When to Seek Out an SBA Offer in Compromise
Are you unsure of whether or not you need an SBA offer in compromise? Our team is here to help advise you as to when to seek out an offer in compromise.
We help people who need to avoid SBA loan default by teaching them about SBA offer in compromise and about various SBA loan problems.
Book a Consultation CallThe attorneys in our office want to help you figure out your SBA problem. No matter how difficult your circumstances may seem, the right lawyer can assist you. We understand that you probably have questions regarding a wide range of issues, including how to respond to an SBA demand letter, what SBA loan foreclosure actually entails, and what a tax offset program is. One of our attorney specialists can tell you about all of these topics and more.
A Republican senator is wondering whether the Small Business Administration’s 7(a) loan program puts taxpayer money at risk without proper administration.
Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama wrote to new SBA chief Maria Contreras-Sweet to express his belief that the SBA “has not met the high standards required in providing loan guarantees.” Specifically, the senator worries that the agency’s 7(a) lending program, which backstops private lender banks by guaranteeing up to 85 percent of the value of small business loans they make, permits banks to lend with minimal regard to whether the borrower will be able to pay.
Sessions took issue with the SBA’s 7(a) loan program, which backed $17.9 billion in non-real estate loans in the 12 months ended September 2013. To further his stance, Sessions cited to reports from the press and the SBA Inspector General that show high default rates on 7(a) loans made to various franchise owners such as Quiznos, Cold Stone Creamery, and Huntington Learning Center. Because the government guarantees a large percentage of those loans, “the lender still makes a profit while taxpayers shoulder the cost of the default,” wrote Sessions. “This is what economists call moral hazard.”
Sessions’s letter asks Contreras-Sweet to answer to 17 points, and a specific focus on franchise loans: “Please explain whether or not the SBA has excluded certain franchises because of high default rates, and provide the percentage of defaults necessary to exclude a franchise. If the SBA does not exclude franchises based on default rate or otherwise, please state whether the SBA believes it has the authority to do so.”
The missive also suggests that the SBA should transfer more risk to banks, and asks the SBA to provide data on banks that have been excluded from SBA programs for funding a large number of bad loans. Sessions also takes issue with banks’ practice of selling portions of 7(a) loans to outside investors: “Does the SBA believe that lenders would take more care in issuing loans if guaranteed loans were not transferable?”
The GAO found last September that the SBA has a pattern of starting new programs without gathering “information needed to assess their performance,” auditors wrote. The watchdog was writing specifically about pilot programs. Sessions argues that larger, established programs also merit a closer look.
If you have a defaulted SBA loan, contact us immediately at 1-888-756-9969 for a FREE case evaluation.
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 obtained an SBA 7(a) loan for $324,000 to buy a small business and its facility. The business and real estate had an appraisal value of $318,000 at the time of purchase. The business ultimately failed but the participating lender abandoned the business equipment and real estate collateral even though it had valid security liens. As a result, the lender recouped nearly nothing from the pledged collateral, leaving the business owners liable for the deficiency balance. The SBA paid the lender the 7(a) guaranty money and was assigned ownership of the debt, including the right to collect. However, the clients never received the SBA Official 60-Day Notice and were denied the opportunity to negotiate an Offer in Compromise (OIC) or a Workout directly with the SBA before being transferred to Treasury's Bureau of Fiscal Service, which added an additional $80,000 in collection fees. Treasury garnished and offset the clients' wages, federal salary and social security benefits. When the clients tried to negotiate with Treasury by themselves, they were offered an unaffordable repayment plan which would have caused severe financial hardship. Clients subsequently hired the Firm to litigate an Appeals Petition before the SBA Office & Hearings Appeals (OHA) challenging the legal enforceability and amount of the debt. The Firm successfully negotiated a term OIC that was approved by the SBA Office of General Counsel, saving the clients approximately $205,000.
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.
Our firm successfully negotiated an SBA offer in compromise (SBA OIC), settling a $974,535.93 SBA loan balance for just $18,000. The offerors, personal guarantors on an SBA 7(a) loan, originally obtained financing to purchase a commercial building in Lancaster, California.
The borrower filed for bankruptcy, and the third-party lender (TPL) foreclosed on the property. Despite the loan default, the SBA pursued the offerors for repayment. Given their limited income, lack of significant assets, and approaching retirement, we presented a strong case demonstrating their financial hardship.
Through strategic negotiations, we secured a favorable SBA settlement, reducing the nearly $1 million debt to a fraction of the amount owed. This outcome allowed the offerors to resolve their liability without prolonged financial strain.
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