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SBA loan settlements require specific knowledge of current policies and changes. Here are the elements of a successful SBA offer in compromise.
Book a Consultation CallMany people rely on loans to start or grow their small businesses. Financing remains a critical part of turning a dream into reality. Small businesses use loans for everything from working capital to purchasing equipment to marketing initiatives.
When businesses fall into hardship, it can become difficult to make payments on loans. While banks will often try to create work-out plans with struggling borrowers, this becomes trickier if the loan is guaranteed by the Small Business Administration.
If your loan falls into default, you can request an SBA offer in compromise (OIC). Getting approval for your OIC can mean the difference between being crushed by your SBA debt and being able to pay back a much smaller amount.
SBA Offer in Compromise
If you begin to fall behind on your loan payments, your lender will attempt to collect. This can include everything from repossessing the assets used as collateral on the loan to making a demand on the guarantors.
Any guarantors will have signed a guarantee document. The guarantee comprises a legal promise that you will personally pay back the loan if your business cannot. The SBA requires personal guarantees from any borrowers owning 20% or more of the business or those that have key management positions.
The SBA also holds a guarantee on the loan, but in a different way. The SBA's guarantee says that in the event of default if the bank fails in its collection efforts, the SBA will repay the bank. This can be up to 85% of the loan amount.
As the lender begins its efforts to collect from the business, it will turn to the guarantors and make demands as well. The bank will request that the SBA honor their guarantee once the lender exhausts all efforts to collect. If the federal government takes a loss, it may take additional steps, such as freezing the borrower's bank account or garnishing wages.
The offer in compromise represents your one chance to settle the debt. You would pay a smaller portion of the full amount due. In exchange, the SBA considers the debt to be completely paid off.
On an SBA Form 1150, you would make an offer and state your case for the SBA to accept your offer. You must meet certain requirements to submit an SBA loan offer in compromise, which the SBA has outlined:
Based on the eligibility criteria, you must wait to begin the process for an offer in compromise (OIC) until the business completes its closure and the assets liquidated. You submit your OIC proposal to the SBA through your lender, so you will want to confirm that your lender is open to an OIC.
If the SBA approves your offer, your personal guaranty on the loan will be released. You will pay the amount agreed to in the offer, and this payment could be structured over time.
As you prepare your offer, you will also need to get your financial disclosures ready. Since the SBA needs to understand your "full financial capacity," you'll need to have ready prior years' tax returns, a personal financial statement with a list of your assets, as well as other forms that the SBA will require.
The most critical part of your OIC consists of your grounds for acceptance of the offer. This represents your argument to the SBA that they should settle with you rather than pursue the full amount of the debt. There are a few strategies that can result in the SBA accepting your OIC.
Demonstrate to the SBA that it cannot recover the debt in a reasonable amount of time. You must convince the SBA that your offer is a better option for recovering part of the loan. For example, a factor could be the amount of disposable monthly income you have compared to the loan amount.
This approach looks at the underlying SBA loan itself and raises questions about the SBA's ability to prevail in court because of legal issues or factual disputes. An attorney would review the loan documentation and determine if there were issues with documentation, misrepresentation, or due process.
The SBA will not settle if further collection efforts will recover more. You need to convince the SBA that your offer is better than what the federal government could otherwise obtain through home equity, wage garnishment, litigation, or other tactics.
This involves "crunching the numbers" and understanding the collection process so that you can make an offer that the SBA will find reasonable.
If your loan is facing default, the best option is to open discussions about options as soon as possible. Your willingness to work with the SBA and your lender will go a long way. The SBA offer in compromise is a way to make a good faith settlement on your business debt.
How much you will end up owing will ultimately depend on the amount of the debt and the package that you present to the SBA based on the strategy used.
Rather than attempt to prepare an offer yourself, you can use an experienced attorney. You will be more likely to have the SBA accept your offer in compromise as reasonable and have your rights protected. Contact us at Protect Law Group today to speak with an SBA work-out attorney.
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 executed personal and corporate guarantees for an SBA 7(a) loan from a Preferred Lender Provider (PLP). The borrower corporation defaulted on the loan exposing all collateral pledged by the Clients. The SBA subsequently acquired the loan balance from the PLP, including the right to collect against all guarantors. The SBA sent the Official Pre-Referral Notice to the guarantors giving them sixty (60) days to either pay the outstanding balance in full, negotiate a Repayment (Offer in Compromise (OIC) or Structured Workout (SW)), challenge their alleged guarantor liability or file a Request for Hearing (Appeals Petition) with the SBA Office of Hearings & Appeals.
Because the Clients were not financially eligible for an OIC, they opted for Structured Workout negotiations directly with the SBA before the debt was transferred to the Bureau of Fiscal Service, a division of the U.S. Department of Treasury for enforced collection.
The Firm was hired to negotiate a global Workout Agreement directly with the SBA to resolve the personal and corporate guarantees. After submitting the Structured Workout proposal, the assigned SBA Loan Specialist approved the requested terms in under ten (10) days without any lengthy back and forth negotiations.
The favorable terms of the Workout included an extended maturity at an affordable principal amount, along with a significantly reduced interest rate saving the Clients approximately $181,000 in administrative fees, penalties and interest (contract interest rate and Current Value of Funds Rate (CVFR)) as authorized by 31 U.S.C. § 3717(e) had the SBA loan been transferred to BFS.
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.
Our firm successfully assisted a client in closing an SBA Disaster Loan tied to a COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL). The borrower obtained an EIDL loan of $153,800, but due to the prolonged economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the business was unable to recover and ultimately closed.
As part of the business closure review and audit, we worked closely with the SBA to negotiate a resolution. The borrower was required to pay only $1,625 to release the remaining collateral, effectively closing the matter without further financial liability for the owner/officer.
This case highlights the importance of strategic negotiations when dealing with SBA settlements, particularly for businesses that have shut down due to unforeseen economic challenges. If you or your business are struggling with SBA loan debt, we focus on SBA Offer in Compromise (SBA OIC) solutions to help settle outstanding obligations efficiently.
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