SBA

Flush with capital and touting its biggest loan pipeline ever, the nation’s No. 1 Small Business Administration 7(a) lender is laying plans to hire dozens of bankers away from competitors. It’s one of several companies seeking to expand at a time when others are likely to pull back on commercial lending.

Government has an exciting opening to use its unprecedented reach and newfound trust among small-business owners to connect entrepreneurs with sources of capital that can help them grow.

For anyone who wants a phony pay stub or doctored tax return, an easy source is just a click away.

Almost 350,000 loans made to small businesses in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic haven’t been forgiven, according to a Bloomberg News analysis of Paycheck Protection Program data, and most of them are for less than $25,000. 

There's still a month left in the federal government's fiscal year, and the Small Business Administration's 504 program is perilously close to hitting its congressionally mandated funding limit for new loans.

The agency's new platform can reach a decision on Paycheck Protection Program loan reimbursement in minutes and has handled hundreds of thousands of applications since its Aug. 4 debut. The original process required a lengthy form.

Borrowers with Paycheck Protection Program loans of up to $150,000 will be able to apply for forgiveness directly through a government portal if their lender opts in. Industry representatives welcomed the move.

Though the Paycheck Protection Program is winding down, the Small Business Administration has prolonged several other pandemic relief programs. Community banks can help local businesses sort through their options.

The Small Business Administration’s sluggish pace in forgiving the biggest Paycheck Protection Program loans is straining relations between banks and some borrowers.

The Paycheck Protection Program has about $8 billion remaining, with those funds earmarked for community development financial institutions, minority depository institutions and other mission-driven lenders.

With the Paycheck Protection Program likely winding down at the end of the month, many lenders are seeing heightened demand for the Small Business Administration’s 7(a) and 504 loans.

The legislation, led by Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., would qualify many farmers, ranchers and self-employed Americans for more Paycheck Protection Program funds.

When it was launched a year ago, the program was criticized for glitches and a focus on larger borrowers. Since then technical improvements have been made, smaller loans have been prioritized, and other changes favored by lenders have been implemented.

A federal watchdog agency determined that Almena State Bank's push into government-backed loans, supported with high-cost wholesale funding, set it up for collapse when significant credit issues arose.

First Internet CEO David Becker used to be dismissive of the Small Business Administration. But after getting to know some of the borrowers during the pandemic — and after his bank collected hefty fees from selling 7(a) loans — he's become a convert.

By an overwhelming majority, the House approved a two-month extension of the Paycheck Protection Program, which still has almost $93 billion left to distribute.

The legislation would extend the Paycheck Protection Program for two months and give the Small Business Administration more time to remedy persistent system glitches that have delayed the processing of thousands of loan applications.

Legislators expressed concerns that thousands of pending applications are stuck in limbo just weeks before the Small Business Administration is legally required to stop accepting them.

Nonbanks had worried the end of the Paycheck Protection Program Liquidity Facility would hurt their ability to lend to small businesses. On Monday, the Federal Reserve announced the facility would be extended for three months.

Turnaround times on loans in the 504 program are stretching out for weeks as the Small Business Administration grapples with a spike in applications and responsibilities tied to the Paycheck Protection Program.