Feasibility Study Data for the Portland-South Portland, ME Metro Area

Portland-South Portland in figures: how large SBA lending is in Portland-South Portland, ME

2,067 SBA approvals landed here for Portland-South Portland projects between FY2017 and FY2026, worth $662.4 million in gross dollars. Portland-South Portland holds rank 50 of 928 against every other statistical area, Portland-South Portland among them. Loan size centers on $149,800; the middle half of approvals run from $50,000 to $349,000. Against the country, Portland-South Portland borrowers take smaller loans, at 0.72x of the national median. Smaller Portland-South Portland tickets are the first thing that sets Portland-South Portland apart.

Portland-South Portland: which programs and lenders serve Portland-South Portland, ME

The metro area shows 1,628 loans under 7(a), against 439 under 504; in Portland-South Portland, 7(a) carries the larger share. Franchise brands account for 5.2% of loans. 283 loans worth $29.0 million put TD Bank, National Association first among 7(a) holders. 276 loans and $41.8 million belong to Bangor Savings Bank, in second place. Further down, Maine Community Bank shows 220 loans, with 99 more at Manufacturers and Traders Trust Company. For 504, the top name is Granite State Economic Development Corporation, holding 391 loans worth $222.2 million, just ahead of Southern Maine Finance Agency at 38. Every lender line is SBA's record of holdings. TD Bank, National Association appears since SBA lists it as current holder; nothing here speaks to what Bangor Savings Bank asks of an applicant.

Portland-South Portland, ME: the class table and county table for Portland-South Portland

Most of the Portland-South Portland total sits outside the tracked asset classes: 1,344 loans filed under other codes. The entries below are a partial view. Among covered classes, full-service restaurant leads with 180 loans, ahead of limited-service restaurant at 88, and fitness center at 57. Further down sit coffee shop and snack bar, 46 loans and hotel and motel at 43. Cumberland County, ME is the largest source of loans, with 1,198 and then York County, ME at 780, with Sagadahoc County, ME third at 89. Demand differs between these counties, so the Portland-South Portland figure hides some spread.

Portland-South Portland: cancellations, charge-offs and caveats in Portland-South Portland, ME

Cancellation after approval reached a floor of 8.7% for Portland-South Portland approvals in FY2017 to FY2024. Treating undisbursed loans as cancelled gives a upper bound of 9.3%. The FY2017 to FY2021 cohort of 895 disbursed Portland-South Portland loans Portland-South Portland shows charge-offs to date of at minimum 2.2%; the first five years after credit approval account for 1.1%. Seasoning continues, making these floors and can only rise. FY2025 was the high point: 259 loans worth $83.1 million, and the quietest Portland-South Portland year before FY2026 was FY2020, at 150 loans and $41.7 million. Membership in the Portland-South Portland, ME metro area follows the project county: Cumberland County, ME, York County, ME and the rest. Then the July 2023 delineation decides which counties belong, with Portland-South Portland counties matched by name.

Portland-South Portland, ME: what a study for a Portland-South Portland project must prove

In Portland-South Portland, a study must start from the project's own county, given how unlike its Portland-South Portland counties can be. Since full-service restaurant leads the Portland-South Portland class table, it has to examine seats against realistic covers and the lunch and dinner balance, then the lease term against payback. Projects in limited-service restaurant here the questions are the delivery platforms' share of sales and franchise fees against thin margins. Cash flow for a Portland-South Portland loan needs to stand up to a slow season; the lender will ask what the building would fetch in a sale. With smaller tickets the norm in Portland-South Portland, a request above the middle half will draw issues the study should answer first.