You are rebuilding an SBA lender's fourth-quarter working-capital prospecting list. Do you keep focusing on manufacturers, or start calling businesses in the categories added under SOP 50 10 8.1?
Start calling the new categories.
Keep manufacturers on the list. Then add eligible wholesalers and specified food-supply-chain businesses.
MARC is an SBA-backed revolving working-capital program that began as a product for manufacturers. Under SOP 50 10 8.1, it now also reaches eligible wholesalers and specified food-supply-chain businesses.
The change applies to loans that receive their SBA loan number on or after October 1, 2026.
That does not mean every wholesaler or food-supply-chain business qualifies. It means businesses in these categories may now be worth an initial working-capital conversation. Underwriting still determines whether a specific borrower meets the requirements.
The before-and-after prospecting view
| Prospecting list | Businesses worth a MARC conversation | |---|---| | Before the October 1, 2026 loan-number cutoff | Manufacturers | | For loans receiving an SBA loan number on or after October 1, 2026 | Manufacturers, eligible wholesalers and specified food-supply-chain businesses |
This changes prospecting before it changes underwriting.
A business development team does not need to decide that a borrower qualifies before making contact. It needs to find a plausible prospect, ask about the working-capital need and route a real opportunity to underwriting.
Waiting for a borrower to ask about MARC misses the point of the expansion. A wholesaler that previously associated the program with manufacturers is unlikely to call a lender and request it by name. The lender has to start that conversation.
Policy changes should reach the sales list quickly
SBA policy updates can reach underwriting before they reach business development.
The credit team reads the new SOP and updates its guidance, but originators keep calling the same manufacturers because the prospecting list never changes.
Under SOP 50 10 8.1, eligible wholesalers and specified food-supply-chain businesses should be added to that list.
The initial message does not need to promise eligibility. It can start with the business problem:
- Does the business have a recurring working-capital need?
- Would a revolving structure fit how cash moves through the company?
- Is the owner open to discussing an SBA-backed option?
A positive answer gives the lender a reason to investigate further. It does not guarantee approval, an SBA guaranty or a closed loan.
Use the correct October 1 dividing line
October 1, 2026 is not the application-date cutoff.
SOP 50 10 8.1 applies to loans that receive their SBA loan number on or after that date. That wording matters when reviewing an active pipeline or planning fourth-quarter outreach.
Business development can begin these conversations now. The lender still needs to confirm which SOP applies to each opportunity based on when the loan receives its SBA loan number.
The version matters too. NAGGL reported that a September technical update replaced the earlier August version of SOP 50 10 8.1. Prospecting and underwriting guidance should use the current text, not a saved copy of the superseded version.
How to rebuild the list without underwriting every prospect first
Keep the existing manufacturer prospects. Then add two groups:
- Wholesalers that may fit the expanded MARC requirements.
- Specified food-supply-chain businesses that may fit the expanded requirements.
Keep those groups separate from the manufacturer list. That makes it easier to adjust the outreach, track which businesses respond and send each opportunity through the lender's normal eligibility review.
The list should be narrow enough that it does not treat every wholesaler or food-related company as eligible. But business development should not try to complete underwriting before the first call.
The job is to identify businesses that may fit, start the conversation and let underwriting make the final determination.
Doing this manually means finding the right local businesses, checking what they do and locating a usable contact. Resquared is the direct shortcut for finding and reaching local businesses in the categories you want to prospect.
The practical test for SBA business development teams
Look at the working-capital list your team is using today.
If it still contains mainly manufacturers because that is who MARC originally served, it has not caught up with SOP 50 10 8.1. Keep those manufacturers, then add eligible wholesalers and specified food-supply-chain businesses to the prospect pool.
SBA Information Notice 5000-880695: legacy.sba.gov/document/information-notice-5000-880695-issuance-sop-50-10-81
NAGGL update: naggl.org/sop-update-sba-publishes-sop-50-10-8-1-with-technical-policy-updates/
MARC program details: colemanreport.com/sba-marc-under-sop-50-10-8-1-a-bigger-working-capital-opportunity-thurs-sept-17/
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