The SBA 7a business loans database contains information about loans guaranteed by the U.S. Small Business Administration under its main lending program, known as 7a. The data include loans approved by the SBA since 1953, when Congress created the agency to help entrepreneurs form or expand small enterprises.

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• Story No. 14913: "A surge in loans backed by the Small Business Administration has given the federal government a growing stake in the proliferation of New Jersey's fast-food outlets....(the fast food sector), comprised largely of franchises, is the SBA's largest customer, consuming about $1 of every $6 loaned under the SBA's popular 7(a) program in New Jersey, or 143.8 million from 1993 through fiscal 1998..But dentists take a healthy bite too...Dentists often meet the agency's criteria as small-business owners who need capital to establish themselves or buy equipment..."
• Story No. 16986: An investigation by the Kansas City Star reveals that the Small Business Administration gives most of its government-guaranteed loans to firms located middle- and high-income areas. The paper discovered that minority-owned businesses receive less than 15 percent of the SBA loans, despite efforts by the administration to target minority owners.
• Story No. 9415: Detroit News reveals how two powerful businessmen control and distribute government-backed SBA loans that provided funding for 1,300 small liquor stores in the Detroit area; loans went to family and business associates of the two men, a clear violation of federal law, Feb. 2 - 3 and May 24 - 25, 1992.