Exhibit 99.1

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEWTEK BUSINESS SERVICES, INC. REPORTS 67% INCREASE

IN 2012 DILUTED EPS TO $0.15 PER SHARE

2012 PRETAX INCOME UP OVER 360% TO $9.4 MILLION

New York, N.Y. - March 27, 2013 - Newtek Business Services, Inc. (NASDAQ: NEWT) (www.thesba.com) The Small Business Authority^®, a provider of business services and financial products to the small- and medium-sized business market, reported today its financial results for the year ended December 31, 2012.

2012 Consolidated Highlights:

2012 Operating Segment Highlights:

Additional Financial Highlights:

Revised 2013 Guidance:

Barry Sloane, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer said, “We are extremely proud of this year’s financial performance. With an over 360% and 67% increase year-over-year in pretax income and diluted earnings per share respectively, it is evident that our position and purpose as The Small Business Authority^® has become widely recognized and understood by both our shareholders and our clients.”

Mr. Sloane, continued, “From inception, it has been our goal to build a lasting authoritative brand, one that would offer the over 27 million small businesses in the U.S. the state-of-the-art tools, services and solutions they need to succeed in an ever-changing economy and world. To this end, over the last several years, we have made a significant investment in building our operations, while always striving to make prudent and sound decisions from both a business and financial perspective. And while many of these decisions did not provide instant gratification, they positioned us for long-term growth and supported our building a company for the future. We are pleased that our strategy has begun to gain traction, as we realize the operating leverage of our business model evidenced by our strong financial results and solid year-over-year growth. In fact, as we continue to capitalize on this operating leverage, we are convinced that merely broadening the consistency and reach of our marketing message, as well as repeatedly offering our products and services to small- and medium-sized businesses throughout the country will provide an excellent opportunity to achieve double-digit revenue growth.”

“As we move forward through 2013 and beyond, we recognize building on our talented team of professionals is an integral element in maintaining our profitability and growth, as well as obtaining critical economies of scale. As a result, we welcomed additional seasoned professionals to our Company, specifically in our human resources and the EPP division including Randy Sagar, Eric Turille, Sundeep (Sunny) Dronawat and Ted Rallis. In addition, Edward Petrosky recently joined the Company as the Chief Credit and Chief Risk Officer. Edward’s depth and breadth of experience in credit and risk management, serving the function of Chief Credit Officer at five banking institutions, should significantly enhance the effectiveness of our credit policies and procedures. Finally, we have several other leading professionals in the queue, who recognize Newtek Business Services, through The Newtek Advantage™, and its other products and services, as the go-to destination for independent business owners for all of their business and financial needs,” concluded Mr. Sloane.

Cautionary Statement

2013 Guidance information contained in this press release is based on management’s current expectations. These statements are forward-looking and actual results may differ materially. See “Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” below.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

In evaluating its business, Newtek considers and uses Modified EBITDA as a supplemental measure of its operating performance. The Company defines Modified EBITDA as earnings before income from tax credits, interest expense, taxes, depreciation and amortization, stock compensation expense, other than temporary decline in value of investments, Capco fair value change and the amortization of the 2011 accrued loss on the lease restructure. The Company also presents Modified EBITDA because it believes it is frequently used by securities analysts, investors and other interested parties as a measure of financial performance.

The term Modified EBITDA is not defined under U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, or U.S. GAAP, and is not a measure of operating income (loss), operating performance or liquidity presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Modified EBITDA has limitations as an analytical tool and, when assessing the Company’s operating performance, investors should not consider Modified EBITDA in isolation, or as a substitute for net income (loss) or other consolidated income statement data prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Among other things, Modified EBITDA does not reflect the Company’s actual cash expenditures. Other companies may calculate similar measures differently than Newtek, limiting their usefulness as comparative tools. The Company compensates for these limitations by relying primarily on its GAAP results supplemented by Modified EBITDA.

Investor Conference Call and Webcast

A conference call to discuss 2012 results will be hosted by Barry Sloane, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, and Jennifer Eddelson, Chief Accounting Officer, today, Wednesday, March 27, 2013 at 4:15 p.m. EDT. The live conference call can be accessed by dialing (877) 303-6993 or (760) 666-3611.

A live audio webcast of the call and the corresponding presentation will be available in the ‘Events & Presentation’ section of the Investor Relations portion of Newtek’s website at http://investor.newtekbusinessservices.com/events.cfm. A replay of the webcast with the corresponding presentation will be available on Newtek’s website shortly following the live presentation.

About Newtek Business Services, Inc.

Newtek Business Services, Inc., The Small Business Authority^®, is a direct distributor of a wide range of business services and financial products to the small- and medium-sized business market under the Newtek^® brand. Since 1999, Newtek has helped small- and medium-sized business owners realize their potential by providing them with the essential tools needed to manage and grow their businesses and to compete effectively in today’s marketplace. Newtek provides one or more of its services to over 100,000 business accounts and has positioned the Newtek^® and The Small Business Authority brands as a one-stop-shop provider of such business services. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, there are over 27.5 million small businesses in the United States, which in total represent 99.7% of all employer firms.

Newtek Business Services, The Small Business Authority^®, provides the following products and services:

Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this press release including statements regarding Newtek’s beliefs, expectations, intentions or strategies for the future, may be “forward-looking statements” under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the plans, intentions and expectations reflected in or suggested by the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, intensified competition, operating problems and their impact on revenues and profit margins, anticipated future business strategies and financial performance, anticipated future number of customers, business prospects, legislative developments and similar matters. Risk factors, cautionary statements and other conditions which could cause Newtek’s actual results to differ from management’s current expectations are contained in Newtek’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and available through http://www.sec.gov.

For more information, please visit www.thesba.com.

Contact:

Newtek Business Services, Inc.

Barry Sloane

Chairman and CEO

212-356-9500

bsloane@thesba.com

NEWTEK BUSINESS SERVICES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME

FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2012, 2011 (RESTATED) AND 2010

(In Thousands, except for Per Share Data)

NEWTEK BUSINESS SERVICES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

DECEMBER 31, 2012 AND 2011(RESTATED)

(In Thousands, except for Per Share Data)