Merchants Named A Top 5 SBA Surety Partner

February 2, 2026

Helping Small Contractors Grow

Small contractors are driving growth across the construction industry, expanding their capacity and competing for more complex projects. Increased access to surety bonding is helping make that growth possible. 

Merchants Bonding Company™ has been named a Top 5 Surety Partner by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) for fiscal year 2025, a recognition that reflects the company's commitment to helping small and diverse contractors succeed. 

Common Bonding Challenges for Small & Emerging Contractors

Small and emerging contractors often struggle to meet the criteria for surety bonds due to limited financial history or bonding experience. Without a surety bond guarantee, they aren't able to compete or win jobs needed to grow their business. 

The SBA's Surety Bond Guarantee (SBG) program helps qualified contractors secure the bonds they need to compete. In FY 2025, the SBG program recorded a historic year, supporting more than 2,200 small businesses as they secured the bonding they needed with $10.6 billion in guarantees.

Removing Barriers to Bonding

Merchants' Specialty Solutions team removes friction from the bonding process by leveraging tools like the SBG program, funds administration, and collateral support, helping contractors compete, win work, and grow. 

With a surety-only focus and common sense solutions, Merchants continues to invest in relationships that deliver long-term impact for agents, contractors, and communities.