Top 10 SBA 7(a) Loan Closing Mistakes Closers Make, And How to Avoid Them — 1/15
..
A Coleman Training Webinar
Date: Thursday, January 15, 2026
Time: 2:00 p.m. Eastern
Includes e-certification & recording
Are your SBA 7(a) closings getting delayed, repaired, or worse, stripped of the guaranty after funding? Every year lenders lose real money and credibility because basic closing errors are discovered too late, often during SBA review or liquidation. These are not complex credit issues. They are preventable closing mistakes that quietly undermine otherwise solid loans.
In this direct and no nonsense webinar, SBA veteran Lance Sexton draws on decades of hands on SBA experience to expose the ten most common closing failures he sees repeatedly across the country. These are the mistakes that trigger guaranty repairs, denials, and post closing scrutiny. Lance explains why they happen, how the SBA evaluates them, and what closers must do differently to protect the guaranty before the loan ever funds.
This session is designed for loan closers, processors, credit analysts, underwriting reviewers, and SBA operations professionals who are responsible for getting loans closed correctly the first time. You will leave with practical guidance, disciplined closing habits, and a clearer understanding of what the SBA expects in today’s environment. If you close SBA 7(a) loans, this training is not optional. It is essential.
What You Will Learn
In this high impact training, Lance Sexton breaks down the most common, most costly, and most avoidable SBA 7(a) loan closing mistakes that continue to result in guaranty repairs and denials. Some of the topics will include:
- Documentation deficiencies, including missing or incomplete forms that derail SBA reviews
- Improper use of loan proceeds when funds are not documented, disbursed, or tracked in accordance with SBA requirements
- Ineligible borrower or ownership errors caused by failures to properly validate eligibility and beneficial ownership
- Incomplete or incorrect collateralization, including lien perfection errors and missing collateral documentation
- Insurance coverage gaps involving required hazard, life, or key person insurance policies
- Faulty equity injection documentation that fails to properly support sources, transfers, and timing
- Credit memo disconnects where closing documents do not match approved loan terms and conditions
- Failure to verify cash flow or debt payoffs, particularly in refinance transactions
- Misapplied or outdated SBA forms that create technical compliance violations
- ETRAN data entry errors that delay or prevent issuance of the SBA guaranty
Your Training Staff
Lance Sexton
A former small business owner, Lance Sexton has a successful history of working with small business owners and students related to entrepreneurship and SBA loan origination, servicing, and liquidation.
He has earned three industry training instruction awards for “Best Online Learning Product”.
A former SBA Deputy Director of Little Rock Servicing Center, Lance has over 40 years of experience, including 20 years directly managing portfolios of SBA loans.
Lance is EVP, Chief SBA Servicing & Liquidation Officer at Phoenix Lender Services. He has been affiliated with Coleman Publishing for over 10 years.
Bob Coleman
Bob Coleman is the founder of Coleman Publishing, a publisher of newsletters, reports, data, conferences, webinars, online training videos — to help finance professionals become small business lending experts. Bob is the nationally recognized expert on small business financing. He has appeared frequently on Fox Business News, NPR and other numerous media outlets. He is sourced by all print media. He is a frequent speaker about small business lending throughout the US and EU. Bob has a BA in Medieval History from the University of California Santa Barbara and a MBA in Real Estate Finance from the University of Southern California. Bob has earned numerous awards as a producer of events and video training. His passion is getting capital to Main Street and Rural American small business.
How the Webinar Works
We use Microsoft Teams as the webinar platform. All Coleman webinars are recorded and a link is sent to all attendees.
Single Site License
The single site license grants your institution one viewing of the webinar. It is permissible to use a single site license on one device in a conference room to be viewed by multiple attendees The webinar can be viewed on any device.
Multiple Site License
A multiple site license is an unlimited access pass for anyone at your institution. You will be given a link that will be usable to anyone with your email domain.
Webinar Links and Handouts
The webinar link will be included when we distribute the presentation and handouts shortly before the webinar.
Participants Earn Certificates of Participation
All Coleman Webinar attendees will receive a certificate of participation. This documents your continuing education history for SBA and your regulators.
Questions
Questions throughout the webinar are strongly encouraged. There are two ways to ask a question. The first is to ask the question via the chat in Microsoft Teams. The second is to send an email to anna@colemanreport.com. Also, feel free to ask pre and post-webinar questions.
The Fine Print
1) Substitutions are allowed at no charge.
2) Cancellations receive a 100% credit for any Coleman product.
3) As with all our products, we offer a 100% money back satisfaction guarantee — no questions asked.
3 Easy Ways to Order
1) ONLINE — Register and pay online via QuickBooks $500 or QuickBooks $800
2) EMAIL –Send an email to cindy@colemanreport.com with “Webinar Registration” in the Subject Line. We will do all the paperwork and either send you a sales receipt or an invoice.
3) PHONE — Call us at 818-790-4591.
Bob Coleman
Publisher, Coleman Report
bob@colemanreport.com