PENNSYLVANIA · SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT
Franchises in Pennsylvania: the loan record
Since 1991, banks have made 3,871 SBA-backed loans to franchisees of 227 different brands in Pennsylvania. Of the loans already resolved, 11.7% were charged off — 21% below 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.
3,871
SBA loans since 1991
227
Brands financed
11.7%
Local charge-off rate
29.6
Loans per 100k residents
| Cold Stone Creamery | 17 of 30 defaulted | 56.7% |
| Wayback Burgers | 5 of 11 defaulted | 45.5%THIN |
| Firehouse Subs | 4 of 11 defaulted | 36.4%THIN |
| Quiznos | 30 of 83 defaulted | 36.1% |
| Liberty Tax Service | 6 of 17 defaulted | 35.3%THIN |
| Meineke | 12 of 39 defaulted | 30.8% |
| Cottman Transmission | 4 of 15 defaulted | 26.7%THIN |
| Matco Tools | 6 of 23 defaulted | 26.1%THIN |
| Philly Soft Pretzel Factory | 10 of 40 defaulted | 25.0% |
| Aamco Transmissions | 7 of 28 defaulted | 25.0%THIN |
| Saladworks | 9 of 38 defaulted | 23.7% |
| Domino's Pizza | 7 of 35 defaulted | 20.0% |
| Ace Hardware | 2 of 10 defaulted | 20.0%THIN |
| Cartridge World | 2 of 10 defaulted | 20.0%THIN |
| Fox'S Pizza Den | 9 of 46 defaulted | 19.6% |
| Auntie Ann'S (Soft Pretzels) | 0 of 22 defaulted | 0.0%THIN |
| RITA'S ICE-CUSTARD-HAPPINESS | 0 of 20 defaulted | 0.0%THIN |
| The Goddard School | 0 of 20 defaulted | 0.0%THIN |
| Goddard Early Learning Center | 0 of 19 defaulted | 0.0%THIN |
| MASSAGE ENVY | 0 of 18 defaulted | 0.0%THIN |
| ECONO LODGE | 0 of 17 defaulted | 0.0%THIN |
| Holiday Inn Express | 0 of 17 defaulted | 0.0%THIN |
| Home Instead | 0 of 16 defaulted | 0.0%THIN |
| AMERIPRISE FINANCIAL SERVICES LLC | 0 of 15 defaulted | 0.0%THIN |
| European Wax Centers-Galleria | 0 of 15 defaulted | 0.0%THIN |
| Sport Clips | 0 of 15 defaulted | 0.0%THIN |
| Kiddie Academy | 0 of 14 defaulted | 0.0%THIN |
| Hand and Stone | 0 of 12 defaulted | 0.0%THIN |
| Skyzone | 0 of 12 defaulted | 0.0%THIN |
| THE LITTLE GYM | 0 of 12 defaulted | 0.0%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 Pennsylvania. 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 Pennsylvania 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.