Mail Boxes Etc. USA Franchise Failure Rate
SBA 7(a) loan default data, FY2010–FY2019 · Updated 2026
Mail Boxes Etc. USA franchisees defaulted on 4.0% of SBA 7(a) loans between FY2010 and FY2019 — 1 of 25 loans were charged off — according to U.S. Small Business Administration data. That is roughly in line with the Private Mail Centers industry average of 4.9%.
- 4.0%SBA default rate1 of 25 loans
- 25loans resolvedapproved FY2010–FY2019
- 4.9%Private Mail Centers averageall SBA loans in the industry
- 2nd lowestindustry rankof 4 Private Mail Centers brands
| SBA default rate | 4.0% |
|---|---|
| Loans approved | 25 |
| Loans charged off | 1 |
| Date range | FY2010–FY2019 |
| Industry | Private Mail Centers |
| Industry average | 4.9% |
| Data source | U.S. SBA 7(a) FOIA loan data |
Most SBA default figures published online use loans approved since 2020 — loans that have had six years or less to fail — so those rates are floors, not outcomes. Every rate on this site is computed from the matured FY2010–FY2019 cohort: loans that have been paid in full or charged off, so the result is settled. Loans approved since 2020 are shown as counts so early charge-offs are visible without being mistaken for a rate.
Source: U.S. SBA FOIA dataset, statuses as of June 30, 2026. Figures also in the comparison table below.
About 1 in 25 Mail Boxes Etc. USA SBA borrowers failed to repay — below the Private Mail Centers average of 4.9%.
What is the Mail Boxes Etc. USA franchise failure rate on SBA loans?
Mail Boxes Etc. USA is a Private Mail Centers franchise. This page reports the outcome of every SBA 7(a) loan the U.S. Small Business Administration's public FOIA file attributes to Mail Boxes Etc. USA franchisees: 25 loans approved between fiscal 2010 and 2019, of which 1 was charged off. Loan statuses are as of June 30, 2026, and the cohort has matured, so these are settled outcomes rather than projections.
- SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY201925
- Charged off1
- Charge-off rate4.0%
- Private Mail Centers franchise benchmark4.9%
- Brand vs industry0.8x
- All-franchise SBA benchmark10.2%
- Average loan size, 2010s cohort$164,484
How does Mail Boxes Etc. USA compare with other Private Mail Centers franchises?
The table sets Mail Boxes Etc. USA's charge-off rate beside its Private Mail Centers peers and the two economy-wide benchmarks. All figures use the same cohort — SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019, statuses as of June 30, 2026 — and the same denominator of resolved loans, so they are directly comparable.
| Measure | Mail Boxes Etc. USA | Private Mail Centers | All franchises | All SBA borrowers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Default (charge-off) rate | 4.0% | 4.9% | 10.2% | 8.0% |
| Loans in sample | 25 | — | — | — |
| Defaults | 1 | — | — | — |
| Average loan size | $164,484 | — | — | — |
Source: U.S. SBA FOIA dataset, statuses as of June 30, 2026.
Show the numbers behind this chart
| Fiscal year | Loans | Charged off | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2010 | 11 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2011 | 4 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2012 | 8 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2013 | 2 | 1 | 50.0% |
How to read this
A charge-off means a franchisee borrowed, operated, and failed severely enough that the SBA wrote off the government-guaranteed loan. Unlike franchisor marketing or Item 19 disclosures, this is an observed outcome recorded by a federal agency. One caveat cuts the other way: SBA borrowers are typically less capitalized than all-cash buyers, so these rates can overstate risk for well-funded operators.
How reliable is this number?
Mail Boxes Etc. USA's figure rests on 25 resolved SBA 7(a) loans approved between fiscal 2010 and 2019. That cohort has matured, so the rate is a settled outcome, not a projection. With 25 resolved loans, one default moves the rate by about 4.0 percentage points. Loans approved since 2020 are excluded from the rate because most are still outstanding; they appear on this page as counts only. Every Mail Boxes Etc. USA figure is recomputed from the public SBA FOIA file on each rebuild.
Based on 25 resolved loans — directional, not precise.
Is Mail Boxes Etc. USA in financial trouble? What the SBA data shows
Mail Boxes Etc. USA's SBA 7(a) default rate was 4.0% for loans approved FY2010–FY2019 (1 of 25 loans charged off) — 2nd lowest of 4 Private Mail Centers brands tracked here. A default rate close to the Private Mail Centers average of 4.9% is, on its own, neither a warning sign nor a reassurance.
Frequently asked
- What is Mail Boxes Etc. USA's franchise failure rate?
- Mail Boxes Etc. USA franchisees defaulted on 4.0% of SBA 7(a) loans between FY2010 and FY2019 — 1 of 25 loans were charged off — according to U.S. Small Business Administration data. That is roughly in line with the Private Mail Centers industry average of 4.9%.
- How does Mail Boxes Etc. USA compare to other Private Mail Centers franchises?
- Mail Boxes Etc. USA's 4.0% SBA default rate is roughly in line with the Private Mail Centers industry average of 4.9%. See every Private Mail Centers franchise ranked on the Private Mail Centers industry page. Private Mail Centers franchises →
- What does 'SBA default rate' mean?
- An SBA default rate is the share of SBA 7(a) loans, approved FY2010–FY2019 and since resolved (paid in full or charged off), that were charged off — written off after the borrower failed to repay. It is not a measure of unit closures.
Source
Source: U.S. Small Business Administration, 7(a) loan program charge-off data, FY2010–FY2019. Franchise data is matched on the SBA's franchise code / brand name. "Failure rate" here means the share of approved loans (resolved: paid in full or charged off) that were charged off; it is not a measure of unit closures. Last updated September 30, 2026.
Every brand in one table, with percentiles and breakdowns by year, industry and loan size: franchise SBA default rates, all 415 brands.
Cite this page
Franchise Default Rates (2026). Mail Boxes Etc. USA franchise SBA 7(a) default rate, FY2010–FY2019 cohort: 4.0% (1 of 25 loans charged off). Derived from U.S. SBA FOIA data, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.
https://franchisefailurerates.com/franchise/mail-boxes-etc-usa/ · Data & methodology · Download the dataset (CSV)