The Kansas City region has experienced a 24 percent increase in the number of SBA-backed loans approved over the past six months, the U.S. Small Business Administration reported.

There were 450 loans worth a total of $147.1 million approved during that time. Loan volume has increased by 14 percent compared to the same period a year earlier.

The loans were used to help create about 1,750 jobs and sustain another 2,666 positions.

Demand was strongest in the manufacturing sector, which saw its loan activity grow by $4.7 million to $20.9 million, a 29.6 percent jump from a year prior. The wholesale trade and health care sectors experienced gains of 33.6 percent and 48.2 percent.

Most of the loans were through the SBA’s flagship 7(a) program. About 58.8 percent of the Kansas City region’s loans were loans worth $150,000 or less. (The SBA has done away with upfront fees for loans of that size.)

New businesses received 38.4 percent of the Kansas City’s SBA loan, which equals 173 loans.

The SBA’s Kansas City office said that its most active SBA lending partners included US Bank, Liberty Bank, Alterra Bank, Arvest Bank, UMB Bank, RMI, The Bank of Missouri, Commerce Bank, CrossFirst Bank, and Heartland Business Capital.

For more information about the SBA loan programs in this area, visit the SBA’s Kansas City website or call 816-426-4900.