COVID-19
May 13, 2020
The Small Business Administration’s (SBA) has been shifting guidance and has been confusing most of us on the economic necessity certification required by the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) application. Many small businesses that made certifications and obtained the PPP loans have been on a roller coaster ride the past few weeks. The SBA originally provided a safe harbor deadline of May 7, 2020 for PPP applicants who lacked an adequate basis for the certification to return their loans. Then, two days before the deadline, the SBA extended this deadline to May 14, 2020, while promising additional guidance on how the SBA “will review the certification.” And NOW, one day before the May 14 deadline issues a new Frequently Asked Question and Answer (FAQ) #46.
On May 13, 2020, the Treasury and SBA released a new Frequently Asked Question and Answer (FAQ) #46 that states, “Any borrower that, together with its affiliates, received PPP loans with an original principal amount of less than $2 million will be deemed to have made the required certification concerning the necessity of the loan request in good faith.”
The FAQ also clarifies that for borrowers who received loans in excess of $2 million, that, “[i]f SBA determines in the course of its review that a borrower lacked an adequate basis for the required certification concerning the necessity of the loan request, SBA will seek repayment of the outstanding PPP loan balance and will inform the lender that the borrower is not eligible for loan forgiveness. If the borrower repays the loan after receiving notification from SBA, the SBA will not pursue administrative enforcement or referrals to other agencies based on its determination with respect to the certification concerning necessity of the loan request. SBA’s determination concerning the certification regarding the necessity of the loan request will not affect SBA’s loan guarantee.”
This is a meaningful and significant improvement for borrowers in comparison to the Treasury’s and SBA’s earlier statements regarding eligibility. This is good news for any borrower (with their affiliates) received a PPP loan of less than $2 million. “Such entities will be deemed to have made the economic necessity certification in good faith, and the SBA has indicated it will not focus its finite audit resources on these borrowers’ economic necessity certifications.”
The link and full text of FAQ #46 are below.
Question: How will SBA review borrowers required good-faith certification concerning the necessity of their loan request?
Answer: When submitting a PPP application, all borrowers must certify in good faith that “[c]urrent economic uncertainty makes this loan request necessary to support the ongoing operations of the Applicant.” SBA, in consultation with the Department of the Treasury, has determined that the following safe harbor will apply to SBA’s review of PPP loans with respect to this issue: Any borrower that, together with its affiliates, received PPP loans with an original principal amount of less than $2 million will be deemed to have made the required certification concerning the necessity of the loan request in good faith.
SBA has determined that this safe harbor is appropriate because borrowers with loans below this threshold are generally less likely to have had access to adequate sources of liquidity in the current economic environment than borrowers that obtained larger loans. This safe harbor will also promote economic certainty as PPP borrowers with more limited resources endeavor to retain and rehire employees. In addition, given the large volume of PPP loans, this approach will enable SBA to conserve its finite audit resources and focus its reviews on larger loans, where the compliance effort may yield higher returns.
Importantly, borrowers with loans greater than $2 million that do not satisfy this safe harbor may still have an adequate basis for making the required good-faith certification, based on their individual circumstances in light of the language of the certification and SBA guidance. SBA has previously stated that all PPP loans in excess of $2 million, and other PPP loans as appropriate, will be subject to review by SBA for compliance with program requirements set forth in the PPP Interim Final Rules and in the Borrower Application Form. If SBA determines in the course of its review that a borrower lacked an adequate basis for the required certification concerning the necessity of the loan request, SBA will seek repayment of the outstanding PPP loan balance and will inform the lender that the borrower is not eligible for loan forgiveness. If the borrower repays the loan after receiving notification from SBA, SBA will not pursue administrative enforcement or referrals to other agencies based on its determination with respect to the certification concerning necessity of the loan request. SBA’s determination concerning the certification regarding the necessity of the loan request will not affect SBA’s loan guarantee.