If you are shopping an SBA 7(a) or conventional commercial loan in California, the bank you call first matters more than most borrowers think. A lender that already writes a lot of commercial credit and sits in your state is structurally likelier to say yes than a national name passing through. This page ranks the California-headquartered banks doing the most commercial lending right now, using public Q2 2026 FFIEC call-report data. It is the open-book version of what the paid report does with far more inputs.
California's headquartered banks skew either very large or very specialized, which leaves a surprisingly thin middle for an ordinary Main Street borrower to shop.
The 15 most active commercial lenders in California
Ranked by commercial and industrial (C&I) loans outstanding, Q2 2026. Bank names link to the live BankingLens scorecard.
| # | Bank | City | Assets | C&I share | ROA | Fit notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | City National Bank | Los Angeles | $99.1B | 15.8% | 0.97% | National-scale lender, a steady commercial book. Top sectors funded in CA: Wholesale Trade (44 loans), Professional Services (41 loans) |
| 2 | East West Bank | Pasadena | $84.3B | 17.4% | 1.78% | Coast-to-coast balance sheet, a steady commercial book. Return on assets above 1.5 percent. Top sectors funded in CA: Retail Trade (83 loans), Accommodation/Food Service (74 loans) |
| 3 | Banc of California | Los Angeles | $34.9B | 12.5% | -0.87% | Large multi-state regional, a steady commercial book. CRE-heavy book. Top sectors funded in CA: Construction (9 loans), Professional Services (8 loans) |
| 4 | Cathay Bank | Los Angeles | $24.6B | 15.0% | 1.54% | Large regional lender, a steady commercial book. Return on assets above 1.5 percent. Top sectors funded in CA: Retail Trade (15 loans), Wholesale Trade (10 loans) |
| 5 | Axos Bank | San Diego | $28.9B | 11.9% | 2.16% | Large multi-state regional, a modest C&I share. Return on assets above 1.5 percent. Loan book up 25% YoY. |
| 6 | Bank of Hope | Los Angeles | $19.0B | 17.9% | 0.74% | Large regional lender, a steady commercial book. CRE-heavy book. |
| 7 | Preferred Bank | Los Angeles | $7.7B | 26.6% | 1.69% | Mid-size regional, an active C&I book. Return on assets above 1.5 percent. Loan book up 9% YoY. |
| 8 | Smbc Manubank | Los Angeles | $6.6B | 48.3% | -3.66% | Regional commercial bank, heavy C&I concentration. CRE-heavy book. Loan book down 37% YoY. |
| 9 | Hanmi Bank | Los Angeles | $8.0B | 19.7% | 1.27% | Mid-size regional, a steady commercial book. CRE-heavy book. |
| 10 | Avidbank | San Jose | $2.7B | 47.3% | 1.35% | Local commercial lender, heavy C&I concentration. CRE-heavy book. Loan book up 16% YoY. |
| 11 | Ctbc Bank Corp. (USA) | Los Angeles | $5.9B | 19.5% | 0.85% | Mid-size regional, a steady commercial book. CRE-heavy book. |
| 12 | American Business Bank | Los Angeles | $4.4B | 20.7% | 1.46% | Regional commercial bank, an active C&I book. CRE-heavy book. |
| 13 | California Bank of Commerce | San Diego | $4.0B | 18.3% | 1.45% | Mid-size regional, a steady commercial book. CRE-heavy book. |
| 14 | Farmers & Merchants Bank of Central California | Lodi | $5.8B | 14.3% | 1.74% | Regional commercial bank, a steady commercial book. Return on assets above 1.5 percent. |
| 15 | State Bank of India (california) | Los Angeles | $1.4B | 41.3% | 1.10% | Community bank, heavy C&I concentration. CRE-heavy book. |
Assets and ratios are Q2 2026 FFIEC call-report figures. ROA is annualized return on assets. A bank's headquarters city is shown; many lend statewide and beyond.
C&I lending muscle, ranked
Commercial and industrial loans outstanding for the top 10 California-HQ lenders, Q2 2026. This is the single number our ranking leans on hardest.
How we ranked these
Four steps, all of them transparent. First, we took every bank headquartered in California. Second, a capacity floor: we dropped every California-headquartered bank under $500M in total assets, because a smaller balance sheet rarely anchors a primary SBA 7(a) relationship. Third, an active-originator floor: we kept only banks whose commercial and industrial (C&I) loans are at least 10 percent of the loan book (a bank that is 90 percent home mortgages is not your SBA lender, regardless of size). Of the banks clearing both floors, 32 made the active list. Fourth, we ranked them by C&I loan dollars outstanding, which already blends balance-sheet size with how committed a bank is to commercial credit, and kept the top 15. Where the call report reports it, the fit notes also flag year-over-year loan-book growth as a rough read on whether a bank is leaning into lending or pulling back; the FFIEC filing does not break out SBA or C&I growth on its own, so treat that as directional, not precise.
Smaller banks may also fund your loan but rank below the active list.
The SBA section below ranks separately: it counts the SBA 7(a) and 504 loans each lender actually made in California, from SBA's own loan data, whatever state the lender is based in.
This table is an honest, simplified proxy. The call report does not show a bank's SBA volume or its appetite for your industry; the SBA section shows volume, but not which lender fits your deal. The $49 Borrower Assist report folds all of that in and ranks against your specific deal, not just your state. That is the part worth paying for.
Most active SBA lenders in California
The lenders that made the most SBA 7(a) and 504 loans to California businesses, federal fiscal year 2023 through June 30, 2026, counted from SBA's own loan-level data. National SBA platforms appear next to California's own banks because they lend here too.
3,059 SBA loans in California, $969.3M in total. Most often: Construction, Other Services.
1,514 SBA loans in California, $598.8M in total. Most often: Construction, Professional Services.
1,395 SBA loans in California, $783.4M in total. Most often: Retail Trade, Professional Services.
1,243 SBA loans in California, $483.5M in total. Most often: Professional Services, Retail Trade.
1,183 SBA loans in California, $234.9M in total. Most often: Professional Services, Transportation & Warehousing.
1,114 SBA loans in California, $401.0M in total. Most often: Professional Services, Retail Trade.
1,107 SBA loans in California, $371.9M in total. Most often: Accommodation/Food Service, Arts & Recreation.
1,073 SBA loans in California, $173.1M in total. Most often: Construction, Retail Trade.
1,059 SBA loans in California, $159.7M in total. Most often: Professional Services, Construction.
883 SBA loans in California, $703.4M in total. Most often: Professional Services, Health Care.
Source: U.S. Small Business Administration 7(a) and 504 loan data, refreshed monthly. Ranked by number of loans. Lenders that have since merged count toward the bank that acquired them.
What California looks like for a borrower
California's headquartered banks skew either very large or very specialized, which leaves a surprisingly thin middle for an ordinary Main Street borrower to shop.
On the numbers: California's 108 headquartered banks carry $528.3B in assets between them, the largest being City National Bank of Los Angeles at $99.1B. The median bank keeps 7.7% of its loan book in C&I credit, which is the pool the table below ranks.
None of that tells you which of these banks will fund your specific deal. A $400,000 restaurant acquisition and a $4M owner-occupied warehouse purchase have different optimal lender lists even in the same state, and the ranking above does not split by loan size, industry, or collateral. Treat it as your starting shortlist, not your final answer.
How to use this list
- Start with the bank near you that has the strongest commercial profile, not just the closest branch. A lender with a real C&I book understands your deal faster.
- Ask for the SBA or commercial lending group directly. The general line routes business deals slowly.
- Have a one-page summary ready: use of funds, cash flow, collateral, owner credit, timeline. Banks decide whether to engage in the first ninety seconds.
- Run two banks in parallel, not five. Two real conversations close a loan; five waste everyone's time.
Hero photo: The San Francisco skyline by Joshua Sortino on Unsplash, used here as a regional editorial image for California.