If you are shopping an SBA 7(a) or conventional commercial loan in New York, 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 York-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.
Outside Manhattan's global banks, upstate New York runs on community and regional lenders that finance the manufacturing and farm economy Wall Street forgets exists.
The 15 most active commercial lenders in New York
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 | Manufacturers and Traders Trust Company | Buffalo | $218.8B | 23.9% | 1.40% | National-scale lender, an active C&I book. Top sectors funded in NY: Construction (396 loans), Retail Trade (304 loans) |
| 2 | Goldman Sachs Bank USA | New York | $758.8B | 12.0% | 1.23% | Coast-to-coast balance sheet, a modest C&I share. Loan book up 21% YoY. |
| 3 | Flagstar Bank | Hicksville | $87.7B | 19.7% | 0.13% | National-scale lender, a steady commercial book. CRE-heavy book. Top sectors funded in NY: Wholesale Trade (1 loan), Construction (1 loan) |
| 4 | Israel Discount Bank of New York | New York | $14.4B | 26.6% | 0.74% | Large regional lender, an active C&I book. CRE-heavy book. |
| 5 | Apple Bank | New York | $19.9B | 19.1% | 0.39% | Large multi-state regional, a steady commercial book. CRE-heavy book. |
| 6 | Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas | New York | $40.5B | 13.5% | 0.90% | Large regional lender, a steady commercial book. |
| 7 | Nbt Bank | Norwich | $16.1B | 12.7% | 1.21% | Large multi-state regional, a steady commercial book. |
| 8 | Esquire Bank | Jericho | $2.5B | 70.3% | 2.33% | Local commercial lender, heavy C&I concentration. Return on assets above 1.5 percent. Loan book up 28% YoY. |
| 9 | Amalgamated Bank | New York | $9.4B | 24.8% | 1.34% | Mid-size regional, an active C&I book. Loan book up 9% YoY. |
| 10 | Dime Commercial Bank | Bridgehampton | $15.0B | 11.5% | 0.98% | Large regional lender, a modest C&I share. CRE-heavy book. |
| 11 | Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (USA) | New York | $2.9B | 43.1% | 0.66% | Community bank, heavy C&I concentration. Built for commercial deals. |
| 12 | Tompkins Community Bank | Ithaca | $8.8B | 13.2% | 1.38% | Regional commercial bank, a steady commercial book. CRE-heavy book. |
| 13 | Metropolitan Commercial Bank | New York | $8.9B | 11.3% | 1.24% | Mid-size regional, a modest C&I share. CRE-heavy book. Loan book up 11% YoY. |
| 14 | Five Star Bank | Rochester | $6.3B | 13.1% | 1.42% | Regional commercial bank, a steady commercial book. CRE-heavy book. |
| 15 | Woori America Bank | New York | $4.1B | 17.1% | 0.72% | Mid-size regional, a steady commercial book. 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 York-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 York. Second, a capacity floor: we dropped every New York-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, 34 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 New York, 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 York
The lenders that made the most SBA 7(a) and 504 loans to New York businesses, federal fiscal year 2023 through June 30, 2026, counted from SBA's own loan-level data. National SBA platforms appear next to New York's own banks because they lend here too.
2,715 SBA loans in New York, $369.7M in total. Most often: Construction, Retail Trade.
2,177 SBA loans in New York, $262.5M in total. Most often: Construction, Retail Trade.
1,087 SBA loans in New York, $286.7M in total. Most often: Construction, Professional Services.
681 SBA loans in New York, $235.6M in total. Most often: Professional Services, Retail Trade.
658 SBA loans in New York, $95.7M in total. Most often: Retail Trade, Professional Services.
557 SBA loans in New York, $237.9M in total. Most often: Professional Services, Accommodation/Food Service.
493 SBA loans in New York, $109.9M in total. Most often: Accommodation/Food Service, Retail Trade.
407 SBA loans in New York, $65.3M in total. Most often: Professional Services, Construction.
347 SBA loans in New York, $132.3M in total. Most often: Accommodation/Food Service, Arts & Recreation.
337 SBA loans in New York, $65.5M in total. Most often: Retail Trade, Professional Services.
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 York looks like for a borrower
Outside Manhattan's global banks, upstate New York runs on community and regional lenders that finance the manufacturing and farm economy Wall Street forgets exists.
On the numbers: New York's 96 headquartered banks carry $1.36T in assets between them, the largest being Goldman Sachs Bank USA of New York at $758.8B. The median bank keeps 8.1% 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 New York City skyline by Luca Bravo on Unsplash, used here as a regional editorial image for New York.