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Live Oak Bank Business Loans Review

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Live Oak Bank
  • APR range: Not disclosed online

  • Loan amounts: to for Express or SBA loan

  • Our verdict: may be a good choice for small businesses looking for quick funding from an SBA preferred lender alongside a full suite of banking tools. However, loans require either two or three years of tax returns, so newer businesses may need to look elsewhere. And APR information isn’t available online, meaning you’ll need to speak to a loan specialist to find out if it’s a good fit.

offers no information on its website about whether it offers loans below that maximum interest rate. But again, since it’s a Preferred Lender, you can quickly find out if you’re eligible or not and what rates you might have to pay.

Term loans

Live Oak also offers conventional business term loans, a typical business loan that isn’t backed by a government department like the SBA or USDA. Like an SBA loan, these can be used to acquire a new business or help fund an existing one.

There isn’t much information available about maximum loan amounts or rates for Live Oak’s term loans — you’ll need to talk with a representative to find out what the best funding option is for your business needs.

Live Oak Express loans

months. There are no prepayment penalties, and Live Oak also notes that this loan comes with transparent closing costs.

To speed up the process, there are simple documentation requirements during the application processes and no hard personal credit inquiries. These loans can be used for a variety of business needs like buying equipment or onboarding new staff.

Notably, while the name sounds similar to an SBA Express loan, Live Oak uses both SBA-backed and conventional loans, depending on your business. To find out what rate you’ll qualify for, you’ll need to contact the bank directly.

USDA loans

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Minimum credit score for unsecured lines of credit, not disclosed for other products for unsecured loans or lines of credit, not disclosed for other products
Loan products offered
  • SBA loans
  • Express loans
  • Conventional term loans
  • Lines of credit
  • USDA loans
  • Secured and unsecured lines of credit
  • Basic SBA loan options
  • Health care practice loans
  • Secured and unsecured lines of credit
  • Conventional term loans
  • SBA loans
  • Equipment loans
  • Health care practice loans
  • Commercial real estate loans
Minimum time in business
  • for Express loans
  • for acquisition loans
  • 2 years for Small Business Advantage line of credit
  • No minimum disclosed for other lines of credit lines of credit
  • under current ownership for most products
  • for secured line of credit
Starting rate
  • Not disclosed online
  • SBA loan APR is dependent on SBA rates
  • for BusinessLine line of credit
  • for Small Business Advantage line of credit for BusinessLine line of credit 
  • for Prime Line of Credit
  • Not disclosed online for other loan products
  • for secured business loans
  • for secured lines of credit
  • for equipment loans
  • for commercial real estate loans
  • Not disclosed online for other products
Maximum loan size
  • for Express loans
  • for SBA 7(a) loans
  • for SBA 504 loans
  • for BusinessLine line of credit
  • for Small Business Advantage line of credit
  • for Prime line of credit
  • Funding starts at or for most products
  • maximum for SBA 7(a) loans
  • for SBA express loans
  • Maximum loan size not disclosed for other loan products

vs.

Wells Fargo offers more diverse options for business lines of credit, including distinct options for established businesses with two years in business and options for those with less than two years of operational history.

Like , it also has loans for health care practices, including dental, veterinary, and medical offices, in addition to basic SBA loans like 7(a) and 504 loans.

Unlike Live Oak, however, Wells Fargo offers more transparent details about starting interest rates online, which can be helpful when comparing lenders.

Read more in our Wells Fargo review.

vs

, like , is an SBA Preferred Lender and offers similar SBA loan options. It also offers transparent details about both secured and unsecured lines of credit and conventional term loans, with competitive interest rates at and for secured business loans and secured lines of credit, respectively.

does have more stringent minimum credit score requirements compared to other lenders, but not by much, and their secured credit line for businesses under six months old can provide essential funding to new business owners who may not qualify with some other lenders.

Read more in our review.

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