If you are shopping an SBA 7(a) or conventional commercial loan in South Carolina, 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 South Carolina-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.
South Carolina's banking grew up around textiles and ports, and its community lenders now chase an in-migration and manufacturing boom up the I-85 corridor.
The 8 most active commercial lenders in South Carolina
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 | United Community Bank | Greenville | $29.0B | 21.9% | 1.39% | Large multi-state regional, an active C&I book. CRE-heavy book. |
| 2 | Southern First Bank | Greenville | $4.7B | 10.5% | 0.96% | Regional commercial bank, a modest C&I share. CRE-heavy book. Top sectors funded in SC: Transportation & Warehousing (1 loan) |
| 3 | Coastal States Bank | Hilton Head Island | $2.4B | 10.8% | 1.17% | Community bank, a modest C&I share. CRE-heavy book. Loan book up 11% YoY. Top sectors funded in SC: Health Care (1 loan), Retail Trade (1 loan) |
| 4 | Optus Bank | Columbia | $764M | 32.2% | 0.96% | Small local lender, heavy C&I concentration. CRE-heavy book. Loan book up 17% YoY. Top sectors funded in SC: Health Care (1 loan) |
| 5 | Carolina Bank & Trust Company | Lamar | $845M | 17.9% | 1.82% | Small community bank, a steady commercial book. Return on assets above 1.5 percent. Top sectors funded in SC: Manufacturing (1 loan) |
| 6 | The Conway National Bank | Conway | $2.0B | 11.2% | 1.41% | Local commercial lender, a modest C&I share. CRE-heavy book. |
| 7 | The Bank of South Carolina | Charleston | $571M | 14.3% | 1.55% | Small community bank, a steady commercial book. Return on assets above 1.5 percent. |
| 8 | Palmetto State Bank | Hampton | $597M | 14.6% | 0.96% | Small local lender, a steady commercial book. Loan book up 12% 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 8 South Carolina-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 South Carolina. Second, a capacity floor: we dropped every South Carolina-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, 8 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 8. 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 South Carolina, 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 South Carolina
The lenders that made the most SBA 7(a) and 504 loans to South Carolina businesses, federal fiscal year 2023 through June 30, 2026, counted from SBA's own loan-level data. National SBA platforms appear next to South Carolina's own banks because they lend here too.
404 SBA loans in South Carolina, $86.0M in total. Most often: Construction, Administrative & Support.
218 SBA loans in South Carolina, $93.2M in total. Most often: Accommodation/Food Service, Construction.
131 SBA loans in South Carolina, $16.2M in total. Most often: Construction, Transportation & Warehousing.
115 SBA loans in South Carolina, $48.6M in total. Most often: Health Care, Retail Trade.
109 SBA loans in South Carolina, $123.2M in total. Most often: Professional Services, Construction.
101 SBA loans in South Carolina, $60.6M in total. Most often: Accommodation/Food Service, Other Services.
95 SBA loans in South Carolina, $29.4M in total. Most often: Construction, Professional Services.
91 SBA loans in South Carolina, $13.0M in total. Most often: Construction, Retail Trade.
85 SBA loans in South Carolina, $84.7M in total. Most often: Accommodation/Food Service, Retail Trade.
68 SBA loans in South Carolina, $42.9M 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 South Carolina looks like for a borrower
South Carolina's banking grew up around textiles and ports, and its community lenders now chase an in-migration and manufacturing boom up the I-85 corridor.
Across 43 South Carolina-headquartered banks sits $64.7B in total assets, anchored by United Community Bank in Greenville at $29.0B. Half the state's lenders hold more than 6.3% 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: Downtown Atlanta by Joey Kyber on Unsplash, used here as a regional editorial image for South Carolina.