6/09/2020

PPP Loan Programs

PPP and Other Corona Virus Loan Programs
Help New Program Coming!

  Updates on federal loan programs:
  1. On June 5, 2020, the President signed into law the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act to provide borrowers greater flexibility in getting their loans forgiven. 
  2. Today on June 8th, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza released a joint statement outlining the changes. 
    • Please note that while the "covered period" of the loan was extended from 8 weeks to 24 weeks, the deadline for applying for a PPP loan application remains June 30, 2020.  If you're still interested in applying for a forgivable PPP federal loan, please do not delay. If you need help, contact me I can get you in touch with someone at no cost. You may need your accountant or CPA to assist if you are not a numbers person. Get out your IRS taxes for 2018 and 2019 if you filed and find the payroll numbers, count of employees before end of February, your tax Id number it's not that difficult
    • There is still more than $130 billion in available funds and you must apply by the end of this month.
    • On June 8, 2020, the Federal Reserve announced the expansion of the Mainstreet Lending Program to small and medium-size businesses. While these types of loans are not the forgivable type and were previously only available to major corporations, the terms may be attractive with very low interest rates and provide much more flexibility for use of funds for operating costs rather than just 75% payroll. $75 billion is being made available for these loans through the CARES Act. Please note that the Federal Reserve Board also confirmed that they will soon be announcing an additional loan program specifically for nonprofit organizations.

    •  Key highlights of the newly expanded Main Street Loans include:
    • Allowing eligibility for companies with fewer than 15,000 employees
    • Lowering the minimum loan size for certain loans to $250,000 from $500,000
    • Increasing the maximum loan size for all facilities
    • Increasing the term of each loan option to five years, from four years
    • Extending the repayment period for all loans by delaying principal payments for two years, rather than one year
    • Deferring interest payments for one year
    • Interest rates set at LIBOR+3% Libor today is .67 and going forward LIBOR is going away and will be replaced by two other averaging indexes
    • Raising the Reserve Bank's purchasing of all loans to 95%





https://www.ebay.com/itm/164236731287

5/13/2020

PPP Under Two Million Given a Break


The Office of Inspector General (OIG) begins its review of the Small Business Administration’s (SBA’s) implementation of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) provisions of Section 1102 of the Corona virus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
Thus far:
1,661,000 loans granted in first funding totaling nearly $342.3 billion dollars
and an additional 2,441,369 loans, totaling about $183.5 billion.

As we move forward there still remains confusion and unanswered questions.

How will underserved and rural markets get loans?
How to provide butts in seats proof of employees for forgiveness?
How will deferments of loans be granted?
Why is the information publicly registered?
How to account as cash or accrual?
How are small business to prove they don't have capital to repay?


5/13/2020 

Today, the SBA released a new FAQ which addresses one question. According to SBA FAQ #46, any borrower (combined with its affiliates) with a PPP loan amount below $2 million , will “be deemed to have made the required certification concerning the necessity of the loan request in good faith.” This is due to the reasoning that borrowers with loan amounts below this threshold are less likely to have access to other sources of cash flow than borrowers who receive loans above the $2 million threshold. This means they do not have to hire a CPA, pay a grant writer and an auditor to review their books.


As time rolls forward and these new programs bring up more questions, hopefully your local bank and the SBA will have all the right answers. 

I know of seven small business owners who applied and received funding, and one who did not get funding from his existing bank who was overwhelmed. All are operating and employing the same number of persons who work to support the business and their families

Wish you all health and prosperity, now is the time for growth mode let us help each other on the path.
Update 5/27/2020 all things are liquid and please be safe out there
“Loan Forgiveness Application” (SBA Form 3508) that walks the user through a series of calculations, the outcome of which is the amount of loan forgiveness the borrower can claim. 


The form is complicated and requires study.  The press release announcing the form’s publication promises additional guidance will be forthcoming.

I do see some helpful clarifications in the form which address some of the detailed questions that businesses have been asking.  I have highlighted three of them in the press release below. 

Release Date: May 15, 2020                 Contact: Press_Office@sba.gov, (202) 205-7036
Release Number: 20-41                          Follow us on TwitterFacebookBlogs Instagram

 

SBA and Treasury Release Paycheck Protection Program

Loan Forgiveness Application


WASHINGTON—Today, the U.S. Small Business Administration, in consultation with the U.S Department of the Treasury, released the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loan Forgiveness Application and detailed instructions for the application. 
The form and instructions inform borrowers how to apply for forgiveness of their PPP loans, consistent with the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act).  SBA will also soon issue regulations and guidance to further assist borrowers as they complete their applications, and to provide lenders with guidance on their responsibilities.
The form and instructions include several measures to reduce compliance burdens and simplify the process for borrowers, including:
  • Options for borrowers to calculate payroll costs using an “alternative payroll covered period” that aligns with borrowers’ regular payroll cycles [see “Alternative Payroll Covered Period” on page 1 of the form]
  • Flexibility to include eligible payroll and non-payroll expenses paid or incurred during the eight-week period after receiving their PPP loan
  • Step-by-step instructions on how to perform the calculations required by the CARES Act to confirm eligibility for loan forgiveness
  • Borrower-friendly implementation of statutory exemptions from loan forgiveness reduction based on rehiring by June 30  [see “FTE Reduction Safe Harbor” on pages 8 and 9 of the form]
  • Addition of a new exemption from the loan forgiveness reduction for borrowers who have made a good-faith, written offer to rehire workers that was declined  [see “FTE Reduction Exceptions” on page 8 of the form]


The PPP was created by the CARES Act to provide forgivable loans to eligible small businesses to keep American workers on the payroll during the COVID-19 pandemic.  The documents released today will help small businesses seek forgiveness at the conclusion of the eight-week covered period, which begins with the disbursement of their loans.

5/05/2020

VA borrower paid





















VA LOANS

Va only allows Borrower paid closing cost  up to 1% with restrictions on other allowable fees. I hope this helps clarify how the Veterans Administration protects military from over paying for a mortgage




4/24/2020

Mortgage Forbearance

Meltdown by Caroline Gerardo  © 

Mortgage Forbearance At What Sum?


Covid19 onions?  © Caroline Gerardo

FHFA announced this week April 21, 2020 that mortgage servicers who collect payments and advance payment to investors should (but are not forced) offer four months forbearance to loans backs by Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. The repayment period is still in a vague resolution. My suggestion is at all costs try and make the home loan payment. You won't be able to refinance or open a new mortgage until after you can show twelve months paid as agreed.  

If your loan is owned by Fannie Mae, you can contact your loan servicer or the enterprise’s Disaster Response Network for individual attention. Freddie Mac asks borrowers to contact their loan servicer directly for help. Calling your servicer may be a four hour wait time, best practice is to email them or contact them through online payment processing and follow up with a letter in writing mailed by the United States Post service. You need to include your loan number, perhaps even a copy of the bill, your best phone number, and some proof you are the real person who signed the promissory note. Each lender has their own policy and procedure to handle your request, none the same.

Ginnie Mae loans and FHA loans (those most likely to be at risk of foreclosure as they generally had lower FICO scores and less down payment, thus less equity in the home) also are eligible for four month forbearance plans. Please understand this money is not going to be erased or forgiven. Economists predict fifty percent of Ginnie Mae loans are going to end up in default. My suggestions are: sell now while value is still high, get a second job, get a family member roommate with a job, and work on plan B.

Most banks are not saying they will defer payments to the end of the loan. In order to get a modification with a government-related or MIP guaranteed mortgage agency moved “to the end” of the loan requires a new promissory note and second lien against the property in the amount of the missed payments, or an extension of the maturity date of the loan. The programs available are unique to each of these agencies and require a review of individual circumstances to determine which program will best resolve the homeowner’s hardship. This end of the loan add on requires the investor to review and approve the modification.
Some banks still own their own loans, which allows them the ability to solely determine how they address missed payments. However, they also service loans for the federal agencies described above and are limited to offering those agencies’ programs on those loans.

NONBANK servicers may not have to follow the Cares Act rule as a loan generated under the NON QM, investor and asset depletion verification has different clauses in the promissory note these are not backed by our United States government. If you have a mortgage which was opened in the past three years, the trustee and owner investor may have been a hedge fund or REIT.

In choosing to ask for forbearance BE TRUTHFUL. Expect that the servicer is going to check and verify your story in the following thirty and one hundred eighty days. This is not free money and kicking the problem towards the future may be more painful.

Ally Bank has suspended foreclosure and eviction proceedings through July 30 and offers forbearance plans of up to 120 days with no late fees — though interest will continue to accrue. Apply for help online to avoid long wait times, set up online.

Bank of America has a COVID-19 resource page that directs customers to the right support line to request help. If payments are current ask to delay your monthly payments and add the amount you delay to the end of your loan. No negative information is reported to credit bureaus. Bank of America has also paused foreclosure sales, evictions and repossessions until mid May. Call 1-800-669-6607 for more information.

Chase call 1-800-848-9380, or by log into their online account page and send a secure message. No guarantees offered but military officers can use hotline at 1-877-469-0110 to see what additional benefits might be available.

Citi serviced by Cenlar FSB. The bank does not specify what relief is being offered.
1-855-839-6253 to see if you’re eligible for assistance.
Fifth Third Bank is offering 180-day forbearance plans, interest will still accrue during forbearance, there won’t be any late fees. The bank has also suspended foreclosure activity for 60 days from March 15 contact 1-866-601-6391 or send a secure message through the bank’s online portal.

Flagstar Bank is offering automatic six-month forbearance plans for mortgage customers impacted by COVID-19. (Though take note that the bank doesn’t say whether interest will accrue during that time.) The bank is also waiving late fees for certain customers and has suspended foreclosures and evictions through May 31. request a forbearance with Flagstar online.
HSBC call the bank at 1-855-806-4657 to discuss your situation and eligibility requirements if they will offer anything

LoanDepot No specific relief is available call 1-877-420-4526

Mr Cooper Reviews all requests case by case  Pandemic Relief Plan Request here. 
PNC claims it’s considering waiving or refunding some mortgage fees right now for customers who are having trouble making payments. They recommend other programs that may be available for mortgage customers facing financial hardship right now, including postponing payments website set up to help you if you’re facing financial difficulty. It includes phone numbers to call and a hardship assistance application to fill out.
Quicken Loans offers forbearance up to three months for customers experiencing job loss, illness or lost work opportunities while caring for a family member as a result of the corona virus pandemic. At the end of the forbearance period, you’ll be able to pay with a lump sum, repayment plan or loan modification if eligible that finances the deferred amount — or you can request to extend the forbearance.

TD Bank is offering to defer payments and waive late fees for customers
call 1-800-742-2651 to see if you’re eligible.
Truist is offering forbearance plans of 90 days or more for mortgage customers of both its predecessor banks, BB&T and SunTrust
Legacy SunTrust customers should call 1-800-443-1032 and legacy BB&T customers should call 1-800-827-3722.
Specialized Loan Service login online and write a letter with your expenses and situation
U.S. Bank is offering forbearance plans of up to 180 days if you’re facing financial hardship due to the pandemic. call 1-800-365-7900.

Wells Fargo is offering to suspend mortgage payments for three months for customers hit by financial difficulties related to COVID-19. Once the suspension period is over, Wells Fargo will work with you to see if you need a longer suspension or loan modification, or if you can move the payments to the end of the loan. Sign into your online banking account and send a note through the secure message center and a bank representative will get back to you within five days.