SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · MARYLAND
Ace Hardware franchise in Maryland: what the public record shows
Franchisees of Ace Hardware in Maryland have taken 7 SBA loans since 1991 (average $898,485)— too few resolved loans in-state to publish a local failure rate (we require a resolved cohort, never extrapolate), so the brand's national rate of 12.2% is the better guide.
Loans in MD
7
Resolved
2
Local charge-off
thin
National charge-off
12.2%
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = MD. Charge-off rate = charged-off ÷ (charged-off + paid-in-full); open loans excluded. A local rate is published only when the resolved cohort clears our floor of 30 loans.
Businesses in this industry
3,183
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
50.8
national 39.6
Versus the country
+28%
denser
Every business in Ace Hardware's industry operating in Maryland — franchised and independent — from the Census Bureau's County Business Patterns (2023), against 2024 population estimates. Counter-intuitively, density is not a warning: across 198 brand-state cells in our loan data, the densest quartile charges off at 5.6% versus 18.1% in the thinnest. A crowded market is usually proven demand; an empty one is often empty for a reason.
| System | Loans in MD | Local charge-off | Units in MD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snap-On Tools | 6 | thin | — |
| ACE HANDYMAN SERVICES | 5 | thin | 15 |
| Mr. Electric | 5 | thin | — |
| Mr. Handyman | 5 | thin | — |
Same sector, same state, same public records — how Ace Hardware compares to the systems a buyer in Maryland would actually be choosing between. Local rates under 10 resolved loans are marked thin, not hidden.
A broker is paid by the franchisor to place you. An independent CPA is paid by you — and the job is pressure-testing Ace Hardware's numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.
Talk to an independent CPA before you buy →