Iowa: business records and regulators
Where to look a business up in Iowa, where to search the UCC filings against it, and the offices that regulate banks, lenders and securities there.
Each link opens the state's own site in a new tab, so what you type there goes to that site, not to us. Some state searches charge a fee or ask you to make an account. Privacy
Iowa records and regulators
Business search
Look a business up in the state's register of businesses.
UCC search
Find the UCC filings against a business: the financing statements lenders file to record a lien on its assets, such as a blanket lien.
Banking and lending regulator
Oversees the banks the state charters. Check its site for the lender and broker licenses the state requires.
Securities regulator
The state office for securities offerings, brokers and investment advisers.
Find a lender in Iowa
Official lists of the lenders that work in Iowa. Each opens on its own site, filtered to Iowa where the list allows it.
SBA 504 lenders (Certified Development Companies) (opens in a new tab)
The nonprofit lenders that make SBA 504 loans for property and big equipment, from the SBA's own list, filtered to the state.
SBA microloan lenders (opens in a new tab)
Nonprofit lenders that make SBA microloans of up to $50,000, from the SBA's own list, filtered to the state.
SBA Lender Match (opens in a new tab)
The SBA's own matching tool: you answer a few questions about your business on its site, and two business days later it gives you a list of the lenders interested; some may contact you. It is not a loan application. What you type goes to the SBA and those lenders, not to us.
Certified CDFIs (community lenders) (opens in a new tab)
The CDFI Fund's list of every certified community development financial institution (CDFI): loan funds, banks and credit unions. Download the list and sort it by the State column.
The FDIC's BankFind: search for the banks with offices in the state.
Credit unions (opens in a new tab)
The NCUA's credit union locator. Credit unions lend to their members, so check who can join.
Before you sign with any lender, check it is licensed: see the banking and lending regulator above, and Check a lender or platform. A few national lenders and platforms are named, with how they were chosen, in the provider directory.
State rules for Iowa on our route pages
- Business line of credit: Iowa has no cap on a rate agreed in writing for money borrowed mainly for a business or a farm, or borrowed by a corporation, and the borrower cannot plead usury afterward. Iowa's regulated loan license is needed only to charge more on a smaller loan than the law would otherwise allow, so it does not reach these business loans. A loan broker, anyone paid to find or help you get a loan or credit card, may not take a fee until it has actually got you the loan, and the agreement must be in writing, signed, with a copy for you. If the broker breaks the agreement or the law in a material way, you can cancel it and recover what you paid, a penalty of twice the fee asked and attorney fees, and the broker commits a crime (a serious misdemeanor). There is no broker license. Lawyers, accountants, banks, credit unions, insurers and licensed mortgage and loan companies are left out. (Iowa Code 535.2: rate of interest (subsection 2: persons who may agree in writing to any rate); Iowa Code 536.1: Iowa Regulated Loan Act, license required; Iowa Code chapter 535C: Iowa Loan Brokers Act (535C.1, 535C.2A, 535C.6, 535C.7 and 535C.10))
- Equipment loans and finance agreements: Iowa has no cap on a rate agreed in writing for money borrowed mainly for a business or a farm, or borrowed by a corporation, and the borrower cannot plead usury afterward. Iowa's regulated loan license is needed only to charge more on a smaller loan than the law would otherwise allow, so it does not reach these business loans. A loan broker, anyone paid to find or help you get a loan or credit card, may not take a fee until it has actually got you the loan, and the agreement must be in writing, signed, with a copy for you. If the broker breaks the agreement or the law in a material way, you can cancel it and recover what you paid, a penalty of twice the fee asked and attorney fees, and the broker commits a crime (a serious misdemeanor). There is no broker license. Lawyers, accountants, banks, credit unions, insurers and licensed mortgage and loan companies are left out. (Iowa Code 535.2: rate of interest (subsection 2: persons who may agree in writing to any rate); Iowa Code 536.1: Iowa Regulated Loan Act, license required; Iowa Code chapter 535C: Iowa Loan Brokers Act (535C.1, 535C.2A, 535C.6, 535C.7 and 535C.10))
- Online business loans: Iowa has no cap on a rate agreed in writing for money borrowed mainly for a business or a farm, or borrowed by a corporation, and the borrower cannot plead usury afterward. Iowa's regulated loan license is needed only to charge more on a smaller loan than the law would otherwise allow, so it does not reach these business loans. A loan broker, anyone paid to find or help you get a loan or credit card, may not take a fee until it has actually got you the loan, and the agreement must be in writing, signed, with a copy for you. If the broker breaks the agreement or the law in a material way, you can cancel it and recover what you paid, a penalty of twice the fee asked and attorney fees, and the broker commits a crime (a serious misdemeanor). There is no broker license. Lawyers, accountants, banks, credit unions, insurers and licensed mortgage and loan companies are left out. (Iowa Code 535.2: rate of interest (subsection 2: persons who may agree in writing to any rate); Iowa Code 536.1: Iowa Regulated Loan Act, license required; Iowa Code chapter 535C: Iowa Loan Brokers Act (535C.1, 535C.2A, 535C.6, 535C.7 and 535C.10))
Sources
- Iowa Secretary of State: home page (Businesses Search; Uniform Commercial Code) · checked October 20, 2026
- Iowa Division of Banking: home page (bank search; banking and finance licensing) · checked October 20, 2026
- Iowa Insurance Division: Securities & Regulated Businesses · checked October 20, 2026