MINNEAPOLIS – The U.S. Small Business Administration’s Minnesota District will honor 10 lenders throughout the state for their commitment to helping small businesses succeed at the Minnesota Small Business Lenders Conference on Sept. 25. 
“The U.S. Small Business Administration’s Minnesota District Office is proud to recognize our ten lender awardees for 2025. These lending institutions have demonstrated an exceptional commitment to supporting entrepreneurs and small business owners by expanding access to capital, fostering economic growth, and strengthening communities across the state of Minnesota,” shared SBA Minnesota District Director Brian McDonald. “Their dedication and partnership are critical to ensuring that Minnesota’s small businesses continue to thrive. We are honored to celebrate their achievements and look forward to building on this success together.”
SBA’s ability to help small businesses access capital is tied to the country’s lending institutions and its partners’ ability and willingness to lend money. The SBA doesn’t lend money directly to entrepreneurs to start or grow a business, but sets guidelines for loans made by partners, which include lenders, community development organizations, and micro-lending institutions. The SBA guarantees that these loans will be repaid, which eliminates some of the risk to lending partners.
The 2025 Minnesota lenders recognized as having the highest participation in SBA-backed loan programs are:
Credit Union: St. Cloud Financial Credit Union
Lender with <$250MM in assets: Security Bank
Lender with $250MM > $500MM in assets: Drake Bank
Lender with $500MM > $1B in assets: BankVista
Lender with > $1B in assets: Frandsen Bank
National Lender: U.S. Bank
Export Lender: Platinum Bank
Certified Development Company (Job Creation): AMPLIO
Certified Development Company (Loan Volume): Midwest Business Finance Corporation
Microlender: Entrepreneur Fund
SBA Minnesota Lender Awards are based on each lender’s number of SBA-guaranteed approved loans in Minnesota from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025.  SBA-backed loans are proven tools lenders can use to help small businesses grow while reducing their own risks. The Minnesota Small Business Lenders Conference, which will take place at the Doubletree Bloomington-Minneapolis South on Sept. 25, will provide lenders and lending adjacent professionals training on how to maximize those tools while networking with peers, SBA staff and industry experts. For more information and to register, visit www.minnbankers.com/Lendingconf/Lendingconf/Register.aspx.