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

Wireless Zone Franchise Failure Rate: 40.7% SBA Loan Defaults (2010–2019 Federal Data)

40.7%
charge-off rate on 27 SBA 7(a) loans to Wireless Zone franchisees, FY2010–2019
Charge-off rate, SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019 — Wireless Zone against its industry and all franchises
Charge-off rate, SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019: Wireless Zone 40.7%; Electronics Stores 20.8%; All franchises 10.2%Wireless Zone 40.7%; Electronics Stores 20.8%; All franchises 10.2%0%10%20%30%40%Wireless Zone40.7%Electronics Stores20.8%All franchises10.2%
Charge-off rate, SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019: Wireless Zone 40.7%; Electronics Stores 20.8%; All franchises 10.2%Wireless Zone 40.7%; Electronics Stores 20.8%; All franchises 10.2%0%10%20%30%40%Wireless Zone40.7%Electronics Stores20.8%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 Wireless Zone SBA borrowers failed to repay — well above the Electronics Stores average of 20.8%.

Between 2010 and 2019, 27 Wireless Zone franchisees financed with SBA 7(a) loans. 11 defaulted — a 40.7% charge-off rate, 2.0x the Electronics Stores average of 20.8%. Source: U.S. Small Business Administration FOIA dataset, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.

What is the Wireless Zone franchise failure rate on SBA loans?

Wireless Zone is a Electronics Stores franchise. This page reports the outcome of every SBA 7(a) loan the U.S. Small Business Administration's public FOIA file attributes to Wireless Zone franchisees: 27 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 Wireless Zone compare with other Electronics Stores franchises?

The table sets Wireless Zone's charge-off rate beside its Electronics Stores 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.

Wireless Zone versus benchmarks, SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019, statuses as of June 30, 2026. Source: U.S. SBA FOIA dataset.
MeasureWireless ZoneElectronics StoresAll franchisesAll SBA borrowers
Default (charge-off) rate40.7%20.8%10.2%8.0%
Loans in sample27
Defaults11
Average loan size$232,315

What has Wireless Zone SBA lending looked like since 2020?

Since 2020, Wireless Zone franchisees have taken 6 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 Wireless Zone 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 0% of 1 loans; FY2014 33% of 3 loans; FY2015 27% of 11 loans; FY2016 60% of 5 loans; FY2017 100% of 3 loans; FY2018 0% of 2 loans; FY2019 100% of 1 loansCharge-off rate by approval year: FY2010 0% of 1 loans; FY2011 0% of 1 loans; FY2014 33% of 3 loans; FY2015 27% of 11 loans; FY2016 60% of 5 loans; FY2017 100% of 3 loans; FY2018 0% of 2 loans; FY2019 100% of 1 loans0%15%30%0%2010n=10%2011n=133%2014n=327%2015n=1160%2016n=5100%2017n=30%2018n=2100%2019n=1
Charge-off rate by approval year: FY2010 0% of 1 loans; FY2011 0% of 1 loans; FY2014 33% of 3 loans; FY2015 27% of 11 loans; FY2016 60% of 5 loans; FY2017 100% of 3 loans; FY2018 0% of 2 loans; FY2019 100% of 1 loansCharge-off rate by approval year: FY2010 0% of 1 loans; FY2011 0% of 1 loans; FY2014 33% of 3 loans; FY2015 27% of 11 loans; FY2016 60% of 5 loans; FY2017 100% of 3 loans; FY2018 0% of 2 loans; FY2019 100% of 1 loans0%15%30%0%’10n=10%’11n=133%’14n=327%’15n=1160%’16n=5100%’17n=30%’18n=2100%’19n=1

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: FY2021 4; FY2022 1; FY2023 1Loans approved since 2020: FY2021 4; FY2022 1; FY2023 1420211202212023
Loans approved since 2020: FY2021 4; FY2022 1; FY2023 1Loans approved since 2020: FY2021 4; FY2022 1; FY2023 14’211’221’23

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

Show the numbers behind this chart
Fiscal yearLoansCharged offRate
FY2010100.0%
FY2011100.0%
FY20143133.3%
FY201511327.3%
FY20165360.0%
FY201733100.0%
FY2018200.0%
FY201911100.0%
FY20214outstanding
FY20221outstanding
FY20231outstanding

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?

Wireless Zone's figure rests on 27 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 27 resolved loans, one default moves the rate by about 3.7 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 Wireless Zone figure is recomputed from the public SBA FOIA file on each rebuild.

Based on 27 resolved loans — directional, not precise.

Frequently asked

What is Wireless Zone's franchise failure rate on SBA loans?
Between 2010 and 2019, 27 Wireless Zone franchisees financed with SBA 7(a) loans. 11 defaulted — a 40.7% charge-off rate, 2.0x the Electronics Stores average of 20.8%. Source: U.S. Small Business Administration FOIA dataset, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.
Is Wireless Zone a safe franchise investment?
Between 2010–2019, Wireless Zone franchisees defaulted on SBA loans at 40.7% versus a 20.8% industry average. This data is one input for due diligence; it is not investment advice.

Cite this page

Franchise Default Rates (2026). Wireless Zone franchise SBA 7(a) default rate, FY2010–FY2019 cohort: 40.7% (11 of 27 loans charged off). Derived from U.S. SBA FOIA data, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.

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