Major SOP Changes Every SBA Lender Needs to Know | August 26, 2026 | SBA Today

The new SBA SOP just dropped — and it changes everything for acquisitions. In this episode of SBA Today, Paul Long and Tonya Mazurek dive deep into the 400+ page update to unpack the critical changes going into effect on October 1st. 00:45 – Meet ICAP: The Next-Gen E-Tran & Secondary Market System  02:00 – New SOP Overview: 416 Pages & October 1st Effective Date 04:20 – Eligible Expenses, Franchises & MARC Working Capital Updates 08:15 – Debt Refinancing: 36-Month Ownership Rule & MCA Term-Loan Restrictions 10:55 – Business Acquisitions: Mandatory Quality of Earnings ($3M+) & Buyer Rebates 14:05 – Extended Seller Transitions & Co-Borrower vs. Guarantor Liability 16:35 – The 4 Change-of-Ownership Categories & NAICS Code Rules  21:55 – Commercial Real Estate: Ending the 25-Year Loophole & Blended Rates 25:00 – Equity Injection, External Capital & Minority Equity Investor Guidelines 31:40 – Underwriting Mandates: 1.25x Historical DSCR, Add-Backs & System Reporting 🛠This episode is sponsored by SBA Collective — empowering community banks and credit unions to compete and win in SBA lending.  Disclaimer: The views expressed on this show are our own and not necessarily the views of our employer.