Franchise Failure Rates

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

Sign-a-rama Franchise Failure Rate on SBA Loans: 1 of 16 Charged Off (Federal Data)

1 of 16
SBA 7(a) loans to Sign-a-rama franchisees (FY2010–2019) ended in charge-off
Charge-off rate, SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019 — Sign-a-rama against its industry and all franchises
Charge-off rate, SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019: Sign-a-rama 6.2%; Sign Manufacturing 11.3%; All franchises 10.2%Sign-a-rama 6.2%; Sign Manufacturing 11.3%; All franchises 10.2%0%5%10%Sign-a-rama6.2% (small sample)Sign Manufacturing11.3%All franchises10.2%
Charge-off rate, SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019: Sign-a-rama 6.2%; Sign Manufacturing 11.3%; All franchises 10.2%Sign-a-rama 6.2%; Sign Manufacturing 11.3%; All franchises 10.2%0%5%10%Sign-a-rama6.2% (small sample)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.

1 of 16 Sign-a-rama SBA borrowers failed to repay — too few loans to call a rate; read it as a flag, not a verdict.

1 of 16 SBA 7(a) loans to Sign-a-rama franchisees (2010–2019) ended in charge-off. The sample is small; treat this as a diligence flag, not a verdict. Source: U.S. Small Business Administration FOIA dataset, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.

What is the Sign-a-rama franchise failure rate on SBA loans?

Sign-a-rama 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 Sign-a-rama franchisees: 16 loans approved between fiscal 2010 and 2019, of which 1 was 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 Sign-a-rama compare with other Sign Manufacturing franchises?

The table sets Sign-a-rama'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.

Sign-a-rama versus benchmarks, SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019, statuses as of June 30, 2026. Source: U.S. SBA FOIA dataset.
MeasureSign-a-ramaSign ManufacturingAll franchisesAll SBA borrowers
Default (charge-off) rate6.2% (small sample)11.3%10.2%8.0%
Loans in sample16———
Defaults1———
Average loan size$144,569———
Charge-off rate by approval year — share of each fiscal year's Sign-a-rama 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 7 loans; FY2011 0% of 5 loans; FY2012 0% of 2 loans; FY2013 50% of 2 loansCharge-off rate by approval year: FY2010 0% of 7 loans; FY2011 0% of 5 loans; FY2012 0% of 2 loans; FY2013 50% of 2 loans0%5%10%0%2010n=70%2011n=50%2012n=250%2013n=2
Charge-off rate by approval year: FY2010 0% of 7 loans; FY2011 0% of 5 loans; FY2012 0% of 2 loans; FY2013 50% of 2 loansCharge-off rate by approval year: FY2010 0% of 7 loans; FY2011 0% of 5 loans; FY2012 0% of 2 loans; FY2013 50% of 2 loans0%5%10%0%’10n=70%’11n=50%’12n=250%’13n=2

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

Show the numbers behind this chart
Fiscal yearLoansCharged offRate
FY2010700.0%
FY2011500.0%
FY2012200.0%
FY20132150.0%

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?

Sign-a-rama's figure rests on 16 resolved SBA 7(a) loans approved between fiscal 2010 and 2019 — a matured cohort, so the count is a settled outcome, not a projection. With 16 resolved loans, one default moves the rate by about 6.2 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 Sign-a-rama figure is recomputed from the public SBA FOIA file on each rebuild.

Small sample (16 loans). A single default moves this figure substantially.

Frequently asked

What is Sign-a-rama's franchise failure rate on SBA loans?
1 of 16 SBA 7(a) loans to Sign-a-rama franchisees (2010–2019) ended in charge-off. The sample is small; treat this as a diligence flag, not a verdict. Source: U.S. Small Business Administration FOIA dataset, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.
Is Sign-a-rama a safe franchise investment?
Between 2010–2019, 1 of 16 SBA loans to Sign-a-rama franchisees were charged off. The sample is small. This data is one input for due diligence; it is not investment advice.

Cite this page

Franchise Default Rates (2026). Sign-a-rama franchise SBA 7(a) loan outcomes, FY2010–FY2019 cohort: 1 of 16 loans charged off. Derived from U.S. SBA FOIA data, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.

https://franchisefailurerates.com/franchise/sign-a-rama/ · Data & methodology · Download the dataset (CSV)