Coleman Report

September 5, 2025 Bob ColemanFounder & Publisher Receiver Hunts for Assets in $140 Million SBA Bridge Loan Ponzi Scheme Edwin Brandt Frost IV, a Georgia businessman accused of running a $140 million Ponzi scheme through First Liberty Building & Loan, is now the subject of a court-appointed receivership tasked with recovering funds for defrauded investors.…

September 4, 2025 Bob ColemanFounder & Publisher Lexicon Launches SBA Division — Vahsholtz, Atkinson, and Cavalieri Join Leadership Team Lexicon Bank Launches Government-Guaranteed Lending Division Lexicon Bank, Southern Nevada’s community-focused financial institution, has launched a new SBA Division to expand its reach in government-guaranteed lending. “This expansion reflects our commitment to community-first banking,” says Stacy…

September 3, 2025 Bob ColemanFounder & Publisher C-Suite Wednesday — SBA to Lenders: Clean Up Debanking Practices or Risk Losing Your SBA Authority The U.S. Small Business Administration has fired a shot across the bow of its lending partners. In a letter issued by SBA General Counsel Wendell Davis, lenders were formally warned that any…

September 2, 2025 Bob ColemanFounder & Publisher SBA Announces FY 2026 7(a) and 504 Loan Fees — Good News for Manufacturers Effective October 1, 2025, the Small Business Administration has released its annual fee schedules for both the 7(a) and 504 loan programs for Fiscal Year 2026. Each year, SBA adjusts fees to ensure the…

As summer winds down, here’s a streamlined summary of the Blueacorn fraud saga. Highlights include Stephanie Hockridge’s conviction, Nathan Reis’s guilty plea, and the Karnezis brothers’ involvement in related PPP loan fraud schemes—all reflecting how Blueacorn evolved from an emergency lending facilitator into a vehicle for large-scale exploitation of pandemic relief funds. Stephanie Hockridge Convicted…

August 28, 2025 Bob ColemanFounder & Publisher Movers & Shakers: Kalia Clark, Tom Wilczynski, Monique Johnson & Jennifer Dubose TMC Financing Welcomes Kalia Clark to Advance SBA 504 Lending in Hawai‘i “It’s an honor to return home and be part of TMC’s mission to uplift Hawai‘i’s small business community,” said Clark. “The SBA 504 program…

August 27, 2025 Bob ColemanFounder & Publisher A Coleman Conversation: Michael Bland In this week’s episode of A Coleman Conversation, Bob Coleman speaks with Michael Bland, Chief Credit Officer at Phoenix Lender Services. With over three decades in SBA lending, Michael shares lessons from his rewarding career in credit risk management, his approach to mentoring…

August 26, 2025 Bob ColemanFounder & Publisher SBA Hot Topic Tuesday: SBA Employee Approves Insider Loans, Pleads Guilty to Loan Fraud On August 12, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia announced that Rena Barrett, a former SBA loan officer, pleaded guilty to making false statements in connection with pandemic relief…

August 25, 2025 Bob ColemanFounder & Publisher Main Street Monday: Small Biz State Loan Guaranty Programs – A Niche Lending Opportunity for Banks and Credit Unions Check out this list on ways to expand your small business portfolios while carefully managing risk. One often overlooked tool is the state and local loan guaranty program. Download…

August 22, 2025 Bob ColemanFounder & Publisher The Fed, the Fraud, and the Fall of a Bank Executive Kellie Johnson, a longtime banking executive from Cullman, Alabama, has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for embezzling more than $2.3 million from First Community Bank, where she served as Vice President, Chief Operating Officer,…