Peoples Bank: SBA Lending Profile
Certified CDFI, U.S. Treasury
Peoples Bank is an FDIC-insured bank, headquartered in Mendenhall, MS. It is active in 33 states, concentrated around MS, OH, WA. Everything below comes from federal SBA loan records, not from the lender's marketing. This is what it has actually funded.
Loan sizes Peoples Bank actually approves
The median SBA approval at Peoples Bank is $287,500. The middle 80% of its loans fall between $42,600 and $2,875,000. The smallest funded approval in the available source window is $8,500 and the largest is $5,000,000. If the amount you need sits far outside that range, this is probably not the right first call, no matter what the website says.
Programs
| Program | Loans FY25-26 | Median size | Median rate | Median term |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SBA 7(a) | 203 | $288K | 7.5% | 10 years |
| 504 first mortgage (third party) | 37 | $509K | n/a | 20 years |
Industries it funds most
| Industry | Funded loans in source data | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels | 212 | 21.2% |
| General Freight Trucking, Local | 67 | 6.7% |
| Full-Service Restaurants | 45 | 4.5% |
| Limited-Service Restaurants | 39 | 3.9% |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers | 32 | 3.2% |
| General Freight Trucking, Long-Distance, Truckload | 25 | 2.5% |
| Logging | 21 | 2.1% |
| Site Preparation Contractors | 21 | 2.1% |
| Beef Cattle Ranching and Farming | 19 | 1.9% |
| All Other Specialty Trade Contractors | 15 | 1.5% |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services | 14 | 1.4% |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars | 13 | 1.3% |
How fast Peoples Bank actually funds
Approval is not money in the bank. Across 971 loans where both dates are on record, the typical gap between SBA approval and first disbursement at Peoples Bank is 10 days. Half its loans fund between 4 and 22 days. That is fast. The typical SBA lender takes about 20 days, and many take far longer.
Lending momentum
Peoples Bank has been pulling back. Approvals are down 28.4% from FY2023 to FY2025, which can mean tightened credit or a shift in strategy. Worth asking about before you invest time in an application.
Funded approvals by SBA fiscal year (October to September). FY2026 is excluded because it is still in progress.
Borrower profile
- This institution is a Treasury-certified Community Development Financial Institution. CDFIs exist specifically to fund businesses and communities that conventional lenders often decline.
- 50.2% of its funded SBA records with known business age went to startups or businesses under two years old, which is high, most SBA lenders skew heavily toward established companies.
- Collateral was taken on 97.9% of its recent SBA loans.
- 10.9% of its SBA lending is revolving lines of credit rather than term loans.
- 10.7% of its loans carry fixed rates; the rest are variable.
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Sources and limits. Figures are derived from U.S. Small Business Administration 7(a) and 504 FOIA loan-level records (data as of 2026-06-30, retrieved 2026-08-08) and FDIC public institution data. CDFI certification status from the U.S. Treasury CDFI Fund certified institution list. Funding speed is the median gap between approval date and first disbursement date in SBA records. Some lenders report disbursement at month end, which can round the figure upward. They describe past lending activity only. They are not rate quotes, not current offers, and not an indication that any business will qualify. Lender programs and criteria change. Big Brain Funding is not affiliated with or endorsed by Peoples Bank.