SBA 7(a) Connect Call Recap — SOP 50 57 4, SBA Notices, SBSS Score Sunset
January 21, 2026
Bob Coleman
Founder & Publisher
SBA 7(a) Connect Call Recap — SOP 50 57 4, SBA Notices, SBSS Score Sunset
Before getting into policy changes, Associate Administrator of Capital Access Thomas Kimsey opened yesterday’s SBA 7(a) Connect Call with a recap of FY25 results (more than $45 billion delivered across 85,000 loans). SBA’s FY26 priorities include manufacturing, followed by food supply chain and critical minerals.
Kimsey also previewed what he described as a major technology upgrade for lenders, with a demo expected in April.
Marty Andrews, Deputy Director, Office of Financial Program Operations, presented SOP 50 57 updates, which focused on operational cleanup. SBA has centralized servicing and liquidation intake, eliminating the need to route actions by borrower geography.
He also clarified that ongoing guarantee fees run from disbursement until the guarantee is extinguished.
Dan Pische followed with a recap of recent SBA policy notices. A notable change was the removal of the “same geographic area” limitation for new businesses. Another fix involved the 90-day aggregation rule for EWCP and WCP.
On citizenship, SBA announced the allowance of a 5% aggregate ownership allowance for non-U.S. citizens, effective January 1, which does not extend to ineligible categories.
The main event of the call was the formal sunsetting of the FICO SBSS score. Effective March 1, 2026, SBSS can no longer be used for 7(a) Small loans. Loans approved by February 28 are grandfathered.
“You cannot satisfy repayment ability with a score,” says Dianna Seaborn, Deputy Associate Administrator.
Dianna Seaborn reminded lenders that this is a return to statute: repayment must be supported by cash flow, not a score. SBA now requires a two-track approach—credit history and repayment ability. Debt service coverage (1.10x) based on the last fiscal year-end is mandatory, interim trends must be considered, and two months of operating bank activity must be reviewed.