Examination Fees Slashed for Large SBICs

Responding to industry complaints, the Small Business Administration has slashed examination fees charged to small-business investment companies with assets above $60 million. The new fees went into effect April 30.

The SBA capped base fees at $14,000 per exam for these large companies and described the cutoff as a "substantial" break. For instance, an SBIC with $200 million of assets previously paid $27,000 per exam. Large SBICs had argued that they were shouldering the cost of examining smaller institutions.