Small Business Lending Survey 2022

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Small Business Lending Survey 2022 – Draft Final Survey Questionnaire
August 27, 2021

About This Survey
What is the SBLS?
The Small Business Lending Survey (SBLS) is a nationally representative survey that asks banks about their
small business lending practices and volumes. The survey is sponsored by the Federal Deposit Insurance
Corporation (FDIC) and administered by the U.S. Census Bureau (Census).
The SBLS seeks to provide a more comprehensive view of small business lending by banks than more
frequently occurring surveys that are not nationally representative or more narrowly defined surveys with
standard questions. In the SBLS, questions may differ from collection-to-collection in order to give special
attention to questions of most interest at the time. The last collection occurred in 2016 and the current
collection will take place in 2022 (SBLS 2022).
What is in the survey?
SBLS 2022 is composed of four sections. The first three sections ask qualitative questions about banks’ small
business lending practices. Your bank’s typical small business borrower likely differs from another bank’s
small business borrower. Given banks’ unique attributes, Sections I to III attempt to capture differences across
banks in how they serve their small business customers. Unless otherwise specified, we ask that throughout
the survey you use your bank’s own formal or informal definitions for what it considers a “small business.”
Section IV of the survey asks quantitative questions about banks’ lending volumes for business purposes.
Regulatory definitions (e.g., from the Call Report, the Community Reinvestment Act, or the Small Business
Administration) use simple rules to define and classify small business lending, such as thresholds for a
business’s revenue or loan size, or classifications based on type of collateral. While these rules facilitate
apples-to-apples comparisons across banks, valid bank small business lending may not be captured when
relying on standardized definitions. This section attempts to better measure aggregate small business lending
by U.S. banks.
Why was my bank chosen?
FDIC-insured U.S. banks of all sizes are randomly sampled to participate. About 2,000 banks have been asked
to respond to the survey and their answers will be weighted to make inferences about small business lending
for the entire U.S. banking industry.
Are my answers confidential and anonymous?
The answers provided by your bank to the SBLS are confidential and reported only in aggregated form. No
individual bank responses are ever disclosed. Only a small group of FDIC researchers with Special Sworn Status
are allowed to analyze the data collected.[1] The information collected is for research purposes only and will be
used to inform policy makers and the general public about the contribution of banks to U.S. small business
lending. The survey data are never used for examination purposes.
Will this information be in a report and can I see it?
Main findings from the data will be published in an FDIC report scheduled for publication in 2024. All U.S. FDICinsured banks will receive a copy of the published report.

[1]

Special Sworn Status (SSS) is granted by Census to individuals who are sworn for life to protect the data collected. SSS
subjects individuals to the same legal obligations and penalties as U.S. Census Bureau employees.

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Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Small Business Lending Survey 2022 – Draft Final Survey Questionnaire
August 27, 2021

Table of Contents
Screeners …………………………………………………………………………………....... iii
I. Small Business Loan Processes and Underwriting
IA. Small Business Lending at Your Bank ……………………………………………………..… 1
IB. Loan Approval Process ………………………………………………………………..…….… 4
IC. Underwriting ……………………………………………………………………………….….. 8
ID. Automated Underwriting ………………………………………………………………….… 11
IE. Financial Technology ………………………………………………………………………….13

II. Small Business Markets and Competition
IIA. Lending Markets & Practices ……………………………………………………………….. 16
IIB. Competitors and Competitive Advantages ……………………………………………….. 20

III. Coronavirus Pandemic, SBA Lending, and Selling of Loans
IIIA. Coronavirus Pandemic Response..………………………………………………………... 24
IIIB. SBA Lending ………………………………………………………………………………… 26
IIIC. Sales of Small Business Loans …………………………………………………………….. 27

IV. Measurement of Business Lending
IVA. Originations in 2021 ………………………………………………...….…………...…..….. 28
IVB. Outstanding Call Report C&I Loan Balances ……………………………………...…….. 33

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Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Small Business Lending Survey 2022 – Draft Final Survey Questionnaire
August 27, 2021

Screeners
About These Screeners
Your bank’s answers to these screener questions help us determine which questions of the survey are
relevant to your bank.
Section IV of this survey asks your bank quantitative questions about its lending for business purposes.
Accordingly, Screeners 1, 2, and 3 ask what data your bank can retrieve via its core data systems. Your
answers should reflect the abilities of your bank’s core data systems rather than what can be manually
collected from loan files. We recommend that these screener questions be answered in coordination
with the bank staff who will be providing answers to Section IV and that bank staff review Section IV of
the PDF version of the survey before answering these questions.
A number of the qualitative questions in Sections I and II of this survey will reference your bank’s top
small business lending product by volume. Therefore, Screeners 4 and 5 ask questions to help determine
what that top product is for your bank.
Lending for Business Purposes
By “lending for business purposes” we mean lending to businesses of all sizes:
Exclude
 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans
 Agricultural lending
 Loans for investment in real estate where loan repayment primarily depends on leasing income
or resale of the property
o E.g., loans for the improvement, purchase, or refinancing of
 Residential properties (including “flipping”)
 Non-owner-occupied commercial real estate
 ADC (Acquisition, Development, & Construction) loans
Include
 Unsecured lending
 Business credit cards
 Lines and letters of credit
 Government guaranteed lending (other than PPP loans)
 Lending made through third parties
 Lending primarily secured by non-real estate assets
o E.g., automobiles, equipment, inventory
 Lending for the purpose of improving, purchasing, or refinancing owner-occupied commercial
real estate
 Lending primarily secured by real estate
o E.g., a loan for working capital secured by the owner’s primary residence
o E.g., a loan for equipment secured by non-owner-occupied commercial real estate

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Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Small Business Lending Survey 2022 – Draft Final Survey Questionnaire
August 27, 2021

Small Business
We understand that your bank’s internal definition for small business lending may differ from the
definitions used by other banks and from regulatory definitions (for example, those used by the Call
Report, the Community Reinvestment Act, or the Small Business Administration).
For this survey we ask that you use your bank’s own formal or informal definitions for what it considers a
“small business.” This includes the possibility that your bank considers all of its business borrowers to
be small businesses, or the possibility that your bank has multiple divisions that serve small businesses.

Ability to Retrieve Lending Originations for Business Purposes
S1. For calendar year 2021, does your bank have the ability to retrieve from its core data systems the dollar
volume of originations (both new lending and renewals) for business purposes by the following
categories?
Refer to the “About These Screeners” box at the beginning of the section for this survey’s definition of “lending
for business purposes.”
Yes, my bank
No, my bank
Loan category
can retrieve the
cannot retrieve
dollar volume
the dollar volume
□
□
a. Lending for business purposes
b. Lending for business purposes, for loans or commitments of
□
□
size $1 million or less
c. Lending for business purposes, for any size of loan or
□
□
commitment
d. Lending for business purposes to businesses with $1 million
□
□
or less in gross annual revenue (GAR). Either GAR at origination
or most recent GAR is acceptable.
□
□
e. Lending for business purposes, for any gross annual revenue
f. Lending for business purposes, primarily secured by 1-4
□
□
family real estate
Ability to Retrieve Originations for Business Purposes Made Under Different Lending Programs
S2. For calendar year 2021, if your bank originated these types of lending products, does your bank have
the ability to retrieve from its core data systems the dollar volume of originations (both new lending and
renewals) for business purposes for the products below?
Refer to the “About These Screeners” box at the beginning of the section for this survey’s definition of “lending
for business purposes.”
Yes, my bank
No, my bank
Lending product category
can retrieve the
cannot retrieve
My bank did
dollar volume
the dollar volume
not originate
a. Government guaranteed lending made
□
□
□
through SBA programs (excluding PPP)

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Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Small Business Lending Survey 2022 – Draft Final Survey Questionnaire
August 27, 2021

b. Government guaranteed lending made
through non-SBA programs targeted at
small businesses
c. Credit card lending to businesses of all
sizes (where my bank holds the portfolio)
d. Lending for business purposes made
through automated approval decisions
Exclude:
 Credit card lending
 Government guaranteed lending

□

□

□

□

□

□

□

□

□

□

□

□

Include:
 Lending made through third parties with
automated approval
e. Lending made through third parties using
programs targeted at small businesses
Include:
 Brokers
 FinTech partners
 Any other non-governmental third party
lenders

Ability to Retrieve Call Report Outstanding Commercial & Industrial (C&I) Loan Balances
S3. Does your bank have the ability to retrieve from its core data systems the dollar volume of its
outstanding C&I loan balances as of Call Report date December 31st, 2021, by the following categories?
For these questions use the definition for C&I lending from pages 18 to 20 of Call Report Schedule RC-C.
Yes, my bank
No, my bank
Loan category
can retrieve the
cannot retrieve
dollar volume
the dollar volume
a. C&I loans, for loans of size $1 million or less
□
□
b. C&I loans, for any loan size
□
□
c. C&I loans to businesses with $1 million or less in gross annual
□
□
revenue (GAR). Either GAR at origination or most recent GAR is
acceptable.
d. C&I loans, for any gross annual revenue
□
□
General Small Business Lending Products
S4. For calendar year 2021, did your bank originate loans or commitments to small business borrowers for
business purposes using any of the following general product types?
Refer to the “About These Screeners” box at the beginning of the section for this survey’s definition of “small
business.”

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Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Small Business Lending Survey 2022 – Draft Final Survey Questionnaire
August 27, 2021

General lending product type
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.

Credit cards (where my bank holds the portfolio)
Government guaranteed lending (excluding PPP)
Letter of credit (non-government guaranteed)
Line of credit (non-government guaranteed)
Term loan (non-government guaranteed)
Other _______________

Yes, my bank
originated to small
businesses
□
□
□
□
□
□

No, my bank did
not originate to
small businesses
□
□
□
□
□
□

Top Small Business Lending Product
S5. For calendar year 2021, how would your bank rank these products by the dollar volume of originations
(both new lending and renewals) for business purposes to small business borrowers? Please feel free to
approximate your bank’s ranking of its lending rather than rely on exact numbers, if that would be easier for
your bank.
Refer to the “About These Screeners” box at the beginning of the section for this survey’s definition of “small
business.”
General lending product type
Ranking
a. Credit cards (where my bank holds the portfolio)
b. Government guaranteed lending (excluding PPP)
[Programmer’s note: Populate
c. Letter of credit (non-government guaranteed)
with product types chosen in S4
d. Line of credit (non-government guaranteed)
and allow ranking up to number
e. Term loan (non-government guaranteed)
of product types chosen]
f. Other _______________

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Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Small Business Lending Survey 2022 – Draft Final Survey Questionnaire
August 27, 2021

I. Small Business Loan Processes and Underwriting
IA. Small Business Lending at Your Bank
About This Section
In this section, we ask generally about your bank’s lending for business purposes to small businesses.
Lending for Business Purposes
By “lending for business purposes” we mean lending to businesses of all sizes:
Exclude
 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans
 Agricultural lending
 Loans for investment in real estate where loan repayment primarily depends on leasing income
or resale of the property
o E.g., loans for the improvement, purchase, or refinancing of
 Residential properties (including “flipping”)
 Non-owner-occupied commercial real estate
 ADC (Acquisition, Development, & Construction) loans
Include
 Unsecured lending
 Business credit cards
 Lines and letters of credit
 Government guaranteed lending (other than PPP loans)
 Lending made through third parties
 Lending primarily secured by non-real estate assets
o E.g., automobiles, equipment, inventory
 Lending for the purpose of improving, purchasing, or refinancing owner-occupied commercial
real estate
 Lending primarily secured by real estate
o E.g., a loan for working capital secured by the owner’s primary residence
o E.g., a loan for equipment secured by non-owner-occupied commercial real estate

Defining a Small Business for Your Bank
IA.1 Did your bank engage in any lending it considers small business lending, regardless of regulatory
definitions for small businesses, in calendar year 2021?
o Yes
o No
IA.2 Does your bank have multiple divisions that conduct small business lending, excluding SBA divisions?
o Yes
o No

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Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Small Business Lending Survey 2022 – Draft Final Survey Questionnaire
August 27, 2021

IA.3 Does your bank consider a level of gross annual revenue above which a business would not be
considered a small business? If your bank has multiple divisions, please consider the largest small business
that any of those divisions would serve, excluding SBA divisions.
o Yes
o No
[If IA.3=Yes] IA.4 What is the gross annual revenue benchmark above which a business is not considered
a small business by your bank? $___,__,___.00
IA.5 Does your bank consider an aggregate loan exposure above which the business being lent to would not
be considered a small business? If your bank has multiple divisions, please consider the largest acceptable
ALE for any of your divisions, excluding SBA divisions.
o Yes
o No
[If IA.5=Yes] IA.6 What is the aggregate loan exposure above which a business is not considered a small
business by your bank? $___,__,___.00
Loan Portfolio Devoted to Small Business Lending
IA.7 In calendar year 2021, approximately what percent of your bank’s dollar ($) volume of total lending
was originated or committed for business purposes? Select one.
o 0 to 20 percent of loan dollars
o 21 to 40 percent of loan dollars
o 41 to 60 percent of loan dollars
o 61 to 80 percent of loan dollars
o 81 to 100 percent of loan dollars
o Don’t know
IA.8 In calendar year 2021, approximately what percent of your bank’s dollar ($) volume of total lending
for business purposes was originated or committed to small business borrowers? Select one.
o 0 to 20 percent of loan dollars
o 21 to 40 percent of loan dollars
o 41 to 60 percent of loan dollars
o 61 to 80 percent of loan dollars
o 81 to 100 percent of loan dollars
o Don’t know
IA.9 In calendar year 2021, approximately what percent of your bank’s total number (units) of loans for
business purposes was originated or committed to small business borrowers? Select one.
o 0 to 20 percent of loans
o 21 to 40 percent of loans
o 41 to 60 percent of loans
o 61 to 80 percent of loans
o 81 to 100 percent of loans
o Don’t know

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Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Small Business Lending Survey 2022 – Draft Final Survey Questionnaire
August 27, 2021

Lending to New Small Businesses or Startups
IA.10 Below what age would a small business be considered a new small business, or startup, by your
bank? _____ Years □ My bank does not define start-ups by age
IA.11 Does your bank typically make loans to small businesses it considers new, or startups?
o Yes
o No
[If IA.11=Yes and S4b=Yes] IA.12 What portion of the loans your bank makes to startups are through
programs that provide a government guarantee (e.g., SBA)? Select only ONE.
o All or almost all the loans my bank makes to startups are government guaranteed
o Most of the loans my bank makes to startups are government guaranteed
o Around half of the loans my bank makes to startups are government guaranteed
o Some of the loans my bank makes to startups are government guaranteed
o None or almost none of the loans my bank makes to startups are government guaranteed
Specializations in Small Business Lending
IA.13 In calendar year 2021, did your bank offer any of these specialized loan products to small businesses?
Select only ONE option for each specialized loan product.
Yes, offer to small
Specialized loan product
businesses
□
a. Asset- or borrowing-based lending
□
b. Auto floorplan lending
□
c. Equipment leases
□
d. Factoring / invoice financing
□
e. Franchise lending
□
f. Leasehold improvements
□
g. Other ___

3

No, do not offer to
small businesses
□
□
□
□
□
□
□

Don’t
know
□
□
□
□
□
□
□

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Small Business Lending Survey 2022 – Draft Final Survey Questionnaire
August 27, 2021

IB. Loan Approval Process
About This Section
In the Screeners section, your bank’s answer to S5 indicated that its highest-volume small business
lending product is [Insert PRODUCT], excluding credit cards and government-guaranteed products.

In this section, we ask about the loan approval process for [Insert PRODUCT] to small businesses at
your bank, including the length of time to loan approval and the staff who make the approval
decision.

Time Until Approval
IB.1 For completed applications from small business borrowers, how do the following factors
influence the amount of time until approval for a [Insert PRODUCT]?
Think about the turnaround time at your bank for an approved loan application, from the time of
submission of a completed application to the final credit decision (before funding). Select only ONE
option for each factor.
Decreases Increases
Factors influencing time until approval
amount of
amount
No
Don’t
time
of time
effect know
□
□
□
□
a. Business is a startup
□
□
□
□
b. Complexity of collateral
□
□
□
□
c. Complexity of loan or borrower
d. Exception to credit policy (e.g., low debt service
□
□
□
□
coverage ratio)
e. Good prior deposit relationship with borrower
□
□
□
□
f. Good prior loan relationship with borrower
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
g. Increasing size of business
□
□
□
□
h. Increasing size of loan or total loan exposure
□
□
□
□
i. Lack of experience lending in business’s industry
□
□
□
□
j. Outside of primary lending area
k. Unusual financial characteristics (e.g., irregular cash
□
□
□
□
flow)

IB.2 In approximate terms, what is the typical minimum number of business days for approval for a [Insert
PRODUCT]?
For example:
 a small, simple loan
 an automated system that has approval authority (if applicable)
Business Day(s): _______________
IB.3 In approximate terms, what is the typical maximum number of business days for approval for a [Insert
PRODUCT]?

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Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Small Business Lending Survey 2022 – Draft Final Survey Questionnaire
August 27, 2021

For example:
 a large, complicated loan
 a loan with one or more credit policy exceptions
Business Day(s): _______________
[If IB.2 not = IB.3; otherwise IB.4=IB.3] IB.4 In approximate terms, what is the typical number of business
days for approval for a [Insert PRODUCT]?
Business Day(s): _______________
Levels of Approval
IB.5 Excluding any automated decision-making, how do the following factors influence the number of
levels of approval for a [Insert PRODUCT] to a small business? For example, the factor may contribute to a
loan policy exception.
Think about the number of levels of approval an application could go through before a loan is
granted. These levels may include individuals such as loan officers or executives, and loan committees or
groups of decision-makers. Select only ONE option for each factor.
Decreases Increases
Factor influencing levels of approval or potentially
number of
number
No
Don’t
contributing to loan policy exceptions
levels
of levels
effect know
a. Business is a startup
□
□
□
□
b. Complexity of collateral
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
c. Complexity of loan or borrower
□
□
□
□
d. Good prior deposit relationship with borrower
□
□
□
□
e. Good prior loan relationship with borrower
□
□
□
□
f. Increasing size of business
□
□
□
□
g. Increasing size of loan or total loan exposure
h. Insufficient debt service coverage ratio
□
□
□
□
i. Lack of experience lending in business’s industry
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
j. Outside of primary lending area

IB.6 Excluding any automated decision-making, what is the minimum number of levels of approval for a
[Insert PRODUCT]?
For example:
 a small and simple loan
__________ Level(s)
□ N/A - approval for certain [Insert PRODUCT] is fully automated
(i.e., no human intervention is required)
IB.7 Excluding any automated decision-making, what is the maximum number of levels of approval for a
[Insert PRODUCT]?
For example:
 a large and complicated loan
 a loan with one or more credit policy exceptions

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Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Small Business Lending Survey 2022 – Draft Final Survey Questionnaire
August 27, 2021

__________ Level(s)
□ N/A - approval for all [Insert PRODUCT] is fully automated
(i.e., no human intervention is required)
[If IB.6 = IB.7 OR IB.7 = tickbox then skip and IB.8=IB.7] IB.8 Excluding any automated decision-making and in
your approximation, what is the typical number of levels of approval for a [Insert PRODUCT]?

__________ Level(s)
□ N/A - approval for the typical [Insert PRODUCT] is fully automated
(i.e., no human intervention is required)
Decision-Making at Each Level of Approval
[Loop 1: If IB.7 not equal to N/A and greater or equal to “1”]
Consider the full loan approval process for a typical complete loan application for a [Insert PRODUCT] to a
small business. Please answer the following questions for the first level of approval that a typical
application could potentially undergo depending on the size of the loan, its complexity, and any other
factors.
IB.9 Excluding any automated decision-making, who or what role conducts the first level of approval for
applications from small businesses for a [Insert PRODUCT]? Select only ONE.
a. Business banker
b. Loan officer, underwriter, or credit officer
c. Senior supervising loan officer, underwriter, or credit officer (non-executive)
d. Executive
e. Board member
f. Group of decision makers (e.g., loan committee, board of directors, etc.)
g. Other ____________________
[If IB.9=f] IB.10 Which officials or roles typically serve on this loan committee or within this
group of decision-makers? Select ALL that apply.
a. Business banker
b. Loan officer, underwriter, or credit officer
c. Senior supervising loan officer, underwriter, or credit officer (non-executive)
d. Executive
e. Board member
f. Other ____________________
IB.11 When the first level of approval reviews a small business application for a [Insert PRODUCT], do they
typically meet with the applicant (either in-person or via telephone call or teleconference) as part of the
review?
o Yes
o No

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Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Small Business Lending Survey 2022 – Draft Final Survey Questionnaire
August 27, 2021

IB.12 Does the first level of approval typically have signature authority for a [Insert PRODUCT] below a
certain size made to small businesses? By signature authority we mean that this level may authorize a
loan without being subject to higher levels of decision-making.
o Yes
o No
o This level has authority up to the legal lending limit
[If IB.12=Yes] IB.13 What is the typical signature authority loan amount for the first level of approval for a
[Insert PRODUCT] application from small businesses?
$ ________________Dollars

[Loop 2: If IB.7 not equal to N/A and greater or equal to “2”; repeat questions IB.9 through IB.13]
[Loop 3: If IB.7 not equal to N/A and greater or equal to “3”; repeat questions IB.9 through IB.13]
[Loop 4: If IB.7 not equal to N/A and greater or equal to “4”; repeat questions IB.9 through IB.13]

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Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Small Business Lending Survey 2022 – Draft Final Survey Questionnaire
August 27, 2021

IC. Underwriting
About This Section
In the Screeners section, your bank’s answer to S5 indicated that its highest-volume small business lending
product is [Insert product], excluding credit cards and government-guaranteed products.
In this section, we ask about your bank’s underwriting practices for [Insert PRODUCT] to small businesses.

IC.1 As part of its loan decision process, does your bank assign any kind of grade or numeric score to a loan
application from a small business for a [Insert PRODUCT]? Include risk-rating scores only if they play a
material role in the approval decision.
o Yes
o No
Underwriting Loans of Various Sizes
IC.2 In your normal course of business, would your bank make a [Insert PRODUCT] of these approximate
sizes to a small business? Select one option per loan size.
Loan size
Yes
No
□
□
a. $25,000
□
□
b. $250,000
□
□
c. $1,000,000
□
□
d. $3,000,000

[Programmer’s note: Start a loop of questions IC.3 through IC.8, for up to three possible loops by
loan size]
Loans of $25,000 to Small Businesses
[Loop 1: If IC.2a=Yes. Insert SIZE=25,000]
IC.3 Which of these purposes is the most common for a [Insert PRODUCT] of approximately $25,000 made
to a small business? Select only ONE purpose.
a. Accounts receivable
b. Equipment, fixed assets other than real estate, or leasehold improvements
c. Inventory
d. Working capital
e. Owner-occupied commercial real estate
f. Other __________
IC.4 How commonly does your bank evaluate the following pieces of information for small business
applicants for a [Insert PRODUCT] of approximately $25,000?
Select only ONE option for each piece of information. The information may be for loans of this size that are
made for a variety of purposes.

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Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Small Business Lending Survey 2022 – Draft Final Survey Questionnaire
August 27, 2021

Information
a. Audited financial statements
b. Non-audited financial statements
such as tax returns or income
statements
c. Business credit score from a credit
bureau
d. Personal credit score of owner(s) or
guarantor(s) from a credit bureau
e. Business plan
f. Experience in industry of owner(s)
or management team
g. Identity of business’s advisors (i.e.,
CPAs or consultants)
h. Loan officer's assessment of
owner(s) or business based on
interview or personal interactions
i. Market conditions in business's
industry or region
j. Purchase agreements or other
material third-party contracts
k. Willingness of owner(s) to offer
collateral and quality of offered
collateral
l. Willingness of owner(s) or third
party(s) to offer personal guarantee
for loan
m. Other ____

Evaluates for
no or almost
no loans of
this size
□

Evaluates
for some
loans of
this size
□

Evaluates
for most
loans of
this size
□

Evaluates for
all or almost
all loans of
this size
□

Don’t
know
□

□

□

□

□

□

□

□

□

□

□

□

□

□

□

□

□

□

□

□

□

□

□

□

□

□

□

□

□

□

□

□

□

□

□

□

□

□

□

□

□

□

□

□

□

□

□

□

□

□

□

□

□

□

□

□

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□

□

□

□

IC.5 How often does your bank require that a small business or small business owner offer collateral in
order to receive a [Insert PRODUCT] of approximately $25,000? Select one.
o Rarely or never requires for loans of this size
o Sometimes requires for loans of this size
o Often requires for loans of this size
o Almost always or always requires for loans of this size
o Don’t know
IC.6 How often does your bank require small businesses to have a valid business credit score available
from a major credit-scoring agency in order to receive a [Insert PRODUCT] of approximately $25,000?
Select one.
o Rarely or never requires for loans of this size
o Sometimes requires for loans of this size

9

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Small Business Lending Survey 2022 – Draft Final Survey Questionnaire
August 27, 2021

o
o
o

Often requires for loans of this size
Almost always or always requires for loans of this size
Don’t know

IC.7 How often does your bank require a small business owner to have a valid personal credit score
available from a major credit-scoring agency in order to receive a [Insert PRODUCT] of approximately
$25,000? Select one.
o Rarely or never requires for loans of this size
o Sometimes requires for loans of this size
o Often requires for loans of this size
o Almost always or always requires for loans of this size
o Don’t know
IC.8 How does your bank rank the following aspects of a loan application for a [Insert PRODUCT] of
approximately $25,000 in terms of importance? An aspect is important if an application that displays
strength in this aspect has a higher chance of approval or if an application that displays weakness in this
aspect has a lower chance of approval.
Rank aspects in importance from 1-6, with 1 being the most important and 6 being the least important.
Most
Least
Aspect
important
important
1st
2nd 3rd
4th
5th
6th
a. Credit scores or other information from credit
bureaus
b. Geographic proximity of the business to a bank
branch, loan office, or bank staff
c. Industry-level or regional factors, including
current conditions in the business’s industry or
region and your bank's experience in lending
[Programmer’s note: Allow ranking of aspects from 1to the business's industry or region
6]
d. Qualitative factors, such as the quality of the
business plan or the experience of the
management team
e. The business’s financial position, such as its
balance sheet, debt-service coverage ratio, or
liquidity management
f. The presence or quality of collateral or
guarantees offered by the business or
borrower
Loans of $250,000 to Small Businesses
[Loop 2: If IC.2b=Yes. Insert SIZE=250,000 and repeat IC.3 through IC.8]
Loans of $1,000,000 or $3,000,000 to Small Businesses
[Loop 3:
If IC.2d=Yes. Insert SIZE=3,000,000 and repeat IC.3 through IC.8
If IC.2d=No and IC.2c=Yes. Insert SIZE=1,000,000 and repeat IC.3 through IC.8]

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Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Small Business Lending Survey 2022 – Draft Final Survey Questionnaire
August 27, 2021

ID. Automated Underwriting
About This Section

In this section, we ask about your bank’s automated underwriting of any small business loan
applications. By automated underwriting we mean underwriting and loan decision-making that
occurs without manual or human intervention.

ID.1 Does your bank use a credit-scoring model (or a system of models) to partially or fully automate the
underwriting or decision-making process for any applications from small business borrowers?
o Yes
o No
[If ID.1=Yes] ID.2 Does this credit-scoring model (or system of models) produce automatic approvals,
automatic denials, or both? Select only ONE.
a. Both automatic approvals and automatic denials
b. Only automatic approvals
c. Only automatic denials
d. Neither automatic approvals nor automatic denials
[If ID.2= a or b] ID.3 What is the largest loan that this credit-scoring model (or system of models) will
automatically approve?
$___,___,___.00
[If ID.1=Yes] ID.4 Does your bank use this information in its credit-scoring model? Select only ONE option
for each piece of information.
Never or
SomeAlmost
Information about owner(s) or business
rarely
times
always or
Don’t
uses
uses
always uses know
a. Business credit score from a credit bureau
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□
b. Cash/liquidity position of business
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c. Debt service coverage
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d. Debt-to-worth
□
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e. Delinquency history on internal accounts
□
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□
f. Derogatory items on business or personal credit
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report
g. Existing or prior deposit relationship
□
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h. Existing or prior loan relationship
□
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i. Financial strength of owner(s)
□
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□
j. Loan-to-value ratio of business
□
□
□
□
k. Market conditions in business's industry or region
□
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l. Overdraft history
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Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Small Business Lending Survey 2022 – Draft Final Survey Questionnaire
August 27, 2021

m. Personal credit score of owner(s) or guarantor(s)
from a credit bureau
n. Sell cycle (or liquidity) of accounts receivable or
inventory
o. Willingness of owner(s) to offer collateral and quality
of offered collateral
p. Willingness of owner(s) or third party to offer
personal guarantee for loan
q. Other _______________

12

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Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Small Business Lending Survey 2022 – Draft Final Survey Questionnaire
August 27, 2021

IE. Financial Technology
About This Section
In this section we ask questions about your bank’s usage and development of financial technology—
FinTech—and your bank’s interactions with FinTech firms in connection to small business
lending, which we collectively refer to as “FinTech activity.”
Please base your answers on any loan product offered by your bank to small businesses where you use
or are considering using internally developed FinTech or working with FinTech firms.
FinTech
By “FinTech” we mean new business processes that use recent technological innovations to alter or
improve how financial services are conducted. These processes may be for customer-facing or backend
operations, and may include but are not limited to artificial intelligence and machine learning,
automation, large data analysis, and mobile payments and other mobile or internet-based applications.
FinTech Firms
By “FinTech firms,” we mean firms that specialize in using FinTech. This includes both firms that lend to
or otherwise interact directly with businesses and consumers, as well as firms that provide or
sell FinTech to other financial institutions.

IE.1 In which stages of the small business loan process does your bank use or plan to use FinTech? Include
usage or planned usage of both in-house technology or through interactions with outside FinTech
providers.
Select ALL that apply per small business loan process stage.
Usage or planned usage of FinTech
Under
Stage of small business loan
No plans
development
process
to use
Under
or in pilot
Currently Don’t
FinTech discussion
testing
using
know
a. Identifying potential
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□
□
□
borrowers
b. Loan application
□
□
□
□
□
submission from borrowers
c. Application processing by
□
□
□
□
□
bank
d. Under-writing and
□
□
□
□
□
decision-making process
e. Post-decision quality
□
□
□
□
□
control (e.g., anti-fraud)
f. Regulatory compliance
□
□
□
□
□
(e.g., AML, BSA, or KYC)

13

Not a
stage of
our loan
process

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Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Small Business Lending Survey 2022 – Draft Final Survey Questionnaire
August 27, 2021

g. Closing process
h. Loan funding
i. Loan performance tracking
and servicing
j. Portfolio analytics
k. Other ________________

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[If any instance of IE.1 not = “No plans to use Fintech”, “Don’t know”, or “Not a stage”] IE.2 Is your bank
currently using or planning to use any of the following ways to develop FinTech for small business lending
or to interact with FinTech firms in connection to its small business lending?
Select ALL that apply per way listed.

Way of developing FinTech or
interacting with FinTech firms

a. Acquire existing FinTech
companies to offer new
products/services
b. Develop own products/services inhouse using new technologies
without cooperating with FinTech
companies
c. Form commercial partnerships
with existing FinTech companies
to offer new products/services
d. Invest in FinTech companies (e.g.,
venture capital)
e. Participate in FinTech-related
bank consortiums
f. Participate in non-commercial
partnerships with FinTech
companies (e.g., through joint
research or knowledge-sharing)
g. Set-up/sponsor FinTech
incubators/accelerators
h. Other ________________

No
plans
or
interest

Usage or planned usage of FinTech
CondActively
ucting
considue
Gendering
diligence
eral
Gen- specific
and
Curinter- eral
offers or
comprently
est
plans
plans
liance
using

Don’t
know

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Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Small Business Lending Survey 2022 – Draft Final Survey Questionnaire
August 27, 2021

IE.3 To what extent are each of the following factors a concern that limits or discourages your bank from
using FinTech or more FinTech than current levels in your bank’s small business lending, including both
externally and internally developed FinTech?
Select only ONE option for each factor.
Factor
a. Compliance/regulatory risk
b. Cost (e.g., integrating with
legacy IT systems, investing in
human capital)
c. Cybersecurity risk
d. Don’t want to share data with
third parties
e. Lack of awareness of relevant
technology
f. Lack of perceived benefit to my
bank’s current business model
g. Reputational risk
h. Other ____

Not a
concern
□

Small
concern
□

Moderate
concern
□

Large
concern
□

Very large
concern
□

Don’t
know
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Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Small Business Lending Survey 2022 – Draft Final Survey Questionnaire
August 27, 2021

II. Small Business Markets and Competition
IIA. Lending Markets & Practices
About This Section
In the Screeners section, your bank’s answer to S5 indicated that its highest-volume small business
lending product is [Insert PRODUCT], excluding credit cards and government-guaranteed products.
In this section, we ask about your bank’s geographic market for [Insert PRODUCT] to small businesses,
and the practices that your bank uses within this market to generate and maintain small business
lending relationships. By “geographic market,” we mean the physical area or areas where your small
business borrowing customers for a [Insert PRODUCT] are generally located.

[Programmer’s note: Repeat the following text on each page of the survey web interface for this sub-section,
“The following questions ask about your bank’s market practices for [Insert PRODUCT] lending to small
businesses”]
IIA.1 Generally speaking, how far in miles from your bank’s physical branches and loan production offices
does your geographic market for [Insert PRODUCT] to small businesses extend? Select only ONE.
o Less than 1 mile
o 1 to less than 2 miles
o 2 to less than 3 miles
o 3 to less than 5 miles
o 5 to less than 10 miles
o 10 to less than 20 miles
o 20 or more miles (specify ___________)
o My bank doesn’t lend based on branch footprint
o Don’t know
IIA.2 How important are each of the following potential problems in determining why your bank tends to
lend within its geographic market for [Insert PRODUCT] to small businesses? Select only ONE option for each
potential problem.
Level of importance
Potential problem
Don’t
Very low
Low
Moderate
High
Very high
know
a. It is too difficult for loan
decision-makers to know
local economic conditions
□
□
□
□
□
□
outside this geographic
market
b. It is too difficult to get
potential small business
□
□
□
□
□
□
borrowers outside this

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Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Small Business Lending Survey 2022 – Draft Final Survey Questionnaire
August 27, 2021

c.

d.

e.

f.

g.

h.

i.

j.

k.

geographic market to apply
for loans with our bank due
to lack of referrals or other
sourcing issues
It is too difficult to verify
information about
applicants outside this
geographic market
It is too difficult to develop
a deposit relationship with
small business borrowers
outside this geographic
market
Potential small business
borrowers outside this
geographic market are
generally too difficult to
monitor
Potential small business
borrowers outside this
geographic market are too
distant or difficult to
physically visit
Potential small business
borrowers outside this
geographic market prefer to
borrow from banks with
branches closer to them
There are very few potential
small business borrowers
immediately outside this
geographic market
There is not much demand
from small business
borrowers immediately
outside this geographic
market
Outside of this distance our
branches are no longer
located within specific
geographic/political
boundaries (e.g., county or
MSA)
Other ____

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Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Small Business Lending Survey 2022 – Draft Final Survey Questionnaire
August 27, 2021

IIA.3 For each of the following locations or means, what loan application step can be completed by small
business borrowers for a [Insert PRODUCT]? Select ALL that may apply for each location or means.
Loan application step
Consult with
Submit
Sign
a loan officer
financial
documents
Don’t use this
Location or means
about
Submit
statements and
for
location or
appropriate
formal
other
approved
means for any
products
application
documents
loan
of these steps
a. At a branch or loan
□
□
□
□
□
production office
b. Through an on-site
□
□
□
□
□
visit by bank staff
c. Over email, file
transfer, fax,
□
□
□
□
□
telephone, or videoconference
d. Online via website
□
□
□
□
□
or app
IIA.4 How valuable do you consider each of the following methods of communication between bank staff
and current or potential borrowers for generating and maintaining small business lending relationships for
[Insert PRODUCT]? Please answer for both methods your bank uses and methods your bank does not use.
Select only ONE option for each method.
Not at all Somewhat Moderately
Very
Extremely
Don’t
Method of communication
valuable
valuable
valuable
valuable
valuable
know
a. In-person conversation
at branches and loan
□
□
□
□
□
□
production offices
b. On-site visit by bank staff
□
□
□
□
□
□
c. Contact by bank staff
using email, file transfer,
□
□
□
□
□
□
fax, telephone, or videoconference
d. Online via website or app
□
□
□
□
□
□
IIA.5 Which of the following practices does your bank use to generate and maintain small business lending
relationships for [Insert PRODUCT]? Select only ONE option for each practice.
My bank
Practice
My bank does not
Don’t
uses
use
know
Staff Interactions with Borrowers
a. Employ dedicated staff to assist potential small business borrowers
□
□
□
b. Encourage knowledgeable staff to regularly share expertise with
□
□
□
existing borrowers
c. Have staff engage in off-premises social engagements with
□
□
□
borrowers (e.g., dinners or golf outings)

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Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Small Business Lending Survey 2022 – Draft Final Survey Questionnaire
August 27, 2021

d. Host or sponsor educational workshops for existing or potential
borrowers
e. Maintain long term consistency in assignment of loan officers or
other staff to borrowers
f. Request that staff actively develop relationships that accumulate
knowledge about borrowers’ distinct circumstances
g. Other ____
External Sources & Outreach
h. Attend conventions, industry events, or trade shows
i. Paid advertising
j. Participate in community involvement and service (e.g., board
participation, networking events, and other sponsorships)
k. Rely on customer referrals (“word of mouth”)
l. Rely on professional referrals from local accountants, attorneys, or
other “centers of influence”
m. Use brokers or engage in indirect lending
n. Use lead generators or purchase lists of prospective clients
o. Other ____
Borrower Services & Convenience
p.
q.
r.
s.
t.
u.
v.
w.

Accept walk-ins
Offer card payment processing
Offer cash transfer services or payment systems
Offer check cashing services
Offer a mobile app
Offer payroll services
Offer remote deposit capture
Open new branches or loan offices in locations convenient for
current or potential borrowers
x. Provide business hours longer than 9am to 5pm
y. Other ____

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IIA.6 How valuable do you consider each of the following practices in terms of their ability to generate and
maintain small business lending relationships for [Insert PRODUCT]? Please answer for both practices your
bank uses and practices your bank does not use. Select only ONE option for each practice.
Not at all Somewhat Moderately
Very
Extremely
Don’t
Practice
valuable
valuable
valuable
valuable
valuable
know
[Programmer’s note:
Repeat IIA.5 options]

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Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Small Business Lending Survey 2022 – Draft Final Survey Questionnaire
August 27, 2021

IIB. Competitors and Competitive Advantages
About This Section
In this section, we ask about your bank’s competitors for small business lending, and whether your bank
or your competitors have an advantage in different areas related to small business lending. By
“advantage” we mean being in a more favorable position to conduct small business lending for the
particular area.
Small Business
We understand that your bank’s internal definition for small business lending may differ from the
definitions used by other banks and from regulatory definitions (for example, those used by the Call
Report, the Community Reinvestment Act, or the Small Business Administration).
For this survey we ask that you use your bank’s own formal or informal definitions for what it considers a
“small business.” This includes the possibility that your bank considers all of its business borrowers to
be small businesses, or the possibility that your bank has multiple divisions that serve small businesses.

IIB.1 How often does your bank compete with each of these financial institutions for small business
borrowers? Exclude any competition based solely on PPP loans. Select only ONE option for each financial
institution.
Never or
SomeMost of
Don’t
Financial institution
rarely
times
Often
the time
know
Local Banks (with a branch or loan office in your market)
a. Small banks with local presence (less
than $1 billion in assets)
□
□
□
□
□
b. Mid‐sized banks with local presence ($1
□
□
□
□
□
billion to $10 billion in assets)
c. Large banks with local presence ($10
□
□
□
□
□
billion to $250 billion in assets)
d. Very large banks with local presence
□
□
□
□
□
($250+ billion in assets)
Non-local Banks (with no branch or loan office in your market)
e. Small banks with no local presence (less
than $1 billion in assets)
□
□
□
□
□
f. Mid‐sized banks with no local presence
□
□
□
□
□
($1 billion to $10 billion in assets)
g. Large banks with no local presence ($10
□
□
□
□
□
to $250 billion in assets
□
□
□
□
□
h. Very large banks with no local presence
($250+ billion in assets)
Non-bank Institutions
i. Credit card issuer
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
j. Credit unions

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Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Small Business Lending Survey 2022 – Draft Final Survey Questionnaire
August 27, 2021

k. Non-bank online lenders
l. Other financing companies
m. Other ____

□
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□
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□
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□
□
□

□
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□

IIB.2 Compared to your general field of competitors that you just noted, do your competitors or does your
bank have an advantage in each of the following general areas for small business lending? Select only ONE
option for each area.
CompCompNeither my
My
My
etitors
etitors
bank nor top
bank
bank
General area
have big
have
competitor
has
has big
advanadvanhas
advan- advan- Don’t
tage
tage
advantage
tage
tage
know
a. Convenience
Examples: Breadth of credit and other
□
□
□
□
□
□
services offered; convenience and
number of locations
b. Customer-facing technology
Examples: Online and mobile services;
□
□
□
□
□
□
remote deposit capture; chatbots or
other interactive technologies
c. Customer service
Examples: Established relationships
between borrowers and your staff;
□
□
□
□
□
□
personal attention given to borrowers;
quality of your staff including
experience and knowledge
d. Interest rates and pricing
Examples: Interest rates; pricing of
□
□
□
□
□
□
fees; term structure; flexibility in
pricing or loan structure
e. Lending flexibility
Examples: Ability or willingness to
lend to marginal borrowers; flexibility
□
□
□
□
□
□
in collateral requirements; willingness
to accept alternative forms of
documentation
f. Outreach, sourcing, and
reputation
Examples: Paid advertising; positive
□
□
□
□
□
□
reputation; referral network; staff
knowledge of potential borrowers
g. Risk management and cost
control
□
□
□
□
□
□
Examples: Ability to accurately assess
lending risk; ability to monitor

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Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Small Business Lending Survey 2022 – Draft Final Survey Questionnaire
August 27, 2021

borrowers; ability to diversify risk; cost
control
h. Speed of service
Examples: Decision or funding speed

□

□

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□

□

□

IIB.3 Compared to your general field of competitors that you just noted, do your competitors or does your
bank have an advantage in each of the following specific areas for small business lending? Select only ONE
option for each area.
Neither my
bank nor
My
CompComptop
My bank
bank
Area
etitors
etitors
competitor
has
has big
have big
have
has
advant- advant- Don’t
advantage advantage advantage
age
age
know
□
□
□
□
□
□
a. Credit products offered
b. Breadth of other services
□
□
□
□
□
□
offered besides credit products
□
□
□
□
□
□
c. Established relationships
between borrowers and staff
d. Flexibility in collateral
□
□
□
□
□
□
requirements
□
□
□
□
□
□
e. Flexibility in pricing or loan
structure
□
□
□
□
□
□
f. Willingness to accept
alternative forms of
documentation
g. Ability to accurately assess
□
□
□
□
□
□
lending risk
h. Ability or willingness to lend to
□
□
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i. Decision speed
j. Funding speed
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IIB.4 In your opinion, from the perspective of your bank’s existing and potential small business
borrowers, how important are each of the following areas?
By “important,” we mean that this is “something that you believe small business borrowers care about” when
they are looking for a loan. Select only ONE option for each area.
Level of importance
Area
Very low
Low
Moderate
High
Very high
Don’t know
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a. Convenience
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technology
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c. Customer service
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d. Interest rates and
pricing

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Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Small Business Lending Survey 2022 – Draft Final Survey Questionnaire
August 27, 2021

e. Lending flexibility
f. Outreach,
sourcing, and
reputation
g. Risk management
and cost control
h. Speed of service

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The following questions ask about the general advantages of different types of financial institutions in small
business lending. Please answer based on your understanding of small business lending, regardless of
whether or not your bank competes directly with each type of financial institution.
IIB.5 In your opinion, in which areas (if any) do credit unions generally have an advantage in lending to
small businesses? Select ALL areas that apply.
o Convenience
o Customer-facing technology
o Customer service
o Interest rates and pricing
o Lending flexibility
o Outreach, sourcing, and reputation
o Risk management and cost control
o Speed of service
o None of these areas
IIB.6 In your opinion, in which areas (if any) do non-bank online lenders generally have an advantage in
lending to small businesses? Select ALL areas that apply.
o Convenience
o Customer-facing technology
o Customer service
o Interest rates and pricing
o Lending flexibility
o Outreach, sourcing, and reputation
o Risk management and cost control
o Speed of service
o None of these areas

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Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Small Business Lending Survey 2022 – Draft Final Survey Questionnaire
August 27, 2021

III. Coronavirus Pandemic, SBA Lending, and Selling of Loans
IIIA. Coronavirus Pandemic Response
About This Section
Beginning in early 2020, the United States was affected by the coronavirus pandemic. In this section we
ask about your bank’s experience in dealing with the pandemic and the impact of the government’s
response to the pandemic on your bank, as it relates to your bank’s small business lending activity.

IIIA.1 Did your bank experience this problem in relation to your bank’s small business lending activity, as a
result of the coronavirus pandemic or the government’s response to the pandemic (whether federal, state,
or local)? Select only ONE option for each problem.
Experienced
Problem
Did not
Experienced as a serious
Don’t
experience
somewhat
problem
know
a. Declining demand for funding from existing
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or potential small business borrowers
b. Declining net interest margin
c.

Decreased creditworthiness of existing or
potential small business borrowers
d. Increased competition from banks or credit
unions
e. Increased competition from FinTech lenders,
government lenders, or sources of financing
other than banks or credit unions
f. Increased volatility of credit spreads
g. Operational issues due to social distancing
(e.g., lack of face-to-face interaction, working
off-site)
h. Staffing shortages or operational difficulties
from implementation of the Paycheck
Protection Program
i. Other ____

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IIIA.2 Did your bank take any of the following actions in response to the coronavirus pandemic in relation
to your bank’s small business lending activity? Select only ONE option for each action.
Yes, my
No, my bank
Action
bank took
did not take
Don’t
this action
this action
know
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□
a. Adjusted credit criteria for small business loans
□

24

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Small Business Lending Survey 2022 – Draft Final Survey Questionnaire
August 27, 2021

b. Expanded ability for small business customers to apply for
loans online or over the telephone (when they were not
previously allowed to do so)
c. Made modifications to existing small business loans
d. Set up teleworking for bank employees who work in small
business lending
e. Initiated or accelerated expansion plans or technology
investment for small business lending
f. Suspended or delayed expansion plans or technology
investment for small business lending
g. Other ____

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Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)
IIIA.3 Did your bank make PPP loans during the following periods? Select only ONE option for each round.
Yes, my bank made PPP loans
No, my bank did not make PPP
PPP Round
in this round
loans in this round
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□
a. April to August 2020
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□
b. January to May 2021
[If IIIA.3a=YES or IIIA.3b=YES] IIIA.4 Which of the following statements best describes your bank’s subsequent
lending relationship with small business customers it first engaged with through the PPP (“new
customers”)? Select only ONE.
o Most or all of the new customers subsequently applied for non-PPP loans with my bank
o Some of the new customers subsequently applied for non-PPP loans with my bank
o Few of the new customers subsequently applied for non-PPP loans with my bank
o None or almost none of the new customers subsequently applied for non-PPP loans from my bank
o My bank did not make loans to any new customers through PPP
o Don’t know
[If IIIA.3a=YES or IIIA.3b=YES] IIIA.5 Which of the following statements best describes your bank’s subsequent
deposit relationship with its new small business customers? Select only ONE.
o Most or all of the new customers started and maintained a deposit relationship with my bank
o Some of the new customers started and maintained a deposit relationship with my bank
o Few of the new customers started and maintained a deposit relationship with my bank
o None or almost none of the new customers started and maintained a deposit relationship with my
bank
o My bank did not make loans to any new customers through PPP
o Don’t know

25

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Small Business Lending Survey 2022 – Draft Final Survey Questionnaire
August 27, 2021

IIIB. SBA Lending
About This Section

In this section, we ask about your bank’s Small Business Administration (SBA) lending.

IIIB.1 In calendar year 2021, did your bank originate any SBA-guaranteed loans, outside of PPP loans?
o Yes
o No
IIIB.2 Regardless of whether your bank participated in any SBA program (outside of the PPP) in
calendar year 2021, did any of the following reasons discourage or limit your participation?
Select only ONE option for each reason.
Reason
a. Applicants qualify for our other loan products
b. Concerns about compliance with origination
guidelines
c. Concerns about compliance with servicing
guidelines
d. Concerns about holding all or portions of the loans
on our balance sheet
e. Difficulty of participating in the secondary market
f. Difficulty of obtaining the required expertise and
personnel for SBA lending
g. High administrative costs of participation
h. High startup costs (other than personnel)
i. Other regulatory or compliance concerns
j. Other ____________________________

26

Yes, limited our
participation
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No, did not our
limit participation
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Don’t
know
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Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Small Business Lending Survey 2022 – Draft Final Survey Questionnaire
August 27, 2021

IIIC. Sales of Small Business Loans
About This Section

In this section, we ask about the extent to which your bank sells any of its small business loans.

IIIC.1 In calendar year 2021, did your bank sell any or any portion of the small business loans that it made?
Include loans sold in a secondary market or through a centralized hub even if you retained a portion of the
loan or the servicing rights.
Select only ONE option for each loan product type.
Sold none
or only
Sold
rarely
some

Loan product type

Non-Government Guaranteed
a. Credit cards (where my bank holds the portfolio)
b. Lines of credit
c. Letters of credit
d. Loan products using automated approval
decisions (other than credit card)
e. Term loans
f. Other: ______________________

Sold
most

No
Sold origin- Don’t
all nations know

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i. SBA 7(a) Loans: non-guaranteed portion

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j. USDA Loans: guaranteed portion
k. USDA Loans: non-guaranteed portion
l. Other Loans: guaranteed portion
m. Other Loans: non-guaranteed portion

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Government Guaranteed
g. SBA CDC/504 Loans
h. SBA 7(a) Loans: guaranteed portion

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Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Small Business Lending Survey 2022 – Draft Final Survey Questionnaire
August 27, 2021

IV. Measurement of Business Lending
IVA. Originations in 2021
About This Section
In this section we ask quantitative questions about loan originations by your bank in calendar year 2021.
In particular, we are interested in your bank’s lending for business purposes. Unless otherwise specified,
when answering these questions please use the “lending for business purposes” definition on the next
screen, rather than standard regulatory definitions, to classify loans.
The questions your bank sees in this section depend on your answers to the Screeners section.
Specifically, your responses to S1 (for banks of all sizes) and S2 (for banks with assets greater than $1
billion) indicate that your bank’s core data systems are systematically able to retrieve data by the
relevant category.
Lending for Business Purposes
By “lending for business purposes” we mean lending to businesses of all sizes:
Exclude
 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans
 Agricultural lending
 Loans for investment in real estate where loan repayment primarily depends on leasing income
or resale of the property
o E.g., loans for the improvement, purchase, or refinancing of
 Residential properties (including “flipping”)
 Non-owner-occupied commercial real estate
 ADC (Acquisition, Development, & Construction) loans
Include









Unsecured lending
Business credit cards
Lines and letters of credit
Government guaranteed lending (other than PPP loans)
Lending made through third parties
Lending primarily secured by non-real estate assets
o E.g., automobiles, equipment, inventory
Lending for the purpose of improving, purchasing, or refinancing owner-occupied commercial
real estate
Lending primarily secured by real estate
o E.g., a loan for working capital secured by the owner’s primary residence
o E.g., a loan for equipment secured by non-owner-occupied commercial real estate

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Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Small Business Lending Survey 2022 – Draft Final Survey Questionnaire
August 27, 2021

Lending for All Purposes
IVA.1 In calendar year 2021, what was the total dollar amount of originations (both new lending and
renewals) your bank committed for any purpose, inclusive of agricultural, commercial, consumer, and real
estate-related lending?





Exclude all PPP loans
For renewals, include the whole amount of the renewal
For lines of credit, include the entire amount committed at origination
Include non-portfolio lending that was originated for sale
$

,

,

__.00

Lending for Business Purposes
[If S1a=Yes] IVA.2 We will be asking questions related to your bank’s total dollar amount of originations
(both new lending and renewals) committed for business purposes in calendar year 2021. Select only ONE
option for each lending type.
Refer to the “About This Section” box at the beginning of the section for this survey’s definition of “lending for
business purposes.”
Yes, will
No, cannot
Not
As part of calculating this total will your bank exclude…?
exclude
easily exclude applicable
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a. PPP loans
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b. Agricultural lending
c. Lending for the improvement, purchase, or refinancing
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of single family residential real estate
d. Lending for the improvement, purchase, or refinancing
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of multi-family residential real estate
e. Lending for the improvement, purchase, or refinancing
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of non-owner-occupied commercial real estate
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f. Acquisition, Development, & Construction (ADC) loans
Yes, will
No, cannot
Not
As part of calculating this total will your bank include…?
include
easily include applicable
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g. Renewals
h. Credit card lending
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i. Lines and letters of credit
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j. Government guaranteed lending (other than PPP)
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k. Lending made through third parties
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l. Lending secured by non-real estate assets
m. Lending secured by owner-occupied commercial real
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estate
n. Lending for business purposes but primarily secured
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by residential real estate
[If S1a=Yes] IVA.3 You reported [Insert amount reported in IVA.1] as the total dollar amount of
origination dollars (both new lending and renewals) committed by your bank for any purpose in
calendar year 2021. Of that total, what was the total loan dollar amount committed for business

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Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Small Business Lending Survey 2022 – Draft Final Survey Questionnaire
August 27, 2021

purposes to businesses of any size?
$____,____,____.00
[Programmer’s note: SKIP IVA.4 to IVA.7 if respondent is in Strata 1 or 2 (banks with less $1B in assets)]
Lending for Business Purposes Made Through Different Programs or Using Residential Collateral
You reported [Insert amount reported in IVA.3] as the total dollar amount of originations (both new lending
and renewals) committed for business purposes in calendar year 2021. Of that total, what was the total
dollar amount committed for business purposes that was extended through the following lending
programs or products?
Programmer’s
My bank originated for business purposes in calendar year 2021
Dollar amounts
notes:
IVA.4 Lending made using automated or algorithm-based
decision-making (i.e., no human intervention is required) to
determine approval
[If S2d=Yes]

[If S2a=Yes]

[If S2e=Yes]

[If S1f=Yes]

Exclude:
 Credit card lending
 Government guaranteed lending
Include:
 Any lending made through third parties that meets this
definition
IVA.5 Lending made through 7(a) and other SBA programs
(excluding PPP loans)
IVA.6 Lending made through third parties using programs
targeted at small businesses
Include:
 Brokers
 FinTech partners
 Any other non-governmental third party lenders
IVA.7 Lending that was primarily secured by 1-4 family residential
properties
For example:
 Term loan for business purposes, primarily secured by the
primary residence of the owner
 Lines of credit for working capital, primarily secured by the
primary residence of the owner

$___,___,___.00

$___,___,___.00

$___,___,___.00

$___,___,___.00

[Programmer’s note: SKIP IVA.8a if respondent is in Strata 3, 4, 5, or 6 (banks with at least $1B in assets)]
Lending for Business Purposes by Commitment Size
[If S1a=Yes] IVA.8a You reported [Insert amount reported in IVA.3] as the total dollar amount of originations
(both new lending and renewals) committed for business purposes in calendar year 2021. Of that total,
what were the dollar amounts committed for business purposes for each group of loan or commitment
sizes at origination?
Programmer’s notes:
Size at origination
Dollar amount of originations for business purposes
[If S1b=Yes or S1c=Yes]
≤ $1M
$___,___,___.00

30

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Small Business Lending Survey 2022 – Draft Final Survey Questionnaire
August 27, 2021

[If S1c=Yes]
[If S1c=Yes]
[If S1c=Yes]

> $1M to ≤ $5M
> $5M to ≤ $10M
> $10M

$___,___,___.00
$___,___,___.00
$___,___,___.00

[Programmer’s note: SKIP IVA.8b and IVA.9 to IVA.13 if respondent is in Strata 1 or 2 (banks with less $1B in
assets)]
Lending for Business Purposes by Commitment and Borrower Size
You reported [Insert amount reported in IVA.3] as the total dollar amount of originations (both new lending
and renewals) committed for business purposes in calendar year 2021. Of that total, for the commitment
sizes below, what were the dollar amounts committed for business purposes that were extended to
businesses with the following gross annual revenues (GAR)?
Either GAR at origination or most recent GAR is acceptable.
Dollar amount of originations for business purposes
Size of loan or commitment at origination
Programmer’s notes:
Programm
Business gross annual
[If S1b=Yes
er’s notes:
[If S1c=Yes]
[If S1c=Yes]
[If S1c=Yes]
revenue (GAR)
or S1c=Yes]
> $1M to ≤
> $5M to ≤
≤ $1M
$5M
$10M
> $10M
IVA.8b All businesses
[If S1a=Yes]
(regardless of GAR)
[If S1d=Yes
IVA.9 GAR ≤ $1M
or S1e=Yes]
[If S1e=Yes] IVA.10 GAR > $1M to ≤ $5M
[If S1e=Yes] IVA.11 GAR > $5 to ≤ $10M
[If S1e=Yes] IVA.12 GAR >$10M
IVA.13 GAR unknown or
[If S1e=Yes]
not available
[Programmer’s note: SKIP IVA.14 to IVA.16 if respondent is in Strata 1 or 2 (banks with less $1B in assets)]
Credit Card Lending for Business Purposes
[If S2c=Yes] You reported [Insert amount reported in IVA.3] as the total dollar amount of originations (both
new lending and renewals) committed for business purposes in calendar year 2021. Of that total, what
were the credit card dollar amounts committed for business purposes in calendar year 2021 to businesses
with the following gross annual revenues (GAR)?
Either GAR at origination or most recent GAR is acceptable.
Credit card commitments for business purposes in calendar year 2021

Dollar amounts

IVA.14 Lending to businesses where GAR is not available in your core
data system or unknown

$___,___,___.00

IVA.15 Lending to businesses with GAR of less than or equal to $10M

$___,___,___.00

IVA.16 Lending to businesses with GAR of greater than $10M

$___,___,___.00

31

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Small Business Lending Survey 2022 – Draft Final Survey Questionnaire
August 27, 2021

Commercial and Industrial Lending
Unlike previous questions about your bank’s originations for business purposes, now we turn to the subset
of this lending that can be classified as Commercial and Industrial (C&I) using the definition provided in
pages 18 to 20 for Call Report Schedule RC-C. Generally, these are loans for commercial purposes that are
not secured by real estate.
In calendar year 2021, what was the number and total dollar amount of originations (both new lending
and renewals) that were C&I loans with a loan size of $1 million or less at origination?
IVA.17 Number of new or renewed C&I loans $1 million or less at origination
# ___,___,___
IVA.18 Dollar amount of new or renewed C&I loans $1 million or less at origination

32

$___,___,___.00

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Small Business Lending Survey 2022 – Draft Final Survey Questionnaire
August 27, 2021

IVB. Outstanding Call Report C&I Loan Balances
About This Section
In the following questions, we ask questions by loan size about your bank’s outstanding Call Report C&I
loan balances on December 31st, 2021. For these questions please use the definition for C&I lending
from pages 18 to 20 of Call Report Schedule RC-C.
The questions your bank sees in this section depend on your answers to the Screeners section.
Specifically, if your bank’s response to S3 indicates that your bank’s core data systems are
systematically able to retrieve data by the relevant category.
Regulatory Call Reports collect data on outstanding Commercial and Industrial (C&I) loan balances that
were $1 million or less at the time of origination. Commitments smaller than $1 million are commonly
used as a proxy for small business lending but many loans to small businesses are greater than $1
million. In this section, we aim to measure the amount of lending that occurs through these larger loans.

[Programmer’s note: SKIP IVB.1a if respondent is in Strata 3, 4, 5, or 6 (banks with at least $1B in assets)]
IVB.1a Looking at the outstanding C&I loan balances reported on your bank’s December 31st, 2021 Call
Report, what were the outstanding loan dollar amounts for each of these loan sizes at the time of
origination?
Loan size at time of
Programmer’s notes:
Dollar amount of outstanding C&I loan balances
origination
[If S3a=Yes or S3b=Yes]
≤ $1M
$___,___,___.00
[If S3b=Yes]
> $1M to ≤ $5M
$___,___,___.00
[If S3b=Yes]
> $5M to ≤ $10M
$___,___,___.00
[If S3b=Yes]
> $10M
$___,___,___.00
[Programmer’s note: SKIP IVB.1b and IVB.2 to IVB.6 if respondent is in Strata 1 or 2 (banks less than $1B in
assets)]
Looking at the outstanding C&I loan balances reported on your bank’s December 31st, 2021 Call
Report, for each of the following business gross annual revenues (GAR), what were the
outstanding loan dollar amounts for each of these loan sizes at the time of origination?
Either GAR at origination or most recent GAR is acceptable.

33

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Small Business Lending Survey 2022 – Draft Final Survey Questionnaire
August 27, 2021

Programmer’s
notes:

None
[If S3c=Yes or
S3d=Yes]
[If S3d=Yes]
[If S3d=Yes]
[If S3d=Yes]
[If S3d=Yes]

Dollar amount of outstanding C&I loan balances
Loan size at time of origination
Programmer’s notes:
Business gross annual
[If S3a=Yes
revenue (GAR)
[If S3b=Yes]
[If S3b=Yes]
or S3b=Yes]
≤ $1M
> $1M to ≤ $5M > $5M to ≤ $10M
IVB.1b All businesses
(regardless of GAR)
IVB.2 GAR ≤ $1M
IVB.3 GAR > $1M to ≤
$5M
IVB.4 GAR > $5M to ≤
$10M
IVB.5 GAR > $10M
IVB.6 GAR unknown
or not available

34

[If S3b=Yes]
> $10M