DENVER — Wells Fargo & Co. was the top Small Business Administration lender in Colorado for fiscal  2012, according to the latest SBA data.

Wells Fargo made 226 SBA loans in Colorado totaling $79.4 million between Oct. 1, 2011 and Sept. 30, 2012, according to the statistics. 

JP Morgan Chase & Co. was in the No. 2 slot for the same time period, making 149 loans for a total of $20.2 million. Minneapolis-based U.S. Bancorp (NYSE: USB) was No. 3 on the list, making 101 loans for $23 million.

The SBA offers a government-backed guarantee to the small-business loans, which are made through banks, credit unions and other lenders who partner with it.