Below are excerpts from the Department of Justice's United States Attorney's Manual addressing collection policies relating to debts owed to the Federal Government and how the DOJ collects debts purportedly "due and owing." Please review here and don't hesitate to contact us if you are facing or about to face a past-due SBA debt.
3-10.500Enforced CollectionsWhen a debtor fails to respond to the post-judgment demand letter or to cure a default on the terms of an established payment plan, immediate steps shall be taken to initiate enforced collection proceedings. The rights and remedies available to the United States, and exemptions available to the debtor, under the Federal Debt Collection Procedures Act, 28 U.S.C. §§3001-3308, should be considered in determining the most efficient and effective means to satisfy the judgment.3-10.510Discovery to determine ability to payFull use shall be made of those discovery methods provided for in the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure whenever financial information is not voluntarily provided by the debtor. If the debtor fails to respond to such discovery requests, those sanctions provided for under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure shall be pursued promptly and vigorously. All financial information which is obtained through discovery shall be thoroughly reviewed and a determination made on how to proceed to enforce the judgment.3-10.530OffsetOffset of a debtor's federal tax return, federal salary, or federal administrative benefit should be undertaken whenever permitted by law.3-10.540Depriving Debtors of Their ResidenceApproval of the United States Attorney should be obtained prior to executing upon a debtor's residence. Normally, execution on a debtor's residence should not be made if the debtor is cooperative and making reasonable efforts to satisfy the judgment. Similarly, execution upon the debtor's personal or real property should not result in the debtor's family becoming a public charge.
If you are struggling with circumstances that involve SBA loan default or a DOT collection action, you deserve professional help! Our attorneys know how to handle SBA OIC and/or DOT collection cases. If you contact us, we can help you settle SBA debt or your DOT collection problem once and for all. After you schedule an appointment, you confer with a dedicated SBA OIC attorney and Federally Authorized DOT Practitioner who can help you through your administrative legal battle. After your claim is resolved, you never again have to worry about your SBA loan default problem or DOT collection problem haunting you. Our team of lawyers has assisted many clients through the years. Now it is your turn! You truly can settle SBA debt for good!
Please contact us at 1-888-756-9969 to discuss the next steps in resolving your issues. If you do not get in direct contact with us immediately, please leave a message with the front office staff with the best day, time and phone number to call you back and we will follow through on that promise.
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’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.
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.
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.
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