Melissa Angell, Inc. · September 24, 2026
Inc. senior staff writer Melissa Angell breaks down a new report from the SBA’s Office of Inspector General on 7(a) lending by small business lending companies (SBLCs). The report finds that poor loan performance was heavily concentrated at two nonbank lenders, that the SBA knew about past problems at both, and that the agency hasn’t examined SBLCs since April 2023.
Lendesca CEO and co-founder Chris Hurn, weighs in on what the findings mean for the program. Chris describes the two lenders as bad apples that went unaddressed for too long and made the rest of the sector look worse by comparison. He also points out that most SBLCs remain profitable and continue to close access-to-capital gaps for entrepreneurs, a view the SBA echoed in its response to the report.
“There’s really no excuse for some of these things.” — Chris Hurn, Lendesca CEO
As reported by Inc., Sept 24, 2026.
