SBA Ranks Regions Financial No. 3 Small Business Lender Among Large U.S. Banks

For the sixth consecutive year the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) ranked Regions Financial Corporation (NYSE: RF) third among large U.S. banks in an annual study measuring banks’ emphasis on lending to small businesses.

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy report, Small Business and Micro Business Lending in the United States, for Data Years 2007-2008, Regions ranked third in the large bank category, behind two national credit card issuers, based on the most recent Consolidated Reports of Condition and Income (Call Report) data. Regions also received top rankings for small business lending in several states where the Bank operates. The SBA defines small business loans as those under $1 million.

“Small businesses are the engine of our economy and Regions has a long track record of providing capital to small businesses along with solutions to help small business owners manage all of their financial needs,” said Tim Laney, senior executive vice president and head of Regions’ Business Services group. “The SBA study results demonstrate Regions’ continued commitment to helping small businesses succeed through all economic cycles, including the current recession.”

In addition to maintaining its strong national lending track record, Regions received high marks from the SBA for its commitment to small business lending in individual states. Regions was ranked the No. 1 small business lender in Alabama for the second year in a row and moved up two slots to claim the No. 1 ranking in Tennessee. Regions improved or maintained its small business lending ranking in 14 of the 16 states where the bank operates. Rankings are based on 2007 CRA data for banks with $50 million or more in small business lending in individual states.

Small Businesses Lending Ranking by State - Regions Financial

State

*2009 Ranking

**2008 Ranking

        
      
      
        
          Alabama
        
        
          No. 1
        
        
          No. 1
        
      
      
        
          Tennessee
        
        
          No. 1
        
        
          No. 3
        
      
      
        
          Arkansas
        
        
          No. 2
        
        
          No. 2
        
      
      
        
          Louisiana
        
        
          No. 2
        
        
          No. 4
        
      
      
        
          Mississippi
        
        
          No. 2
        
        
          No. 7
        
      
      
        
          Florida
        
        
          No. 4
        
        
          No. 12
        
      
      
        
          Indiana
        
        
          No. 7
        
        
          No. 15
        
      
      
        
          Georgia
        
        
          No. 7
        
        
          No. 5
        
      
      
        
          Missouri
        
        
          No. 10
        
        
          No. 14
        
      
      
        
          South Carolina
        
        
          No. 10
        
        
          No. 10
        
      
      
        
          Texas
        
        
          No. 13
        
        
          No. 17
        
      
      
        
          Iowa
        
        
          No. 14
        
        
          *** Not listed
        
      
      
        
          Kentucky
        
        
          No. 19
        
        
          *** Not listed
        
      
      
        
          Illinois
        
        
          No. 20
        
        
          No. 31
        
      
      
        
          North Carolina
        
        
          No. 24
        
        
          No. 24
        
      
      
        
          Virginia
        
        
          *** Not listed
        
        
          *** Not listed
        
      
      
        
        
        
        
        
           
        
      
    
    

* Source: U.S. Small Business Administration, Office of Advocacy, Small Business and Micro Business Lending in the United States for Data Years 2007-2008, May 2009

**Source: U.S. Small Business Administration, Office of Advocacy, Small Business and Micro Business Lending in the United States for Data Years 2006-2007, June 2008.

*** Only lenders with small business loan totals of more than $50 million in a given state are listed.

About the Report

The U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy issues an annual study of lending to small firms. The latest report, Small Business and Micro Business Lending in the United States for Data Years 2007-2008, gives a detailed account of small business lending overall, plus state-by-state totals and totals for individual lenders. The report uses the most recent Consolidated Reports of Condition and Income (Call Report) data for June 2007 to June 2008 and Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) data for 2007 to examine financial institutions’ small and microbusiness lending. Small business loans in these data are business loans of less than $1 million and microbusiness loans are loans of less than $100,000. The report ranks lenders on their overall small business lending, not lending under SBA programs. The full study, including expanded state-by-state tables, is available online at http://www.sba.gov/advo/research/2008.html.

About Regions Financial Corporation

Regions Financial Corporation, with $142 billion in assets, is a member of the S&P 100 Index and one of the nation’s largest full-service providers of consumer and commercial banking, trust, securities brokerage, mortgage and insurance products and services. Regions serves customers in 16 states across the South, Midwest and Texas, and through its subsidiary, Regions Bank, operates 1,900 banking offices and approximately 2,300 ATMs. Its investment and securities brokerage trust and asset management division, Morgan Keegan & Company Inc., provides services from over 300 offices. Additional information about Regions and its full line of products and services can be found at www.regions.com.