The SBA approved loans to almost 1,500 small businesses in the Sacramento territory, which stretches from Stockton up the Valley to the Oregon border. The loans totaled more than $400 million dollars. Overall, it’s about a 5% increase over the prior year. U.S. Bank became the #1 lender, with 176 loans, bumping Bank of America out of the top spot for the first time since 2003. A relatively new SBA Express Loan program has been very popular. It lets banks authorize small SBA loans using their own bank paperwork.