The Role of Personal Guarantors in SBA Loan Defaults: What You Need to Know
Learn the vital role of personal guarantors in SBA loan defaults. Discover strategies, legal implications, and ways to navigate defaulted SBA loans effectively.
If your lender denied a PPP loan application you have rights to review and appeal. Our experienced SBA attorneys can guide you through the process.
Book a Consultation CallSBA PPP Loan Denied
You will have filed your application for your PPP loan. Unfortunately, the lender denied your application. Importantly, the denial may mean the end of your business. It may result in the termination of employees. As such, the denial of your PPP loan application can have devastating consequences. Nevertheless, you can appeal the decision. However, you must jump through some hoops in order to successfully appeal and denied PPP loan application.
You can only have a decision by the SBA appealed to an administrative law judge. Unfortunately, you cannot appeal the decision of the lender to an administrative law judge first. Therefore, you will have to request a review of the decision first by the SBA. If the SBA, after its review, also denies your application, you can then appeal that decision to the SBA Office of Hearings and Appeals. You must request a review within 30 days.
If your review is unsuccessful, you file your appeal with the SBA's Office of Hearings and Appeals or OHA. Thereafter, the administrative law judge (ALJ) receives the case. In short, an ALJ presides over administrative hearings with the government. Keep in mind, the SBA will appoint an attorney to represent its interests in the appeal as well. As such, you should also have an experienced attorney representing your interests.
Once the SBA issues its review decision, you have limited time to file your appeal. To that end, you must file your appeal within 30 calendar days after your receipt of the final SBA loan review decision. Alternatively, you only have 30 days from your notification by the lender of the final SBA loan review decision. However, the deadline starts running from whichever notification you receive first.
In order to successfully appeal, you must prove that the SBA based its loan review decision on clear error of fact or law. Furthermore, the burden of proof rests with you. Thus, you must show the SBA's decision was in error by a preponderance of the evidence.
To meet your burden of proof, you will need to submit various documents described by SBA rules. Moreover, you will have to include a legal brief showing how the facts and law prove the SBA made an error.
Our attorneys have the experience to aggressively represent you in front of the SBA and the OHA. Contact our offices today to set up your evaluation with one of our attorneys.
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.
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.
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 resolved an SBA 7(a) loan default in the amount of $212,000 on behalf of an individual guarantor. The borrower’s business experienced a significant downturn in revenue and was unable to sustain operations, ultimately leading to closure and a remaining personal guaranty obligation.
After conducting a thorough financial review and preparing a comprehensive SBA Offer in Compromise (SBA OIC) submission, we negotiated directly with the SBA and lender to achieve a settlement of $50,000—approximately 24% of the outstanding balance. This favorable resolution released the guarantor from further personal liability and provided the opportunity to move forward free from the burden of enforced collection.
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