The Inspector General of the Small Business Administration warned that during the earlier Paycheck Protection Program lending, businesses on a Treasury Department “Do Not Pay” list were approved for $3.6 billion in loans. It is not clear how much of the money was actually distributed.
The National Credit Union Administration will begin accepting applications on Jan. 24 for federally insured, low-income credit unions that want to use the agency’s streamlined qualification process to be certified as Community Development Financial Institutions.
The new Paycheck Protection Program starts with initial lending limited to businesses who have not received a PPP loan and lending going through Community Development Financial Institutions, Minority Depository Institutions, certified development corporations and microlenders. After a few days the lending options open further.
Financial and industry trade groups, including the Credit Union National Association and the National Association of Federally-Insured Credit Unions, would like guidance and rules for the new Paycheck Protection Program issued soon so that there will not be constant updates and changes like those that occurred during the first PPP. The groups sent a letter to the Small Business Administration and Treasury Department, suggesting comprehensive and timely guidance on the program rules so that a smooth implementation can occur.
Treasury Secretary-designate Janet Yellen met with representatives of Community Development Financial Institutions and Minority Depository Institutions and made a commitment on behalf of the Biden Administration to support the program.
President Trump appears to have gone back on a commitment he made during the recent presidential campaign and is once again opposing funding for the Community Development Financial Institutions program.
The Senate Appropriations Committee has released all of its FY21 spending measures. The Financial Services bill eliminates all funding for the Community Development Revolving Loan Fund. Proposed spending on CDFIs remains the same as the past year.
In response to the Treasury Department’s proposed changes to the CDFI application process, Joseph Pigg of the American Banker’s Association points out that nearly half of all credit unions are now designated as “low income” and questions whether they should meet the definition of CDFI.
The Trump Administration ignored congressional guidance to place a high priority on helping small businesses in underserved areas weather the pandemic—one of myriad failures in the administration’s response to the coronavirus crisis, House Democrats charged Friday. Democrats on the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis issued a scathing report Friday, charging that the administration failed to adequately assist Americans as the virus spread. “The Select Subcommittee’s findings demonstrate that the Trump Administration’s response to the coronavirus pandemic is among the worst failures of leadership in American history,” the subcommittee charged. In releasing the report, Subcommittee Chairman James Clyburn (D-S.C.)
The staff of the Democratic-controlled House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis reports that in the first round of Payroll Protection Program lending, Community Development Financial Institutions and Minority Depository Institutions were largely excluded.