SBA Lien Release Considerations
We will analyze your SBA loan problems and advise you on potential solutions such as an SBA offer in compromise for your SBA loan default.
Contact Our SBA Attorneys for Nationwide Representation of SBA and Treasury Debt Problems
Book a Consultation CallOne strategy you may have chosen to address your SBA debt was to file for bankruptcy. You received your discharge, which absolved you of any personal liability for the SBA debt under your personal guarantee but you directly pledged your home as additional collateral for the SBA loan. Unfortunately, the Chapter 7 bankruptcy did not eliminate the lien on your home.
Many times, SBA debtors are under the mistaken belief that Chapter 7bankruptcy discharges the lien or maybe the SBA debtors were otherwise unaware of the SBA lien. Other situations where an SBA lien release for consideration may arise include the death of a spouse, who was the sole personal guarantor on an SBA guaranteed loan leaving the surviving spouse to try and resolve the SBA lien or a divorce wherein the non-liable spouse not only inherits the home, but also the SBA lien that runs with it.
Under certain circumstances, you may have the opportunity to negotiate a release of the SBA lien for consideration. In other words, you can offer to buy out the SBA lien. Several factors may go into what the amount of consideration will be, but the most important factor will be how much “equity” in the home is covered by the SBA lien. The SBA and/or third-party lender will appraise the fair market value of your home, the amount of any senior liens, and the projected recovery in a forced sale. Our SBA Attorneys possess the knowledge and experience to negotiate SBA lien releases for consideration in these scenarios.
Naturally, the SBA and/or the third-party lender will want to extract as much money as possible from you. It’s best to have experienced SBA Attorneys on your side to help protect your interests and try to prevent the SBA or the bank from taking advantage of you and foreclosing the SBA lien held against your home.
If you are faced with an SBA lien on your home, contact Protect Law Group today for a Case Evaluation.
Under certain circumstances, you may have the opportunity to negotiate a release of the SBA lien for consideration. In other words, you can offer to buy out the SBA lien. Several factors may go into what the amount of consideration will be, but the most important factor will be how much “equity” in the home is covered by the SBA lien. The SBA and/or third-party lender will appraise the fair market value of your home, the amount of any senior liens, and the projected recovery in a forced sale. Our SBA Attorneys possess the knowledge and experience to negotiate SBA lien releases for consideration in these scenarios.
Naturally, the SBA and/or the third-party lender will want to extract as much money as possible from you. It’s best to have experienced SBA Attorneys on your side to help protect your interests and try to prevent the SBA or the bank from taking advantage of you and foreclosing the SBA lien held against your home.
If you are faced with an SBA lien on your home, contact Protect Law Group today for a Case Evaluation.
Client personally guaranteed SBA 7(a) loan for $350,000. The small business failed but because of the personal guarantee liability, the client continued to pay the monthly principal & interest out-of-pocket draining his savings. The client hired a local attorney but quickly realized that he was not familiar with SBA-backed loans or their standard operating procedures. Our firm was subsequently hired after the client received the SBA's official 60-day notice. After back-and-forth negotiations, we were able to convince the SBA to reinstate the loan, retract the acceleration of the outstanding balance, modify the original terms, and approve a structured workout reducing the interest rate from 7.75% to 0% and extending the maturity date for a longer period to make the monthly payments affordable. In conclusion, not only we were able to help the client avoid litigation and bankruptcy, but our SBA lawyers also saved him approximately $227,945 over the term of the workout.
Client personally guaranteed an SBA 7(a) loan for $100,000 from the lender. The SBA loan went into early default in 2006 less than 12 months from disbursement. The SBA paid the 7(a) guaranty monies to the lender and subsequently acquired the deficiency balance of about $96,000, including the right to collect against the guarantor. However, the SBA sent the Official 60-Day Due Process Notice to the Client's defunct business address instead of his personal residence, which he never received. As a result, the debt was transferred to Treasury's Bureau of Fiscal Service where substantial collection fees were assessed, including accrued interest per the promissory note. Treasury eventually referred the debt to a Private Collection Agency (PCA) - Pioneer Credit Recovery, Inc. Pioneer sent a demand letter claiming a debt balance of almost $310,000 - a shocking 223% increase from the original loan amount assigned to the SBA. Client's social security disability benefits were seized through the Treasury Offset Program (TOP). Client hired the Firm to represent him as the debt continued to snowball despite seizure of his social security benefits and federal tax refunds as the involuntary payments were first applied to Treasury's collection fees, then to accrued interest with minimal allocation to the SBA principal balance.
We initially submitted a Cross-Servicing Dispute (CSD) challenging the referral of the debt to Treasury based on the defective notice sent to the defunct business address. Despite overwhelming evidence proving a violation of the Client's Due Process rights, the SBA still rejected the CSD. As a result, an Appeals Petition was filed with the SBA Office of Hearings & Appeals (OHA) Court challenging the SBA decision and its certification the debt was legally enforceable in the amount claimed. After several months of litigation before the SBA OHA Court, our Firm Attorney successfully negotiated an Offer in Compromise (OIC) Term Workout with the SBA Supervising Trial Attorney for $82,000 spread over a term of 74 months at a significantly reduced interest rate saving the Client an estimated $241,000 in Treasury collection fees, accrued interest (contract interest rate and Current Value of Funds Rate (CVFR)), and the PCA contingency fee.
Client's small business obtained an SBA COVID EIDL for $301,000 pledging collateral by executing the Note, Unconditional Guarantee and Security Agreement. The business defaulted on the loan and the SBA CESC called the Note and Guarantee, accelerated the principal balance due, accrued interest and retracted the 30-year term schedule.
The loan was transferred to the Treasury's Bureau of Fiscal Service which resulted in the statutory addition of $90,000+ in administrative fees, costs, penalties and interest with the total debt now at $391.000+. Treasury also initiated a Treasury Offset Program (TOP) levy against the client's federal contractor payments for the full amount each month - intercepting all of its revenue and pushing the business to the brink of bankruptcy.
The Firm was hired to investigate and find an alternate solution to the bankruptcy option. After submitting formal production requests for all government records, it was discovered that the SBA failed to send the required Official 60-Day Pre-Referral Notice to the borrower and guarantor prior to referring the debt to Treasury. This procedural due process violation served as the basis to submit a Cross-Servicing Dispute to recall the debt from Treasury back to the SBA and to negotiate a reinstatement of the original 30-year maturity date, a modified workout, cessation of the TOP levy against the federal contractor payments and removal of the $90,000+ Treasury-based collection fees, interest and penalties.