Small business owners are feeling positive about their businesses and the broader economy, and that goodwill is showing up in steadily improving satisfaction with their primary banks, according to the J.D. Power 2025 U.S. Small Business Banking Satisfaction Study, released this week.
However, despite reaching a three-year high in small business banking customer satisfaction, concerns about having a manageable amount of debt have started to emerge for some small business owners. The proportion of small business owners who pay all their bills on time is down two percentage points in this year’s study, and just 35% of small business owners have an excellent credit score, the lowest level in four years.
“The good news is that 54% of small business owners are financially healthy, and increasingly feel like their banks are helping them meet their business credit and borrowing needs and savings goals,” said Paul McAdam, senior director of banking and payments intelligence at J.D. Power. “However, with 50% of business owners still concerned about inflation, 37% anticipating a potentially significant effect from tariffs and 37% expressing uncertainty about interest rates and the cost of borrowing, some serious issues are still looming. Banks that anticipate these fears and communicate proactively with their small business customers by offering helpful advice and service are best positioned to build customer loyalty and protect these critical relationships.”
The following are some key findings of the 2025 study:
Financial advice resonates with small business owners: Small business owners’ overall satisfaction with their primary banks increases 11 points (on a 1,000-point scale) this year, driven by a 17-point increase in financial health support and a 16-point improvement in communication scores. More than half (61%) of small businesses received financial advice from their banks this year, and 94% of those recipients said the advice/guidance they received positively influenced their business’ financial habits.
Debt concerns mount: The proportion of business owners who say they have an excellent credit score declined to 35%, and 57% say they can pay all of their bills on time, down two percentage points from a year ago. External factors that business owners fear could have a major or severe influence on their business include inflation (50%); tariffs (37%); interest rates/cost of borrowing (37%); supply chain (33%); and retaining/hiring employees (27%).
Personal account relationships boost business account satisfaction: Overall, 84% of small business banking customers also have a personal account relationship with their bank. Satisfaction scores among those customers are 64 points higher than those of customers without a personal account relationship.
Problem resolution improves dramatically: Small business satisfaction with problem resolution improves 13 points in this year’s study, with nine out of 10 small businesses indicating that their most recent problem was resolved. Problem resolution has improved steadily in the four years since the study was redesigned, climbing 89 points since 2022.
Capital One ranks highest in small business banking customer satisfaction for a third consecutive year, with a score of 737. Fifth Third Bank (729) ranks second, and Chase (726) ranks third.
