SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · FLORIDA
Cottman Transmission franchise in Florida: what the public record shows
Franchisees of Cottman Transmission in Florida have taken 18 SBA loans since 1991 (average $141,016), and of the 16 loans whose story has ended, 56.3% were charged off — versus 36.1% for Cottman Transmission nationally and 14.8% across all rateable franchise brands.
Loans in FL
18
Resolved
16
Local charge-off
56.3%
National charge-off
36.1%
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = FL. Charge-off rate = charged-off ÷ (charged-off + paid-in-full); open loans excluded. A local rate is published only when the resolved cohort clears our floor.
Businesses in this industry
6,854
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
29.3
national 30.2
Versus the country
-3%
thinner
Every business in Cottman Transmission's industry operating in Florida — franchised and independent — from the Census Bureau's County Business Patterns (2023), against 2024 population estimates. Counter-intuitively, density is not a warning: across 198 brand-state cells in our loan data, the densest quartile charges off at 5.6% versus 18.1% in the thinnest. A crowded market is usually proven demand; an empty one is often empty for a reason.
| System | Loans in FL | Local charge-off | Units in FL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aamco Transmissions | 51 | 27.3% | — |
| Meineke | 46 | 32.3% | — |
| All Tune and Lube | 25 | 28.6% | — |
| Maaco Auto Painting Center | 25 | 33.3% | — |
| LINE-X | 19 | 15.4% | 13 |
| Midas Muffler Shop | 18 | thin | — |
| Christian Brothers Automotive | 13 | thin | — |
| Grease Monkey | 13 | thin | — |
| Pirtek | 13 | thin | — |
| Shell Service Station | 10 | thin | — |
| Goodyear Tire | 9 | thin | — |
| Mobil Oil (Stations) | 9 | thin | — |
Same sector, same state, same public records — how Cottman Transmission compares to the systems a buyer in Florida would actually be choosing between. Local rates under 10 resolved loans are marked thin, not hidden.
A broker is paid by the franchisor to place you. An independent CPA is paid by you — and the job is pressure-testing Cottman Transmission's numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.
Talk to an independent CPA before you buy →