Franchise Failure Rates

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

Meineke Franchise Failure Rate: 28.2% SBA Loan Defaults (2010–2019 Federal Data)

28.2%
charge-off rate on 78 SBA 7(a) loans to Meineke franchisees, FY2010–2019
Charge-off rate, SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019 — Meineke against its industry and all franchises
Charge-off rate, SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019: Meineke 28.2%; General Automotive Repair 7.6%; All franchises 10.2%Meineke 28.2%; General Automotive Repair 7.6%; All franchises 10.2%0%10%20%30%Meineke28.2%General AutomotiveRepair7.6%All franchises10.2%
Charge-off rate, SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019: Meineke 28.2%; General Automotive Repair 7.6%; All franchises 10.2%Meineke 28.2%; General Automotive Repair 7.6%; All franchises 10.2%0%10%20%30%Meineke28.2%General Automotive Repair7.6%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 4 Meineke SBA borrowers failed to repay — more than double the General Automotive Repair average of 7.6%.

Between 2010 and 2019, 78 Meineke franchisees financed with SBA 7(a) loans. 22 defaulted — a 28.2% charge-off rate, 3.7x the General Automotive Repair average of 7.6%. Source: U.S. Small Business Administration FOIA dataset, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.

What is the Meineke franchise failure rate on SBA loans?

Meineke is a General Automotive Repair franchise. This page reports the outcome of every SBA 7(a) loan the U.S. Small Business Administration's public FOIA file attributes to Meineke franchisees: 78 loans approved between fiscal 2010 and 2019, of which 22 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 Meineke compare with other General Automotive Repair franchises?

The table sets Meineke's charge-off rate beside its General Automotive Repair 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. A cell in red is more than twice the industry benchmark.

Meineke versus benchmarks, SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019, statuses as of June 30, 2026. Source: U.S. SBA FOIA dataset.
MeasureMeinekeGeneral Automotive RepairAll franchisesAll SBA borrowers
Default (charge-off) rate28.2%7.6%10.2%8.0%
Loans in sample78———
Defaults22———
Average loan size$338,797———
Charge-off rate by approval year — share of each fiscal year's Meineke 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 1 loans; FY2011 100% of 1 loans; FY2013 50% of 2 loans; FY2014 38% of 16 loans; FY2015 23% of 26 loans; FY2016 12% of 8 loans; FY2017 29% of 21 loans; FY2018 33% of 3 loansCharge-off rate by approval year: FY2010 0% of 1 loans; FY2011 100% of 1 loans; FY2013 50% of 2 loans; FY2014 38% of 16 loans; FY2015 23% of 26 loans; FY2016 12% of 8 loans; FY2017 29% of 21 loans; FY2018 33% of 3 loans0%20%40%0%2010n=1100%2011n=150%2013n=238%2014n=1623%2015n=2612%2016n=829%2017n=2133%2018n=3
Charge-off rate by approval year: FY2010 0% of 1 loans; FY2011 100% of 1 loans; FY2013 50% of 2 loans; FY2014 38% of 16 loans; FY2015 23% of 26 loans; FY2016 12% of 8 loans; FY2017 29% of 21 loans; FY2018 33% of 3 loansCharge-off rate by approval year: FY2010 0% of 1 loans; FY2011 100% of 1 loans; FY2013 50% of 2 loans; FY2014 38% of 16 loans; FY2015 23% of 26 loans; FY2016 12% of 8 loans; FY2017 29% of 21 loans; FY2018 33% of 3 loans0%20%40%0%’10n=1100%’11n=150%’13n=238%’14n=1623%’15n=2612%’16n=829%’17n=2133%’18n=3

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

Show the numbers behind this chart
Fiscal yearLoansCharged offRate
FY2010100.0%
FY201111100.0%
FY20132150.0%
FY201416637.5%
FY201526623.1%
FY20168112.5%
FY201721628.6%
FY20183133.3%

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?

Meineke's figure rests on 78 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 78 resolved loans, one default moves the rate by about 1.3 percentage points. Loans approved since 2020 are excluded from the rate because most are still outstanding; they appear on this page as counts only. Every Meineke figure is recomputed from the public SBA FOIA file on each rebuild.

Based on 78 resolved loans — directional, not precise.

Frequently asked

What is Meineke's franchise failure rate on SBA loans?
Between 2010 and 2019, 78 Meineke franchisees financed with SBA 7(a) loans. 22 defaulted — a 28.2% charge-off rate, 3.7x the General Automotive Repair average of 7.6%. Source: U.S. Small Business Administration FOIA dataset, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.
Is Meineke a safe franchise investment?
Between 2010–2019, Meineke franchisees defaulted on SBA loans at 28.2% versus a 7.6% industry average. This data is one input for due diligence; it is not investment advice.

Cite this page

Franchise Default Rates (2026). Meineke franchise SBA 7(a) default rate, FY2010–FY2019 cohort: 28.2% (22 of 78 loans charged off). Derived from U.S. SBA FOIA data, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.

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