SBA 7(a) Gas Station Feasibility Study in New York

Small New York fuel loans that sit well below the nation

New York gas station and truck stop lending under 7(a) is defined by how small the typical loan is. Over the FY2017 to FY2026 window the agency approved 135 loans in the class, totalling $72.1 million, and the median of $140,000 is only 0.13x the nationwide figure for the pairing. The central half of the book begins at $40,000 and ends at $652,550. Rank tells a related story: New York is 8 among states by loan count, yet the class is only 16 of 39 inside the state. Franchise brands account for 14.8% of loans, a low share for a fuel business, which suggests that many borrowers are independent dealers rather than branded-system operators.

Holders and geography in New York

Of the loans, 34 sit with Manufacturers and Traders Trust Company, worth $7.1 million, nearly double the 21 loans held by TD Bank, National Association, whose total is only $735,000. KeyBank National Association holds 14 loans and $4.9 million, Five Star Bank 8 loans and $715,000, and NewBank 7 loans for $6.8 million, a far larger average than any of the others. The map is led by Long Island and upstate counties: Suffolk County leads with 17 loans, Nassau has 16, Erie 11 and Wyoming County 10, followed by Ulster at 7 and Dutchess and Monroe at 6 each.

Cancellation is the weak point in this cell. A floor of 15.5% of New York fuel loans approved in FY2017 through FY2024 never funded, and the ceiling is 17.5% once loans not yet disbursed are folded in. In the funded FY2017 to FY2021 cohort of 55 loans, at least 3.6% have been written off to date and 1.8% inside five years. These are minimums, not final tallies.

What the code leaves out, and what a study must show

Readers should know what the class cannot show. The code attaches to the borrower's trade, so travel centers and truck stops stay bundled with ordinary stations, and the 2022 NAICS index carries no entry at all for electric vehicle charging, which means that growth segment is invisible here. A New York study should therefore model the site's real fuel and convenience mix: gallons and margin per gallon, store sales, and the effect of fuel price swings on cash flow. It must price underground tank compliance, environmental history and remediation exposure, since those liabilities can exceed the value of the land. Payments need cover in a year of compressed fuel margin, and the appraisal should allocate value among land, building, equipment and the business.