If you are shopping an SBA 7(a) or conventional commercial loan in New Jersey, 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 New Jersey-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.
New Jersey's commercial banks compete in the most crowded lending corridor in the country, wedged between New York and Philadelphia money on both flanks.
The 13 most active commercial lenders in New Jersey
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 | Valley National Bank | Passaic | $66.2B | 16.1% | 1.07% | National-scale lender, a steady commercial book. CRE-heavy book. Top sectors funded in NJ: Accommodation/Food Service (6 loans), Health Care (4 loans) |
| 2 | Provident Bank | Jersey City | $25.7B | 10.2% | 1.34% | Large regional lender, a modest C&I share. CRE-heavy book. Top sectors funded in NJ: Retail Trade (26 loans), Accommodation/Food Service (19 loans) |
| 3 | Peapack Private Bank and Trust | Bedminster | $8.0B | 29.4% | 0.84% | Mid-size regional, an active C&I book. CRE-heavy book. Loan book up 15% YoY. Top sectors funded in NJ: Retail Trade (29 loans), Accommodation/Food Service (12 loans) |
| 4 | Oceanfirst Bank | Toms River | $23.2B | 8.7% | 0.32% | Large regional lender, a modest C&I share. CRE-heavy book. Loan book up 59% YoY. Top sectors funded in NJ: Transportation & Warehousing (5 loans), Retail Trade (3 loans) |
| 5 | Connectone Bank | Englewood Cliffs | $14.4B | 8.6% | 1.24% | Large multi-state regional, a modest C&I share. CRE-heavy book. Top sectors funded in NJ: Accommodation/Food Service (5 loans), Retail Trade (4 loans) |
| 6 | Columbia Bank | Fair Lawn | $12.2B | 8.0% | 0.51% | Large regional lender, a modest C&I share. CRE-heavy book. |
| 7 | First Bank | Hamilton | $4.1B | 19.0% | 0.92% | Mid-size regional, a steady commercial book. CRE-heavy book. |
| 8 | Manasquan Bank | Wall Township | $3.6B | 8.5% | 0.67% | Regional commercial bank, a modest C&I share. CRE-heavy book. |
| 9 | Bcb Community Bank | Bayonne | $3.1B | 8.3% | -0.50% | Mid-size regional, a modest C&I share. CRE-heavy book. Loan book down 9% YoY. |
| 10 | Hana Bank USA | Fort Lee | $835M | 23.0% | 2.94% | Small local lender, an active C&I book. Return on assets above 1.5 percent. Loan book up 10% YoY. |
| 11 | New Millennium Bank | Fort Lee | $899M | 5.1% | 1.31% | Small community bank, a modest C&I share. CRE-heavy book. |
| 12 | Century Savings Bank | Vineland | $635M | 10.2% | 0.53% | Small local lender, a modest C&I share. CRE-heavy book. |
| 13 | First Hope Bank, a National Banking Association | Hope | $657M | 7.3% | 0.78% | Small community bank, a modest C&I share. 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 New Jersey-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 New Jersey. Second, a capacity floor: we dropped every New Jersey-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 loosened the usual 10 percent C&I cutoff to 5 percent here, because New Jersey has a shallow commercial-banking bench and a stricter filter would leave too short a list (a bank that is 90 percent home mortgages is not your SBA lender, regardless of size). Of the banks clearing both floors, 13 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 13. 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 New Jersey, 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 New Jersey
The lenders that made the most SBA 7(a) and 504 loans to New Jersey businesses, federal fiscal year 2023 through June 30, 2026, counted from SBA's own loan-level data. National SBA platforms appear next to New Jersey's own banks because they lend here too.
1,995 SBA loans in New Jersey, $329.2M in total. Most often: Construction, Retail Trade.
709 SBA loans in New Jersey, $74.6M in total. Most often: Construction, Other Services.
348 SBA loans in New Jersey, $120.8M in total. Most often: Accommodation/Food Service, Other Services.
316 SBA loans in New Jersey, $113.3M in total. Most often: Professional Services, Health Care.
303 SBA loans in New Jersey, $73.7M in total. Most often: Construction, Professional Services.
267 SBA loans in New Jersey, $92.8M in total. Most often: Professional Services, Retail Trade.
263 SBA loans in New Jersey, $38.1M in total. Most often: Professional Services, Construction.
240 SBA loans in New Jersey, $35.3M in total. Most often: Professional Services, Retail Trade.
207 SBA loans in New Jersey, $237.1M in total. Most often: Health Care, Professional Services.
193 SBA loans in New Jersey, $80.3M in total. Most often: Professional Services, Transportation & Warehousing.
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 New Jersey looks like for a borrower
New Jersey's commercial banks compete in the most crowded lending corridor in the country, wedged between New York and Philadelphia money on both flanks.
The state's banking base totals $210.0B in assets across 46 charters, topped by Valley National Bank (Passaic) at $66.2B. Commercial appetite varies widely; the median New Jersey bank runs a 3.5% C&I share, and Valley National Bank leads on raw C&I dollars ($8.4B).
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: Lower Manhattan at dusk by Triston Dunn on Unsplash, used here as a regional editorial image for New Jersey.