Weekly Data Index · Week of 2026-05-19
ClearValue Capital Index
Federal Prime Rate steady at 6.75% (Federal Reserve H.15, DPRIME). SBA's cumulative 7(a) + 504 loan limit is now $10M per borrower (expanded effective July 4, 2026). Across our routing network, the most recent observed median MCA factor rates sit in the 1.18-1.32 band at the lower end (narrowing from 1.16-1.38 in early Q2).
Released 2026-05-20 · JSON feed →
This week's metrics
Federal benchmark
Federal Prime Rate
6.75%
Anchor rate for variable-rate bank lines of credit and many term loans. Currently 6.75% per the Federal Reserve H.15 (DPRIME) release.
Direct Federal Reserve H.15 release (DPRIME series), pulled via FRED API on the Monday of each weekly release window.
Source: Federal Reserve H.15 (DPRIME) · week of 2026-05-19
Federal benchmark
SBA 7(a) + 504 Cumulative Cap (per borrower)
$10,000,000
Doubled from $5M effective July 4, 2026. Programs decoupled — borrowers can access $5M in each program independently. The largest expansion of SBA borrower capacity in agency history.
Direct from SBA program rules (announcement May 18, 2026). New cap effective July 4, 2026. Pre-July 4 applications are sized under the prior $5M cumulative cap.
Source: SBA announcement, May 18, 2026 · week of 2026-05-19
Network observation
ClearValue Network: Term Loan APR Range (median)
9.0% – 28.5%
Observed APR range across qualifying SMB term loan applications routed through ClearValue's lender partner network during the week. Wide range reflects the credit-quality spread: stronger files (650+ FICO, 24+ months in business, $25K+/mo deposits) cluster at the lower band; thinner files price to the upper band.
ClearValue Lending observes term-loan APRs at the lender-matching stage across our partner network. This is NOT closed-deal data (we are not the originator); it reflects the APR each partner indicates at the time of match. Reported as the central 80% range (P10–P90) for matched-and-quoted applications in the observation week. No applicant identifying data is used.
Source: ClearValue Lending routing observations · week of 2026-05-19
Network observation
ClearValue Network: MCA Factor Rate (median range)
1.18 – 1.32
Observed factor rate range across qualifying MCA applications routed through ClearValue's funder partner network during the week. Lower-band factor rates correlate with stronger deposit history and longer time-in-business. Compressed slightly from 1.16–1.38 observed in early Q2 2026 — fewer extreme high-factor offers in the network.
ClearValue Lending observes MCA factor rates at the funder-matching stage. Same caveat as the term loan metric: routing observations, not closed deals. P10–P90 of matched-and-quoted applications in the observation week.
Source: ClearValue Lending routing observations · week of 2026-05-19
Operational data
Most-Routed SMB Product (week)
Business Line of Credit
Business LOC was the #1 most-routed product type this week across our SMB funnel — consistent with the spring working-capital cycle as restaurants, contractors, and services businesses position for Q3 cash needs. Equipment financing #2; MCAs #3; SBA 7(a) #4.
Tallied from anonymized outbound_clicks + apply_handoff events during the observation week. No applicant identifying data used. Ranking reflects intent (clicks + handoffs), not approval rate.
Source: ClearValue Lending funnel telemetry · week of 2026-05-19
Federal benchmark
H.8: Commercial & Industrial Loans, All Commercial Banks
$2,892.2B
Total C&I loan stock at all US commercial banks. Tracks aggregate business-credit supply across the banking system. Used by economists as a real-time read on whether banks are extending or pulling back from SMB credit.
Federal Reserve H.8 release (BUSLOANS series), pulled via FRED API. Weekly observation, seasonally adjusted, in billions of dollars.
Source: Federal Reserve H.8 (BUSLOANS) · week of 2026-05-19
Federal benchmark
Delinquency Rate on Business Loans, All Commercial Banks
1.34%
Share of C&I loan balances 30+ days past due across all US commercial banks. Lagging indicator of borrower stress and a leading indicator of bank-tightening cycles. Quarterly cadence.
Federal Reserve Board release (DRBLACBS series), pulled via FRED API. Quarterly observation, seasonally adjusted, percent of loan balances.
Source: Federal Reserve DRBLACBS · week of 2026-05-19
Federal benchmark
Charge-Off Rate on Business Loans, All Commercial Banks
0.59%
Share of C&I loan balances banks have written off as uncollectible during the quarter, annualized. Direct loss observation; lags delinquency by 1-2 quarters. Rising charge-offs typically precede tighter underwriting standards.
Federal Reserve Board release (CORBLACBS series), pulled via FRED API. Quarterly observation, seasonally adjusted, annualized percent.
Source: Federal Reserve CORBLACBS · week of 2026-05-19
Federal benchmark
10-Year Treasury Constant Maturity
4.68%
Benchmark long-rate. Anchors fixed-rate term loans and SBA 504 debenture pricing. Watched by lenders deciding whether to extend long-dated SMB term debt.
Federal Reserve H.15 release (DGS10 series), pulled via FRED API. Daily observation.
Source: Federal Reserve H.15 (DGS10) · week of 2026-05-19
Editorial note
We publish this index because journalists, fintech researchers, and small business owners deserve a transparent observation of where capital is actually pricing — not just lender marketing pages or stale survey data. Our routing observations are not closed-deal data, but they are real-time, anonymized, and methodologically consistent week to week. Cite as: "ClearValue Capital Index, Week of <date> (clearvaluelending.com/index/smb-capital)."
Methodology. Federal benchmarks are cited directly from FRED, SBA, or BLS. Network observations reflect what ClearValue Lending sees at routing time across its lender partner network — not closed-deal data. Operational data is anonymized from CVL's own funnel. Updated weekly.