Can a Business Loan be Forgiven if the Business Fails?
Discover key factors regarding business loan repayment obligations after a business failure. Explore SBA loan forgiveness options and consult with Protect Law Group.
We provide people who are facing an SBA loan default with solutions. We analyze SBA loan problems and provide solutions such as an SBA offer in compromise.
Book a Consultation CallDealing with the idea that you might be facing an SBA loan default can be terrifying. The SBA attorneys in our office are skilled at helping clients understand all the facets of their situation. We will advise you as to the potential for an SBA offer in compromise. You should never face your SBA loan problems alone. It is important to retain the services of an attorney who can help you through this difficult time in your life. Please contact us for a free initial consultation.
Throughout the country, small-business lending is lagging behind other types of business and consumer loans. At the end of the first quarter, banks held $585 billion in loans to small businesses, up from the previous year by 1%, but 18% less than the apex of $711 billion in 2008, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.
The number of loans for $1 million or less held by banks has decreased about 14% to 23.5 million since 2008. In almost one-third of all counties in the United States, small-business lending remains below 2005 levels, estimates PayNet Inc.
A study by the University of Chicago of lending cutbacks during the financial crisis concluded that employment and business formation were depressed in counties with more exposure to banks that cut their small-business lending, according to University of Chicago economist Michael Greenstone, a co-author of the study. That is, the more small business lending, the more growth for small business, the more employment, tax revenue, etc.
Many business owners instead have used their savings or retirement plans, looked to family and friends for capital or tapped costlier forms of financing. More and more small businesses are looking online for small-business lending, which usually results in high-cost, short term lending.
Even when banks are lending to small businesses, the terms may seem onerous. It is not uncommon to see a business owner with a successful track record put his or her own home up as collateral for a business loan but also have a relative commit to placing their home as collateral. The overall effect seems to be a cautious approach to lending and borrowing.
If you are facing an SBA loan default or other financial trouble with the SBA or Department of Treasury, contact our firm today for a FREE case evaluation at 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.
Clients' 7(a) loan was referred to Treasury's Bureau of Fiscal Service for enforced collection in 2015. They not only personally guaranteed the loan, but also pledged their primary residence as additional collateral. One of the clients filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy thinking that it would discharge the SBA 7(a) lien encumbering their home. They later discovered that they were mistakenly advised. The Firm was subsequently hired to review their case and defend against a series of collection actions. Eventually, we were able to negotiate a structured workout for $180,000 directly with the SBA, saving them approximately $250,000 (by reducing the default interest rate and removing Treasury's substantial collection fees) and from possible foreclosure.
The client personally guaranteed an SBA 504 loan balance of $375,000. Debt had been cross-referred to the Treasury at the time we got involved with the case. We successfully had debt recalled to the SBA where we then presented an SBA OIC that was accepted for $58,000.
Clients obtained an SBA 7(a) loan for their small business in the amount of $298,000. They pledged their primary residence and personal guarantees as direct collateral for the loan. The business failed, the lender was paid the 7(a) guaranty money and the debt was assigned to the SBA. Clients received the Official 60-Day Notice giving them a couple of options to resolve the debt balance directly with the SBA before referral to Treasury's Bureau of Fiscal Service. The risk of referral to Treasury would add nearly $95,000 to the SBA principal loan balance. With the default interest rate at 7.5%, the amount of money to pay toward interest was projected at $198,600. Clients hired the Firm with only 4 days left to respond to the 60-Day due process notice. Because the clients were not eligible for an Offer in Compromise (OIC) due to the significant equity in their home and the SBA lien encumbering it, the Firm Attorneys proposed a Structured Workout to resolve the SBA debt. After back and forth negotiations, the SBA Loan Specialist assigned to the case approved the Workout terms which prevented potential foreclosure of their home, but also saved the clients approximately $294,000 over the agreed-upon Workout term with a waiver of all contractual and statutory administrative fees, collection costs, penalties, and interest.
.jpg)
