Entrepreneur Magazine named KeyBank a Top Franchise Supplier for the second year in a row, ranking the regional bank among some of the best in the nation in empowering franchisees to launch, grow, expand and/or evolve their businesses. This year, KeyBank was ranked eighth in the franchise finance category.

“With so many businesses today facing uncertainty, it is important the franchising industry has partners it can rely on,” Jim Fliss, senior vice president and leader of KeyBank’s SBA and franchise businesses, said. “With the continued growth in our industry partnerships, we made investments this year to grow our franchise finance team to ensure we can continue to deliver an unparalleled level of service through our specialized franchise sales, underwriting and loan closing professionals.”

KeyBank’s franchise finance team offers a range of banking solutions to franchised businesses, including solutions for startup, multi-and single-unit operators, merchant and treasury capabilities, commercial banking, investment banking, and Key4Women to support woman-owned businesses.

To develop the rankings, Entrepreneur magazine surveyed more than 700 franchisors on their satisfaction with the quality, cost and value of each supplier.

“This recognition continues to be a source of pride as it is a testament to the hard work of our dedicated teams and validation that we are delivering on our promises,” Fliss said. “Helping clients and communities thrive is at the heart of everything we do at Key. Franchising has proven to be a resilient industry and accordingly we have built a significant amount of optimism into our future outlook.”

KeyBank is currently the eighth largest SBA 7(a) lender in the United State. In addition, KeyBank has been an active lender for the SBA’s Payroll Protection Program, helping more than 40,000 individual businesses obtain access to capital during the global COVID-19 pandemic.