April 13, 2021 Caity RoachEditor C-Suite Wednesday — Key Takeaways From Yesterday’s SBA 7(a) Connect Call During yesterday’s SBA Lender Connect call, the Office of Financial Assistance provided the lending community with an overview of recent changes to SBA 7(a) lending and SBA pandemic relief efforts.  Here are the key takeaways from the call: SBA…

April 13, 2021 Caity Roach Editor SBA Hot Topic Tuesday – 9.4% Increase for SBA Funding Included in Discretionary Spending Proposal Last week, President Biden released his $1.5 trillion proposal for discretionary spending in fiscal year 2022. Among other things, the proposal includes $852 million for SBA, a $74 million (9.4%) increase from the 2021…

April 12, 2021 Caity Roach Editor Main Street Monday – Operation HOPE Launches Minority Small Business Index Last week, Operation HOPE, America’s largest nonprofit financial inclusion organization, launched the HOPE Minority Small Business Index in collaboration with SurveyMonkey. The HOPE index is intended to quantify the experiences and hopefulness of Black small business owners and…

April 9, 2021 Caity RoachEditor Fraud Friday – Tax Preparer Indicted for Submitting False PPP Applications on Behalf of Clients “This indictment is an important victory for America’s taxpayers who play by the rules and have no tolerance for those who make up their own,” says IRS Special Agent, Tamera Cantu. “Those that use the…

April 8, 2021 Caity RoachEditor Coleman Movers & Shakers – Caroline Taylor, Reece Sanford, and Sanjay Sharma Caroline Taylor to Serve as Head of SBA Lending at Regions Bank “Caroline has a real passion for serving small businesses and helping them succeed. She is focused on building long-term relationships with clients centered on delivering outstanding…

April 7, 2021 Caity RoachEditor C-Suite Wednesday – SBA Extends COVID-19 Underwriting Guidance for SBA 7(a) Loans The U.S. and its territories have begun to see improvements in economic conditions. However, many restrictions have not yet been removed and the economic situation has not yet returned to previous levels. As a result, the SBA has…

April 6, 2021 Caity RoachEditor SBA Hot Topic Tuesday – Changes to Accessing and Completing SBA Form 159 Effective Immediately Last Friday, the SBA’s Office of Performance and System Management (OPSM) announced changes to the access and completion of Form 159 (“Fee Disclosure Form and Compensation Agreement”). Form 159 is a required disclosure form that…

April 5, 2021 Caity RoachEditor Main Street Monday – Only 3% of Small Businesses Have Fully Returned to Pre-Pandemic Operations  PostcardMania, a marketing company specializing in lead generation for small businesses, recently conducted a survey of 254 small business owners to gauge how Main Street is faring one year after the start of pandemic-related shutdowns.…