Feisty independents move fast to meet demand on SBA loans. (Small Business Administration)(Special Report: Banking)

Denver's market for small-business loans has reached a feverish pitch in the past two years, and there's no end in sight.

Part of the heat is being generated by small, aggressive lenders who have entered the SBA market in the past 18 months. At least two of these lenders predict the number of loans they make will double in the next 12 months.

Century Bank is one new player in the small-business loan market, launching its program just seven months ago. By the end of September, the bank had made more than $5 million worth of loans backed by the Small Business Administration. Century Bank ranked seventh, with 13 loans, on the SBA's 1991 10 most-active lenders list. …