Franchise Failure Rates

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

Signarama Franchise Failure Rate: 40.8% SBA Loan Defaults (2010–2019 Federal Data)

40.8%
charge-off rate on 71 SBA 7(a) loans to Signarama franchisees, FY2010–2019
Charge-off rate, SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019 — Signarama against its industry and all franchises
Charge-off rate, SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019: Signarama 40.8%; Sign Manufacturing 11.3%; All franchises 10.2%Signarama 40.8%; Sign Manufacturing 11.3%; All franchises 10.2%0%10%20%30%40%Signarama40.8%Sign Manufacturing11.3%All franchises10.2%
Charge-off rate, SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019: Signarama 40.8%; Sign Manufacturing 11.3%; All franchises 10.2%Signarama 40.8%; Sign Manufacturing 11.3%; All franchises 10.2%0%10%20%30%40%Signarama40.8%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 2 Signarama SBA borrowers failed to repay — more than double the Sign Manufacturing average of 11.3%.

Between 2010 and 2019, 71 Signarama franchisees financed with SBA 7(a) loans. 29 defaulted — a 40.8% charge-off rate, 3.6x 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 Signarama franchise failure rate on SBA loans?

Signarama 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 Signarama franchisees: 71 loans approved between fiscal 2010 and 2019, of which 29 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 Signarama compare with other Sign Manufacturing franchises?

The table sets Signarama'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. A cell in red is more than twice the industry benchmark.

Signarama versus benchmarks, SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019, statuses as of June 30, 2026. Source: U.S. SBA FOIA dataset.
MeasureSignaramaSign ManufacturingAll franchisesAll SBA borrowers
Default (charge-off) rate40.8%11.3%10.2%8.0%
Loans in sample71———
Defaults29———
Average loan size$269,835———

What has Signarama SBA lending looked like since 2020?

Since 2020, Signarama franchisees have taken 52 new SBA 7(a) loans. None have charged off to date, though most remain outstanding and unresolved.

Charge-off rate by approval year — share of each fiscal year's Signarama 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: FY2012 100% of 1 loans; FY2013 33% of 3 loans; FY2014 67% of 6 loans; FY2015 38% of 13 loans; FY2016 20% of 10 loans; FY2017 31% of 16 loans; FY2018 42% of 19 loans; FY2019 100% of 3 loansCharge-off rate by approval year: FY2012 100% of 1 loans; FY2013 33% of 3 loans; FY2014 67% of 6 loans; FY2015 38% of 13 loans; FY2016 20% of 10 loans; FY2017 31% of 16 loans; FY2018 42% of 19 loans; FY2019 100% of 3 loans0%25%50%100%2012n=133%2013n=367%2014n=638%2015n=1320%2016n=1031%2017n=1642%2018n=19100%2019n=3
Charge-off rate by approval year: FY2012 100% of 1 loans; FY2013 33% of 3 loans; FY2014 67% of 6 loans; FY2015 38% of 13 loans; FY2016 20% of 10 loans; FY2017 31% of 16 loans; FY2018 42% of 19 loans; FY2019 100% of 3 loansCharge-off rate by approval year: FY2012 100% of 1 loans; FY2013 33% of 3 loans; FY2014 67% of 6 loans; FY2015 38% of 13 loans; FY2016 20% of 10 loans; FY2017 31% of 16 loans; FY2018 42% of 19 loans; FY2019 100% of 3 loans0%25%50%100%’12n=133%’13n=367%’14n=638%’15n=1320%’16n=1031%’17n=1642%’18n=19100%’19n=3

Loans approved since 2020, by fiscal year — counts only: 0 have charged off to date and most are still outstanding, so no rate is drawn.

Loans approved since 2020: FY2020 7; FY2021 10; FY2022 4; FY2023 11; FY2024 7; FY2025 7; FY2026 6Loans approved since 2020: FY2020 7; FY2021 10; FY2022 4; FY2023 11; FY2024 7; FY2025 7; FY2026 67202010202142022112023720247202562026
Loans approved since 2020: FY2020 7; FY2021 10; FY2022 4; FY2023 11; FY2024 7; FY2025 7; FY2026 6Loans approved since 2020: FY2020 7; FY2021 10; FY2022 4; FY2023 11; FY2024 7; FY2025 7; FY2026 67’2010’214’2211’237’247’256’26

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

Show the numbers behind this chart
Fiscal yearLoansCharged offRate
FY201211100.0%
FY20133133.3%
FY20146466.7%
FY201513538.5%
FY201610220.0%
FY201716531.2%
FY201819842.1%
FY201933100.0%
FY20207—outstanding
FY202110—outstanding
FY20224—outstanding
FY202311—outstanding
FY20247—outstanding
FY20257—outstanding
FY20266—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?

Signarama's figure rests on 71 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 71 resolved loans, one default moves the rate by about 1.4 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 Signarama figure is recomputed from the public SBA FOIA file on each rebuild.

Based on 71 resolved loans — directional, not precise.

Frequently asked

What is Signarama's franchise failure rate on SBA loans?
Between 2010 and 2019, 71 Signarama franchisees financed with SBA 7(a) loans. 29 defaulted — a 40.8% charge-off rate, 3.6x the Sign Manufacturing average of 11.3%. Source: U.S. Small Business Administration FOIA dataset, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.
Is Signarama a safe franchise investment?
Between 2010–2019, Signarama franchisees defaulted on SBA loans at 40.8% 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). Signarama franchise SBA 7(a) default rate, FY2010–FY2019 cohort: 40.8% (29 of 71 loans charged off). Derived from U.S. SBA FOIA data, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.

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