Heritage Bank’s SBA lending soars in two years since it formed key joint venture.

One of Greater Cincinnati’s largest locally based banks has seen its Small Business Administration loans skyrocket in the two years since it formed a joint venture with a firm that specializes in those loans needed by many small companies.

Erlanger-based Heritage Bank formed an exclusive joint venture in May 2024 with Louisville-based Venturus, a national direct small business lender that specializes in SBA loans. The move has paid immediate dividends.

division as part of the venture, has made 208 SBA 7(a) loans, the most common type, for $126 million in the past 21 months, John Handmaker, Venturus CEO and executive vice president and chief SBA lending officer at Heritage, told me.

Those loans all are made in Heritage’s name and go on its books. Heritage had only about 15 SBA 7(a) loans on its books at the end of 2023, before Venturus came on board. SBA 7(a) loans can be used for a variety of purposes, including acquisitions, equipment purchases, growth capital and franchise financing.