{"ok":true,"canonical_url":"https://dealroom.so/glossary/delegated-authority","api_url":"https://dealroom.so/api/public/glossary/delegated-authority","data_freshness":{"sba_records_through":"2026-05-31","fdic_records_through":"2026-03-31","dealroom_last_updated":"2026-06-15","timezone":"America/Chicago"},"source_summary":["Public SBA 7(a) loan records","FDIC institution data","DealRoom lender and franchise enrichment"],"term":{"slug":"delegated-authority","term":"Delegated authority","group":"Doing the deal","definition":"Delegated authority is a status granted by the SBA to certain lenders, allowing them to underwrite and approve SBA loans without prior SBA review. This significantly speeds up the loan approval process.","what_it_means":"Lenders with delegated authority, like Preferred Lenders (PLP lenders), can make loan decisions faster because they don't send every application to the SBA for approval. This means your loan application moves through underwriting quicker, which is crucial in a competitive deal environment where time is of the essence.","url":"https://dealroom.so/glossary/delegated-authority","official_sources":[{"slug":"sop-50-10","title":"SOP 50 10 — Lender and Development Company Loan Programs","official_url":"https://www.sba.gov/document/sop-50-10-lender-development-company-loan-programs","official_label":"View on SBA.gov","authority_tier":2,"publisher":"U.S. Small Business Administration","source_guide_url":"https://dealroom.so/sba-7a/sources/sop-50-10"},{"slug":"13-cfr-part-120","title":"13 CFR Part 120 — Business Loans","official_url":"https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-13/chapter-I/part-120","official_label":"View on eCFR","authority_tier":1,"publisher":"Office of the Federal Register","source_guide_url":"https://dealroom.so/sba-7a/sources/13-cfr-part-120"}],"related":[{"slug":"plp-lender","term":"PLP lender","url":"https://dealroom.so/glossary/plp-lender"},{"slug":"underwriting","term":"Underwriting","url":"https://dealroom.so/glossary/underwriting"},{"slug":"commitment-letter","term":"Commitment Letter","url":"https://dealroom.so/glossary/commitment-letter"},{"slug":"non-delegated-lender","term":"Non-Delegated Lender","url":"https://dealroom.so/glossary/non-delegated-lender"}],"related_questions":[{"question":"What factors allow a lender to use their delegated authority (e.g., Preferred Lender status) to speed up SBA loan approval?","url":"https://dealroom.so/sba-7a/questions/what-factors-allow-a-lender-to-use-their-delegated-authority-e-g-preferred-lender-status-t"},{"question":"What collateral servicing actions require prior SBA approval versus those delegated to the lender?","url":"https://dealroom.so/for-lenders/questions/what-collateral-servicing-actions-require-prior-sba-approval-versus-those-delegated-to-the"}]},"caveats":["Definitions represent DealRoom's plain-English interpretation for buyers; verify regulatory terms against the official SBA and eCFR sources listed.","Not legal, tax, or financial advice, and not an SBA eligibility determination."],"citation":{"label":"DealRoom.so Glossary — Delegated authority","url":"https://dealroom.so/glossary/delegated-authority","source_type":"DealRoom Data"}}