9 million |
| FY2024 | 1,150 | $672.6 million |
| FY2025 | 1,437 | $903.7 million |
| FY2026 | 1,016 | $747.9 million |
| Asset class | Loans |
|---|---|
| Not in any of the 39 asset classes | 7,337 |
| Full-service restaurant | 348 |
| Limited-service restaurant | 261 |
| Fitness center | 257 |
| Medical office (physicians) | 226 |
| Automotive mechanical repair (car and truck) | 201 |
| Assisted living (without nursing care) | 165 |
| Dental office | 151 |
| Coffee shop and snack bar | 147 |
| Beauty salon | 132 |
| Child care center | 111 |
| Hotel and motel | 85 |
| Gas station and truck stop | 59 |
| Car wash | 59 |
| Rehabilitation and therapy clinic | 59 |
| Behavioral health and addiction treatment | 56 |
| Veterinary clinic | 54 |
| School (elementary and secondary, including charter) | 38 |
| Nonresidential lessor (flex, office and retail investor buildings) | 35 |
| Liquor store | 28 |
| Caterers (includes banquet halls with catering staff) | 24 |
| Self storage | 22 |
| Beverage manufacturing (breweries, wineries, distilleries) | 17 |
| Skilled nursing | 15 |
| Data center | 15 |
| Grocery store | 14 |
| Urgent care and ambulatory surgery | 11 |
| Warehouse and distribution | 9 |
| Multifamily (lessors of residential buildings) | 7 |
Classes with 5 or more loans; smaller ones are withheld, and more where a small one could be derived.
| Lender | Loans | Dollars |
|---|---|---|
| The Mortgage Capital Development Corporation | 479 | $610.3 million |
| CDC Small Business Finance Corp. | 348 | $335.0 million |
| Arizona Capital Source | 327 | $280.4 million |
| California Statewide Certified Development Corporation | 68 | $65.2 million |
| Preferred Lending Partners | 7 | $5.6 million |
| Lender | Loans | Dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Wells Fargo Bank National Association | 672 | $233.2 million |
| U.S. Bank, National Association | 591 | $136.0 million |
| JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association | 563 | $207.3 million |
| The Huntington National Bank | 337 | $119.0 million |
| Live Oak Banking Company | 302 | $422.8 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.
| County | Loans |
|---|---|
| Maricopa County, AZ | 9,581 |
| Pinal County, AZ | 379 |
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-38060.
A worked example of the feasibility study a lender would read for a hotel project in Arizona, financed with an SBA 7(a) loan.
Loan Analytics prepares the feasibility study a lender reads before it commits: for a commercial project in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ 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.
Start with the data.
Contact Us