By ALLISSA KLINE
akline@bizjournals.com | 716-541-1612

M&T Bank Corp. announced that it's the nation's sixth-largest lender of U.S. Small Business Administration 7(a) loans.

The bank said that was determined by the number of total loans made through the SBA's 7(a) loan program during the federal fiscal year ending Sept. 30. It issued 938 7(a) loans totaling $119 million, representing a 36 percent year-over-year increase in total loans to small business.

M&T's rank is up from ninth place in fiscal 2009.

"One of our bank's most important roles is to work with small-business owners and entrepreneurs to consistently provide them with the capital and sound advice needed to operate their businesses and create jobs," Janet Coletti, senior vice president for business banking, said in a release. "We view the SBA as a key partner in our effort to get more capital in the hands of business owners."

Locally, M&T was the top lender of SBA 7(a) loans in the Buffalo district. It approved 127 loans totaling $20.7 million. It also secured the top spot in the Rochester, Syracuse, Baltimore, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., districts.