The Korean American bank SBA loans experienced a massive growth spurt during the 2026 fiscal year, surging past the $2-billion mark into a $2.4-billion era. Notably, Bank of Hope and US Metro Bank both surpassed the $500 million threshold, while CBB Bank and Metro City Bank also posted remarkable increases, acting as key drivers for the overall sector performance.
According to an analysis of the 2026 fiscal year nationwide bank SBA loan performance data, 13 Korean American banks recorded a combined total loan amount of $2,409,346,100, representing a 51.1% increase compared to $1,594,675,300 in the previous year. This translates to an increase of about $814.67 million in just one year. The number of loans also grew by 280 units (19.9%), rising from 1,408 to 1,688. The average loan amount per case was approximately $1,427,000, showing a significant 26% jump from last year’s average of about $1,133,000.
By bank, Bank of Hope handled the highest volume of SBA loans. Its loan amount skyrocketed by 91.3% from $306.13 million last year to $585.56 million this year. The number of loans also increased by 19.9% from 382 to 458. Its national SBA loan ranking jumped significantly from 22nd to 6th place.
US Metro Bank also displayed remarkable growth. Its loan amount surged 90.8% from $276.91 million to $528.28 million, securing the second spot among Korean American banks right behind Bank of Hope. Particularly, the number of loans soared by 101.5% from 135 to 272, pushing its national ranking up from 25th to 10th place. Its average loan amount per case stood at $1.94 million, the highest among all Korean American banks.
Combined, the SBA loan amounts of these top two banks total approximately $1.11384 billion, accounting for over 46% of the total performance of all 13 banks.
Open Bank climbed to 25th place nationwide this year, recording a total loan volume of approximately $281.32 million across 153 loans.
CBB Bank, ranked 30th nationwide, posted an 81.0% increase in total loan volume, growing from $134.13 million to $242.83 million. Its loan count increased from 116 to 139.
Hanmi Bank, positioned at 32nd, recorded a total of 245 loans amounting to $208.2 million, achieving a 14.9% growth.
The Korean American bank with the highest growth rate was Metro City Bank. Its SBA loan amount surged by 123.5% from approximately $90.08 million last year to $201.29 million this year. The number of loans also jumped 125% from 48 to 108, propelling its national ranking from 81st to 36th place.
On the other hand, PCB Bank saw a 9.9% decrease to about $139.51 million, and Woori America Bank dropped 4.7% to about $70.69 million. New Millennium, Shinhan America, and New Bank also experienced declines compared to the previous year.
Overall, despite cutbacks by a few institutions, aggressive expansion in SBA lending by top-tier banks propelled the market, driving the total volume of Korean American bank SBA loans well past the $2-billion mark and firmly into a $2.4-billion era.
An official in the Korean American banking sector noted, “As the high-interest-rate environment persists, competition for lending performance among financial institutions is likely to continue,” adding, “For the time being, this competition among Korean American banks is expected to bring about positive changes, such as internal talent reinforcement and organizational reorganization.”
