If you are shopping an SBA 7(a) or conventional commercial loan in Pennsylvania, 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 Pennsylvania-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.
Pennsylvania keeps one of the densest community-banking networks in the nation, a Pittsburgh-to-Philadelphia spread that still funds a great deal of small industry.
The 15 most active commercial lenders in Pennsylvania
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 Pennsylvania | Greenville | $50.8B | 20.1% | 1.19% | National-scale lender, an active C&I book. Top sectors funded in PA: Manufacturing (13 loans), Construction (13 loans) |
| 2 | Customers Bank | Malvern | $26.5B | 18.1% | 1.15% | Large regional lender, a steady commercial book. Loan book up 17% YoY. Top sectors funded in PA: Health Care (8 loans), Construction (5 loans) |
| 3 | Northwest Bank | Warren | $17.2B | 20.9% | 1.32% | Large multi-state regional, an active C&I book. Loan book up 17% YoY. |
| 4 | Fulton Bank | Lancaster | $32.6B | 11.3% | 1.30% | Large regional lender, a modest C&I share. Top sectors funded in PA: Accommodation/Food Service (25 loans), Manufacturing (18 loans) |
| 5 | First Commonwealth Bank | Indiana | $12.2B | 19.2% | 1.40% | Large multi-state regional, a steady commercial book. Top sectors funded in PA: Construction (33 loans), Accommodation/Food Service (24 loans) |
| 6 | Firstrust Savings Bank | Conshohocken | $5.6B | 27.6% | 1.70% | Regional commercial bank, an active C&I book. Return on assets above 1.5 percent. |
| 7 | Dollar Bank, Federal Savings Bank | Pittsburgh | $12.7B | 12.7% | 0.61% | Large multi-state regional, a steady commercial book. |
| 8 | S & T Bank | Indiana | $9.9B | 14.6% | 1.47% | Regional commercial bank, a steady commercial book. CRE-heavy book. |
| 9 | Univest Bank and Trust Co. | Hilltown | $8.2B | 13.8% | 1.27% | Mid-size regional, a steady commercial book. CRE-heavy book. |
| 10 | Cnb Bank | Clearfield | $8.4B | 13.6% | 1.37% | Regional commercial bank, a steady commercial book. CRE-heavy book. Loan book up 38% YoY. |
| 11 | Peoples Security Bank and Trust Company | Dunmore | $5.4B | 17.0% | 1.23% | Mid-size regional, a steady commercial book. CRE-heavy book. |
| 12 | Mid Penn Bank | Millersburg | $7.0B | 11.4% | 1.26% | Regional commercial bank, a modest C&I share. CRE-heavy book. Loan book up 16% YoY. |
| 13 | Meridian Bank | Malvern | $2.6B | 20.9% | 0.76% | Community bank, an active C&I book. CRE-heavy book. |
| 14 | Orrstown Bank | Harrisburg | $5.6B | 11.1% | 1.69% | Regional commercial bank, a modest C&I share. Return on assets above 1.5 percent. |
| 15 | Somerset Trust Company | Somerset | $2.5B | 20.2% | 1.16% | Community bank, an active C&I 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 Pennsylvania-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 Pennsylvania. Second, a capacity floor: we dropped every Pennsylvania-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, 31 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 Pennsylvania, 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 Pennsylvania
The lenders that made the most SBA 7(a) and 504 loans to Pennsylvania businesses, federal fiscal year 2023 through June 30, 2026, counted from SBA's own loan-level data. National SBA platforms appear next to Pennsylvania's own banks because they lend here too.
1,029 SBA loans in Pennsylvania, $217.4M in total. Most often: Construction, Accommodation/Food Service.
837 SBA loans in Pennsylvania, $94.8M in total. Most often: Construction, Accommodation/Food Service.
818 SBA loans in Pennsylvania, $123.9M in total. Most often: Construction, Retail Trade.
238 SBA loans in Pennsylvania, $87.4M in total. Most often: Accommodation/Food Service, Other Services.
224 SBA loans in Pennsylvania, $66.0M in total. Most often: Construction, Accommodation/Food Service.
218 SBA loans in Pennsylvania, $89.5M in total. Most often: Professional Services, Health Care.
209 SBA loans in Pennsylvania, $32.0M in total. Most often: Retail Trade, Construction.
208 SBA loans in Pennsylvania, $30.3M in total. Most often: Construction, Professional Services.
204 SBA loans in Pennsylvania, $161.7M in total. Most often: Accommodation/Food Service, Other Services.
204 SBA loans in Pennsylvania, $42.8M in total. Most often: Accommodation/Food Service, Other 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 Pennsylvania looks like for a borrower
Pennsylvania keeps one of the densest community-banking networks in the nation, a Pittsburgh-to-Philadelphia spread that still funds a great deal of small industry.
Across 101 Pennsylvania-headquartered banks sits $339.7B in total assets, anchored by First National Bank of Pennsylvania in Greenville at $50.8B. Half the state's lenders hold more than 6.7% of their loans in C&I, half less; the ranking below pulls the most commercial-heavy to the top.
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 Pennsylvania.