IOWA · SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT
Franchises in Iowa: the loan record
Since 1991, banks have made 1,065 SBA-backed loans to franchisees of 77 different brands in Iowa. Of the loans already resolved, 14.6% were charged off — in line with the national franchise baseline of 14.8%. This page is not a directory of who paid to be listed; it is what actually happened to the people who bought franchises here, according to the federal loan record.
1,065
SBA loans since 1991
77
Brands financed
14.6%
Local charge-off rate
32.9
Loans per 100k residents
| Cold Stone Creamery | 7 of 13 defaulted | 53.8%THIN |
| True Value Hardware | 5 of 12 defaulted | 41.7%THIN |
| Blimpie | 9 of 22 defaulted | 40.9%THIN |
| Quiznos | 9 of 24 defaulted | 37.5%THIN |
| PITA PIT | 4 of 11 defaulted | 36.4%THIN |
| Maid-Rite Sandwich Shop | 6 of 20 defaulted | 30.0%THIN |
| Ben Franklin Store | 3 of 10 defaulted | 30.0%THIN |
| Radioshack | 3 of 11 defaulted | 27.3%THIN |
| Matco Tools | 4 of 15 defaulted | 26.7%THIN |
| MASSAGE HEIGHTS | 2 of 11 defaulted | 18.2%THIN |
| Snap-On | 2 of 11 defaulted | 18.2%THIN |
| Coast-to-Coast Store | 3 of 18 defaulted | 16.7%THIN |
| Curves for Women | 3 of 20 defaulted | 15.0%THIN |
| Subway | 8 of 68 defaulted | 11.8% |
| PIZZA RANCH | 5 of 50 defaulted | 10.0% |
| Domino's Pizza | 0 of 20 defaulted | 0.0%THIN |
| Culver's | 0 of 18 defaulted | 0.0%THIN |
| Medicap Pharmacy | 0 of 18 defaulted | 0.0%THIN |
| ANYTIME FITNESS | 0 of 16 defaulted | 0.0%THIN |
| GREAT CLIPS | 0 of 14 defaulted | 0.0%THIN |
| Hardee's | 0 of 13 defaulted | 0.0%THIN |
| Hardware Hank | 0 of 11 defaulted | 0.0%THIN |
| Americinn | 0 of 10 defaulted | 0.0%THIN |
| Play It Again Sports | 0 of 10 defaulted | 0.0%THIN |
| TACO JOHN'S | 1 of 16 defaulted | 6.3%THIN |
| Super 8 | 3 of 46 defaulted | 6.5% |
| DAIRY QUEEN | 3 of 38 defaulted | 7.9% |
| Napa Auto Parts | 1 of 12 defaulted | 8.3%THIN |
| PIZZA RANCH | 5 of 50 defaulted | 10.0% |
| Ace Hardware | 1 of 10 defaulted | 10.0%THIN |
Every SBA 7(a) and 504 loan in the FY1991–present FOIA files (data.sba.gov) whose borrower is matched to a franchise brand and whose borrower state is Iowa. Charge-off rate = charged-off ÷ (charged-off + paid-in-full); still-open loans never dilute the rate. A local rate prints only at 10+ resolved loans in-state, and is marked THIN below 30 — directional, not a verdict. Local conditions, lender mix, and era all sit inside these numbers; read a brand's national record and its FDD before concluding anything. Brand links lead to the full sourced profile; “local record” links to the brand's Iowa loan page.
A broker is paid by the franchisor to place you. I'm paid by you — and the job is pressure-testing the numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.