Are you unable to pay off your SBA loan or need to decrease the amount you pay? It's possible to get an SBA loan deferment. Here's how to qualify.
Book a Consultation CallWhile half of all small businesses fold in the first five years, lots of businesses could be saved if they only knew how to manage their finances. If you're struggling with SBA loans, a simple loan deferment could save your business from ruin. The ability to bounce back from bumps in the road is something that every business owner should have the chance to do.
SBA Loan Deferment
Here are four major factors to consider in order to get the help you need.
If you haven't been keeping your books up to date, you need to ensure that you've got the evidence to talk about your cash flow. The SBA has encouraged everyone lending its specialized loans to be more flexible than they were in the past. If you need a deferment, you need to show that you're truly in the position to need one.
Cash flow is how much money you're making balanced out with how much you're spending from month to month. If you've got a log of outstanding IOUs from your clients, then you need to focus on getting that money into your accounts. If you're bad at getting the cash you're owed into your account, that's not an issue of cash flow so much as management.
You could qualify for a deferment if sales have slowed and you're doing everything right. If you have too little cash, then they might think that you're beyond help and they might not want to offer you a deferment. If you have too much cash flow coming in, then the SBA or lenders are going to think that you just need to manage your business better.
Low cash flow for a business model that's fairly good could just be a temporary issue. If you're sure that the cash flow problem is temporary, make sure that your books show that fact.
If you're looking for help with your SBA loans, you need to show that you're on the right track. Deferment isn't offered to those terminal cases where money is just burning up as the clock ticks. It's given to companies who have their act together but who are struggling with some basic issues.
Sometimes those issues are outside of your control. With the 2019 government shutdown or changes in tariffs for manufacturing materials, that trickle down impacts lots of companies. While most people don't think that their daily lives are impacted by these political conversations, there are concrete impacts all over.
When the price of steel goes up, it costs more to buy a car. If the price of gas or fuel goes up, then the cost of a plane ticket goes up too. No matter what your industry is, you could see some issues that cause your profits to dip, even just temporarily.
If you're operating with very thin margins, describe that to your lender in very clear terms. If you've been making on-time payments otherwise, then show them the records. A responsible company that pays their bills and loans on time regularly is one that is worth offering consideration to.
Your ability to qualify for deferment relies heavily on how responsive you are to the lender you're looking for help from. When you want consideration regarding your SBA loan or need a deferment for your SBA payments, you need to communicate clearly. The people who are trying to help you need you to be clear and communicate with them in an open and prompt manner.
If the lender you're looking for help from asks for documentation by a certain deadline, attempt to beat the deadline by a few days. While it may seem obvious to you, lots of business owners put this communication at a low priority. It's not up to your lender to follow up with you when you're the one looking for help from them.
Should a deadline for documentation pass, you're going to need to approach your lender with your hat in hand. And you'd better have everything in proper order if you're going to try to get them to bend the rules for you. Going in unprepared or without everything they need is going to seem arrogant.
If you need to put together an application package for deferment, league time to put together the document. At the end of the day, you're asking for something from your lender or service provider. You should do more than meet them halfway when it comes to giving them what they ask for.
When you're looking for help deferring your loan you need to show that you've got a reason to balance things out. When you have collateral to offer, you show that you're working hard and trying to make your business work.
Your lender can get aggressive when you're behind on payments. If your loan is secured with equipment that you need to build your business, they're going to want to help you out. It's much harder to try to flip equipment, especially if your company relies on it.
If they really want you to succeed, they're going to want you to keep that equipment so you can do the work you need to in order to pay them back. They're in the business of building wealth, not cutting you off at the knees.
If your lender has collateral that's worth way more than what you owe, they might flip it if your business model doesn't seem strong. Make sure you communicate clearly at the first sign of trouble to protect your business model.
If you want to get the loan deferment that you deserve as a business owner, you need clear communication and a good relationship with your lender. The clearer you are with them, the easier it'll be to get your deferment.
If you are in danger of defaulting on your SBA loan, contact Protect Law Group today for a FREE initial consultation. 1-888-756-9969.
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.
Small business sole proprietor obtained an SBA COVID-EIDL loan for $500,000. Client defaulted causing SBA to charge-off the loan, accelerate the balance and refer the debt to Treasury's Bureau of Fiscal Service for aggressive collection. Treasury added $180,000 in collection fees totaling $680,000+. Client tried to negotiate with Treasury but was only offered a 3-year or 10-year repayment plan. Client hired the Firm to represent before the SBA, Treasury and a Private Collection Agency. After securing government records through discovery and reviewing them, we filed an Appeals Petition with the SBA Office of Hearings & Appeals (OHA) court challenging the SBA's referral of the debt to Treasury citing a host of purported violations. The Firm was able to negotiate a reinstatement and recall of the loan back to the SBA, participation in the Hardship Accommodation Plan, termination of Treasury's enforced collection and removal of the statutory collection fees.
Small business and guarantors obtained an SBA COVID-EIDL loan for $1,000,000. Clients defaulted causing SBA to charge-off the loan, accelerate the balance and refer the debt to Treasury's Bureau of Fiscal Service for collection. Treasury added nearly $500,000 in collection fees totaling $1,500,000. Clients were served with the SBA's Official 60-Day Notice and exercised the Repayment option by applying for the SBA’s Hardship Accommodation Plan. However, their application was summarily rejected by the SBA without providing any meaningful reasons. Clients hired the Firm to represent them against the SBA, Treasury and a Private Collection Agency. After securing government records through discovery, we filed an Appeals Petition with the SBA Office of Hearings & Appeals (OHA) court challenging the SBA's referral of the debt to Treasury. During litigation and before the OHA court issued a final Decision and Order, the Firm successfully negotiated a reinstatement and recall of the loan back to the SBA, a modification of the original repayment terms, termination of Treasury's enforced collection and removal of the statutory collection fees.
Client’s small business obtained an SBA 7(a) loan for $750,000. She and her husband signed personal guarantees exposing all of their non-exempt income and assets. With just 18 months left on the maturity date and payment on the remaining balance, the Great Recession of 2008 hit, which ultimately caused the business to fail and default on the loan terms. The 7(a) lender accelerated and sent a demand for full payment of the remaining loan balance. The SBA lender’s note allowed for a default interest rate of about 7% per year. In response to the lender's aggressive collection action, Client's husband filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in an attempt to protect against their personal assets. However, his bankruptcy discharge did not relieve the Client's personal guarantee liability for the SBA debt. The SBA lender opted to pursue the SBA 7(a) Guaranty and subsequently assigned the loan and the right to enforce collection against the Client to the SBA. The Client then received the SBA Official 60-Day Notice. After conducting a Case Evaluation with her, she then hired the Firm to respond and negotiate on her behalf with just 34 days left before the impending referral to Treasury. The Client wanted to dispute the SBA’s alleged debt balance as stated in the 60-Day Notice by claiming the 7(a) lender failed to liquidate business collateral in a commercially reasonable manner - which if done properly - proceeds would have paid back the entire debt balance. However, due to time constraints, waivers contained in the SBA loan instruments, including the fact the Client was not able to inspect the SBA's records for investigation purposes before the remaining deadline, Client agreed to submit a Structured Workout for the alleged balance in response to the Official 60-Day Notice as she was not eligible for an Offer in Compromise (OIC) because of equity in non-exempt income and assets. After back and forth negotiations, the SBA Loan Specialist approved the Workout proposal, reducing the Client's purported liability by nearly $142,142.27 in accrued interest, and statutory collection fees. Without the Firm's intervention and subsequent approval of the Workout proposal, the Client's debt amount (with accrued interest, Treasury's statutory collection fee and Treasury's interest based on the Current Value of Funds Rate (CVFR) would have been nearly $291,030.
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