PORTFOLIO Walter McLaughlin of Banner Bank, one of the country's most active SBA 7(a) lenders, has hosted SBA education events for nearly 30 years. Better SBA education, better SBA lending 22 Q ICBA Independent Banker Q May 2019 Lending S Several community banks are finding success in schooling potential customers on the ins and outs of SBA lending. By William Atkinson BA lending can be complex, and leveraging this off ering eff ectively requires knowledge on the part of both your bank and your customers. The key is to create formal initiatives to educate customers en masse, and then individually. That's according to a number of community bankers fi nding success with SBA lending. Walter McLaughlin is passionate about educating people on SBA lending. He's the senior vice president and SBA manager for $11.7 billion-asset Banner Bank in Walla Walla, Wash., one of the Photo: Ron Wurzer