If you are shopping an SBA 7(a) or conventional commercial loan in Nebraska, 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 Nebraska-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.
Nebraska's banks are farm banks first, and a strong cattle-and-grain year still moves the state's commercial loan books more than any rate cut does.
The 15 most active commercial lenders in Nebraska
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 | First National Bank of Omaha | Omaha | $34.2B | 10.3% | 1.79% | Large multi-state regional, a modest C&I share. Return on assets above 1.5 percent. Top sectors funded in NE: Construction (9 loans), Retail Trade (5 loans) |
| 2 | Union Bank and Trust Company | Lincoln | $9.2B | 19.1% | 1.66% | Regional commercial bank, a steady commercial book. Return on assets above 1.5 percent. Top sectors funded in NE: Construction (30 loans), Accommodation/Food Service (26 loans) |
| 3 | Security National Bank of Omaha | Omaha | $1.9B | 38.0% | 1.47% | Community bank, heavy C&I concentration. CRE-heavy book. Top sectors funded in NE: Accommodation/Food Service (2 loans), Administrative & Support (1 loan) |
| 4 | Five Points Bank | Grand Island | $2.2B | 26.3% | 1.43% | Local commercial lender, an active C&I book. Loan book up 11% YoY. |
| 5 | Cornerstone Bank | York | $2.7B | 14.8% | 1.23% | Community bank, a steady commercial book. |
| 6 | Platte Valley Bank | Scottsbluff | $1.2B | 18.7% | 1.23% | Local commercial lender, a steady commercial book. |
| 7 | Elkhorn Valley Bank & Trust | Norfolk | $1.5B | 14.7% | 1.25% | Community bank, a steady commercial book. Loan book up 9% YoY. |
| 8 | Core Bank | Omaha | $1.1B | 16.5% | 0.73% | Local commercial lender, a steady commercial book. CRE-heavy book. |
| 9 | Arbor Bank | Nebraska City | $702M | 22.4% | 1.18% | Small community bank, an active C&I book. Loan book up 12% YoY. |
| 10 | Access Bank | Omaha | $1.1B | 16.3% | 1.18% | Local commercial lender, a steady commercial book. CRE-heavy book. Loan book up 8% YoY. |
| 11 | Dundee Bank | Omaha | $976M | 15.4% | 2.12% | Small community bank, a steady commercial book. Return on assets above 1.5 percent. Loan book up 23% YoY. |
| 12 | First State Bank Nebraska | Lincoln | $1.1B | 14.4% | 1.50% | Local commercial lender, a steady commercial book. |
| 13 | Midwest Bank | Pierce | $1.2B | 10.5% | 1.10% | Community bank, a modest C&I share. |
| 14 | Nebraskaland Bank | North Platte | $1.1B | 12.3% | 0.52% | Local commercial lender, a steady commercial book. CRE-heavy book. |
| 15 | Riverstone Bank | Eagle | $593M | 14.9% | 1.96% | Small community bank, a steady commercial book. Return on assets above 1.5 percent. Loan book up 15% YoY. |
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 Nebraska-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 Nebraska. Second, a capacity floor: we dropped every Nebraska-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, 25 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 Nebraska, 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 Nebraska
The lenders that made the most SBA 7(a) and 504 loans to Nebraska businesses, federal fiscal year 2023 through June 30, 2026, counted from SBA's own loan-level data. National SBA platforms appear next to Nebraska's own banks because they lend here too.
203 SBA loans in Nebraska, $81.4M in total. Most often: Construction, Accommodation/Food Service.
82 SBA loans in Nebraska, $6.0M in total. Most often: Construction, Other Services.
74 SBA loans in Nebraska, $41.5M in total. Most often: Retail Trade, Health Care.
48 SBA loans in Nebraska, $18.9M in total. Most often: Health Care, Other Services.
46 SBA loans in Nebraska, $27.8M in total. Most often: Construction, Retail Trade.
37 SBA loans in Nebraska, $18.8M in total. Most often: Health Care, Administrative & Support.
37 SBA loans in Nebraska, $13.6M in total. Most often: Construction, Professional Services.
34 SBA loans in Nebraska, $12.5M in total. Most often: Construction, Retail Trade.
31 SBA loans in Nebraska, $15.6M in total. Most often: Health Care, Retail Trade.
31 SBA loans in Nebraska, $4.0M in total. Most often: Construction, Wholesale Trade.
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 Nebraska looks like for a borrower
Nebraska's banks are farm banks first, and a strong cattle-and-grain year still moves the state's commercial loan books more than any rate cut does.
The state's banking base totals $110.6B in assets across 138 charters, topped by First National Bank of Omaha (Omaha) at $34.2B. Commercial appetite varies widely; the median Nebraska bank runs a 10.9% C&I share, and First National Bank of Omaha leads on raw C&I dollars ($2.5B).
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: Midwestern farm country by Pieter van de Sande on Unsplash, used here as a regional editorial image for Nebraska.