If you have a SBA loan default problem and you're working with your lender to wind down the business and settle the deficiency with an SBA Offer In Compromise (SBA OIC), time is of the essence. Lenders, banks, the CDC and the SBA generally do not wait much longer than 60-90 days after the defaulted borrower has been liquidated or shut down to tender an SBA OIC for consideration which, if accepted, could potentially release the guarantors from the deficiency for a lesser amount.
As part of the process, the bank, the lender, CDC or SBA should send you what is called the “60-day letter - click here to view: Sample 60 Day Referral Letter" where you'll be given only 60 days from the date of the letter to file an SBA OIC Package for SBA consideration. If you fail to timely submit an SBA OIC Package within the administrative time frame as noted in the letter you received, the bank or SBA will probably submit the file to the United States Department of Treasury for enforced collection, and thus, you will probably lose your one (1) time opportunity to settle for less than what is purportedly owed on the SBA loan debt through this special administrative process.
The United States Treasury Department rarely collects on these bad loans directly – rather they hire third-party collection agencies to handle them. These collection agencies don’t know anything about the history behind the loans – their job is to be ruthless in their collection efforts as they generally receive a generous percent of the collected amount or actually bought the so-called junk federal debt for pennies on the dollar.
Several of these federally approved third-party collection agencies or junk debt buyers are particularly nasty and rarely settle for less than 50% of the outstanding amount as the incentives for collection, litigation, and judgment pursuit are very high. Contrast that with the results that we have reviewed and settled and it’s easy to see the importance of addressing your outstanding SBA loan debt sooner rather than later, whether you’re working with a non-attorney consultant, an SBA Workout Attorney or the United States Treasury Department Circular 230 Practitioner, or attempting to do it yourself. If you think your banker is nasty or difficult to work with, you don’t want to experience the tactics of these collection agencies or junk debt buyers.
If you have an SBA loan default problem and received the 60-day referral letter to the Treasury Department, call us at 888-756-9969 to speak to one of our SBA Workout Attorneys and figure out your options. It's a complimentary Case Evaluation, or, simply a complete form to see if you pre-qualify for an SBA OIC.
Millions of Dollars in SBA Debts Resolved via Offer in Compromise and Negotiated Repayment Agreements without our Clients filing for Bankruptcy or Facing Home Foreclosure
Millions of Dollars in Treasury Debts Defended Against via AWG Hearings, Treasury Offset Program Resolution, Cross-servicing Disputes, Private Collection Agency Representation, Compromise Offers and Negotiated Repayment Agreements
Our Attorneys are Authorized by the Agency Practice Act to Represent Federal Debtors Nationwide before the SBA, The SBA Office of Hearings and Appeals, the Treasury Department, and the Bureau of Fiscal Service.
Client personally guaranteed SBA 7(a) loan balance of $58,000. The client received a notice of Intent to initiate Administrative Wage Garnishment (AWG) Proceedings. We represented the client at the hearing and successfully defeated the AWG Order based on several legal and equitable grounds.
Clients personally guaranteed an SBA 7(a) loan that was referred to the Department of Treasury for collection. Treasury claimed our clients owed over $220,000 once it added its statutory collection fees and interest. We were able to negotiate a significant reduction of the total claimed amount from $220,000 to $119,000, saving the clients over $100,000 by arguing for a waiver of the statutory 28%-30% administrative fees and costs.
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.
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