California banks giving out the most small-biz loans

And the winner is... SF-based Bank of the West, which issued 22,102 loans under $1 million in 2009-2010, according to a report by the Small Business Administration (via the OC Register). Union Bank was second, California Bank & Trust third, and East West Bank fourth. Generally, lending to small businesses continued to decline during the period, but there were signs of improvement. The study found that lending under $100,000 fell 1 percent, compared with a 5.5 percent drop in 2008-2009. But loans of $100,000 to $1 million dropped 7.7 percent. Much of the decline centered on larger banks.

1. Bank of the West, San Francisco, 22,102
2. Union Bank, San Francisco, 17,975
3. California Bank & Trust, San Diego, 9,688
4. East West Bank, Pasadena, 6,379
5. Pacific Capital Bank, Santa Barbara, 5,546
6. Rabobank, El Centro, 5,290
7. Silicon Valley Bank, Santa Clara, 4,986
8. Westamerica Bank, 4,794
9. Citizens Business Bank, Ontario, 4,278
10. City National Bank, Beverly Hills, 4,121