Newtek Funds $91 Million in 7(a) loans in Q1

Newtek (Nasdaq:NEWT), a provider of business and financial solutions, funded $91.4 million of SBA 7(a) loans in the three months ending March 31, 2018, according to the company’s Q1 2018 earnings report released yesterday. This is an increase of 16.2 percent year-over-year from $78.6 million funded in SBA 7(a) loans in the three months ending March 31, 2017.

On this morning’s phone call, CEO Barry Sloane was particularly pleased to announce Newtek’s loan referral growth of 86.9 percent from Q1 2017 ($2.6 million) to $4.8 million in Q1 2018.

“It gives us the ability to make selection on opportunities that come to us directly from business owners,” Sloane said, “without the use of brokers, and pick the best credits available.”

Newtek also closed on $3.9 million in SBA 504 loans for the three months ending on March 31, 2018. SBA 504 loans provide approved small businesses with long-term, fixed-rate financing used to acquire fixed assets for expansion or modernization.

The New York-based company was founded in 1998, went public in 2000, and has been a BDC (Business Development Company) for three and a half years. BDCs are publicly traded companies that make investments in private companies in the form of loans or equity securities. And the structure provides certain tax advantages, according to Solar Capital.

Newtek acquired United Capital Source in October 2017, which is still led by its original CEO Jared Weitz, who was featured in AltFinanceDaily’s September/October 2015 issue.

Newtek had a net investment loss of $2.8 million for Q1 2018.

Aside from the company’s headquarters in Lake Success, NY, Newtek also has loan processing offices in Orlando, FL and Boca Raton, FL.

Todd Stone was a reporter for AltFinanceDaily.