Sources & Citations
Where CLOC references external data in its educational content, we cite public sources. This page lists the primary reference organizations and data sources we use, along with notes on how we apply that data.
Federal and regulatory sources
We reference the following federal agencies and their published data:
- U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA): Loan program terms, 7(a) rate caps, program eligibility requirements — sba.gov
- Federal Reserve: Prime rate, SOFR benchmark rate, senior loan officer opinion surveys — federalreserve.gov
- Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC): Bank lending data, quarterly banking profiles — fdic.gov
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB): HMDA and small business lending disclosure data — cfpb.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau: Business formation statistics, small business counts — census.gov
How we use rate and cost data
Rate ranges cited on CLOC pages are either: disclosed as illustrative (based on general market knowledge at time of writing), cited from a named public source, or disclosed as estimates that vary by borrower profile and lender.
We do not use rate data from individual lenders as the basis for educational content unless that lender's published terms are specifically identified. We do not cite data we cannot trace to a public or credible secondary source.
Data currency and limitations
Financial data changes. Rate benchmarks change daily; program eligibility rules change when regulations change; market conditions shift. We review pages periodically and update data when material changes occur, but we cannot guarantee any cited data point is current at the time you read it. Always verify current terms directly with the relevant lender or agency.
Content we do not cite
We do not cite: proprietary lender-specific rate sheets (which would require disclosure of a commercial relationship), user reviews or testimonials, AI-generated statistics (including data generated by our own tools), or data from sources we cannot verify as reliable and publicly accessible.