3. The UPS Store
Number of SBA loans : 1,085
Total dispersed: $159.4 million
Average loan size: $146,943
Failure rate: 12%
UPS scooped up business services and shipping center Mail Boxes Etc. in 2001 and promptly rebranded almost all of the locations as The UPS Store.
But some Mail Boxes Etc. owners didn't weather the takeover well. Seven years ago, they filed suit against UPS, and will finally take their case to trial later this month in Los Angeles. Meanwhile, UPS rolls on, adding new franchisees to its network for an initial fee just shy of $30,000.
Source: Loan data is from the Small Business Administration, covering loans made from October 2000 through September 2009. The failure rate represents the number of loans in liquidation or charged off, divided by the number of loans disbursed.
LAST UPDATE: Apr 26 2010 | 4:53 PM ET
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