Franchise Failure Rates

SBA 7(a) loan outcomes · FY2010–FY2019 cohort · Statuses as of June 30, 2026 · Last updated August 17, 2026

Fastsigns Franchise Failure Rate: 7.9% SBA Loan Defaults (2010–2019 Federal Data)

7.9%
charge-off rate on 140 SBA 7(a) loans to Fastsigns franchisees, FY2010–2019
Charge-off rate, SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019 — Fastsigns against its industry and all franchises
Charge-off rate, SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019: Fastsigns 7.9%; Sign Manufacturing 11.3%; All franchises 10.2%Fastsigns 7.9%; Sign Manufacturing 11.3%; All franchises 10.2%0%5%10%Fastsigns7.9%Sign Manufacturing11.3%All franchises10.2%
Charge-off rate, SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019: Fastsigns 7.9%; Sign Manufacturing 11.3%; All franchises 10.2%Fastsigns 7.9%; Sign Manufacturing 11.3%; All franchises 10.2%0%5%10%Fastsigns7.9%Sign Manufacturing11.3%All franchises10.2%

Source: U.S. SBA FOIA dataset, statuses as of June 30, 2026. Figures also in the comparison table below.

About 1 in 13 Fastsigns SBA borrowers failed to repay — well below the Sign Manufacturing average of 11.3%.

Between 2010 and 2019, 140 Fastsigns franchisees financed with SBA 7(a) loans. 11 defaulted — a 7.9% charge-off rate, 0.7x the Sign Manufacturing average of 11.3%. Source: U.S. Small Business Administration FOIA dataset, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.

What is the Fastsigns franchise failure rate on SBA loans?

Fastsigns is a Sign Manufacturing franchise. This page reports the outcome of every SBA 7(a) loan the U.S. Small Business Administration's public FOIA file attributes to Fastsigns franchisees: 140 loans approved between fiscal 2010 and 2019, of which 11 were charged off. Loan statuses are as of June 30, 2026, and the cohort has matured, so these are settled outcomes rather than projections.

How does Fastsigns compare with other Sign Manufacturing franchises?

The table sets Fastsigns's charge-off rate beside its Sign Manufacturing peers and the two economy-wide benchmarks. All figures use the same cohort — SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019, statuses as of June 30, 2026 — and the same denominator of resolved loans, so they are directly comparable.

Fastsigns versus benchmarks, SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019, statuses as of June 30, 2026. Source: U.S. SBA FOIA dataset.
MeasureFastsignsSign ManufacturingAll franchisesAll SBA borrowers
Default (charge-off) rate7.9%11.3%10.2%8.0%
Loans in sample140———
Defaults11———
Average loan size$287,006———

What has Fastsigns SBA lending looked like since 2020?

Since 2020, Fastsigns franchisees have taken 145 new SBA 7(a) loans. 1 has already charged off. Early defaults on loans under six years old are notable — most SBA failures take longer to develop.

Charge-off rate by approval year — share of each fiscal year's Fastsigns SBA 7(a) loans that later defaulted (FY2010–FY2019); years with fewer than 10 loans are outlined, not filled
Charge-off rate by approval year: FY2010 0% of 6 loans; FY2011 0% of 5 loans; FY2012 0% of 6 loans; FY2013 0% of 14 loans; FY2014 7% of 14 loans; FY2015 10% of 21 loans; FY2016 4% of 27 loans; FY2017 5% of 19 loans; FY2018 15% of 13 loans; FY2019 27% of 15 loansCharge-off rate by approval year: FY2010 0% of 6 loans; FY2011 0% of 5 loans; FY2012 0% of 6 loans; FY2013 0% of 14 loans; FY2014 7% of 14 loans; FY2015 10% of 21 loans; FY2016 4% of 27 loans; FY2017 5% of 19 loans; FY2018 15% of 13 loans; FY2019 27% of 15 loans0%15%30%0%2010n=60%2011n=50%2012n=60%2013n=147%2014n=1410%2015n=214%2016n=275%2017n=1915%2018n=1327%2019n=15
Charge-off rate by approval year: FY2010 0% of 6 loans; FY2011 0% of 5 loans; FY2012 0% of 6 loans; FY2013 0% of 14 loans; FY2014 7% of 14 loans; FY2015 10% of 21 loans; FY2016 4% of 27 loans; FY2017 5% of 19 loans; FY2018 15% of 13 loans; FY2019 27% of 15 loansCharge-off rate by approval year: FY2010 0% of 6 loans; FY2011 0% of 5 loans; FY2012 0% of 6 loans; FY2013 0% of 14 loans; FY2014 7% of 14 loans; FY2015 10% of 21 loans; FY2016 4% of 27 loans; FY2017 5% of 19 loans; FY2018 15% of 13 loans; FY2019 27% of 15 loans0%15%30%0%’10n=60%’11n=50%’12n=60%’13n=147%’14n=1410%’15n=214%’16n=275%’17n=1915%’18n=1327%’19n=15

Loans approved since 2020, by fiscal year — counts only: 1 has charged off to date and most are still outstanding, so no rate is drawn.

Loans approved since 2020: FY2020 27; FY2021 24; FY2022 14; FY2023 27; FY2024 16; FY2025 25; FY2026 12Loans approved since 2020: FY2020 27; FY2021 24; FY2022 14; FY2023 27; FY2024 16; FY2025 25; FY2026 12272020242021142022272023162024252025122026
Loans approved since 2020: FY2020 27; FY2021 24; FY2022 14; FY2023 27; FY2024 16; FY2025 25; FY2026 12Loans approved since 2020: FY2020 27; FY2021 24; FY2022 14; FY2023 27; FY2024 16; FY2025 25; FY2026 1227’2024’2114’2227’2316’2425’2512’26

Source: U.S. SBA FOIA dataset, statuses as of June 30, 2026.

Show the numbers behind this chart
Fiscal yearLoansCharged offRate
FY2010600.0%
FY2011500.0%
FY2012600.0%
FY20131400.0%
FY20141417.1%
FY20152129.5%
FY20162713.7%
FY20171915.3%
FY201813215.4%
FY201915426.7%
FY202027—outstanding
FY202124—outstanding
FY202214—outstanding
FY202327—outstanding
FY202416—outstanding
FY202525—outstanding
FY202612—outstanding

How to read this

A charge-off means a franchisee borrowed, operated, and failed severely enough that the SBA wrote off the government-guaranteed loan. Unlike franchisor marketing or Item 19 disclosures, this is an observed outcome recorded by a federal agency. One caveat cuts the other way: SBA borrowers are typically less capitalized than all-cash buyers, so these rates can overstate risk for well-funded operators.

How reliable is this number?

Fastsigns's figure rests on 140 resolved SBA 7(a) loans approved between fiscal 2010 and 2019 — a matured cohort, so the rate is a settled outcome, not a projection. With 140 resolved loans, the sample is large enough that a single default barely moves the figure. Loans approved since 2020 are excluded from the rate because most are still outstanding; they appear on this page as counts only. Every Fastsigns figure is recomputed from the public SBA FOIA file on each rebuild.

Frequently asked

What is Fastsigns's franchise failure rate on SBA loans?
Between 2010 and 2019, 140 Fastsigns franchisees financed with SBA 7(a) loans. 11 defaulted — a 7.9% charge-off rate, 0.7x the Sign Manufacturing average of 11.3%. Source: U.S. Small Business Administration FOIA dataset, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.
Is Fastsigns a safe franchise investment?
Between 2010–2019, Fastsigns franchisees defaulted on SBA loans at 7.9% versus a 11.3% industry average. This data is one input for due diligence; it is not investment advice.

Cite this page

Franchise Default Rates (2026). Fastsigns franchise SBA 7(a) default rate, FY2010–FY2019 cohort: 7.9% (11 of 140 loans charged off). Derived from U.S. SBA FOIA data, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.

https://franchisefailurerates.com/franchise/fastsigns/ · Data & methodology · Download the dataset (CSV)