SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · WISCONSIN
Fastsigns franchise in Wisconsin: what the public record shows
Franchisees of Fastsigns in Wisconsin have taken 17 SBA loans in the FY1991–present FOIA files (average $944,247). Fewer than 30 of them were approved through FY2020 and have resolved, so no local loss ratio is published. Fastsigns's national ratio is 0.8× (not clearly different from 1.0×).
Loans in WI
17
Charged off (all years)
1 of 9
Loss ratio in WI
—
Loss ratio nationally (not clear)
0.8×
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = WI. Loss ratio = charge-offs among loans approved through FY2020 ÷ the charge-offs expected if each had defaulted at the national rate for franchise loans approved the same year; 1.0× is the same. Only charged-off and paid-in-full loans count. A ratio is shown at 30+ such loans; “not clear” marks a ratio chance alone could produce. The all-years count mixes every era and is evidence, not a rate to compare. Borrowers are matched to the brand by name and SBA franchise code; some matches may be wrong or missing.
Businesses in this industry
442
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
7.4
national 8.1
Versus the country
-9%
thinner
Every business in Fastsigns's industry operating in Wisconsin — franchised and independent — from the Census Bureau's County Business Patterns (2023), against 2024 population estimates. Counter-intuitively, density is not a warning: across the brand-state cells in the loan data, denser markets have historically charged off less often than the thinnest (see the research page). A crowded market is usually proven demand; an empty one is often empty for a reason.
Avg weekly wage, this industry
$1,132
Wisconsin, BLS QCEW 2025
National average
$1,212
same industry, all states
Versus the country
-7%
cheaper to staff
What Fastsigns's industry actually pays workers in Wisconsin, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (2025), employment-weighted across counties. This cost signal is independent of the FDD: a market can look demand-rich above and still carry a margin headwind here if local wages run hot for the sector.
| System | Loans in WI | Charged off (all years) | Loss ratio in WI | Units in WI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| THE UPS STORE (TRADITIONAL) | 40 | 2 of 18 | — | 51 |
| Ameriprise Financial Services | 35 | 0 of 30 | — | — |
| Fedex Ground | 14 | 0 of 13 | — | — |
| Minuteman Press | 14 | 3 of 12 | — | — |
| Mail Boxes Etc. Usa | 8 | 1 of 7 | — | — |
| Signs By Tomorrow | 8 | 0 of 6 | — | — |
| H&R Block | 7 | 0 of 2 | — | 92 |
| Management Recruiters, Sales Consultants | 7 | 0 of 6 | — | 23 |
| Express Personnel Services | 6 | 0 of 4 | — | — |
| Liberty Tax Service | 6 | 0 of 5 | — | — |
Other systems in Fastsigns's sector whose franchisees borrowed in Wisconsin. A loss ratio appears only where at least 30 loans approved through FY2020 have resolved; “—” means too few.
A broker is usually paid by the franchisor to place you. I'm paid only by you, never by a franchisor you're considering — and the job is pressure-testing Fastsigns’ numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.