by: Phillip B. Rarick, Esq.
Here is the good news/bad news I received from my bank today regarding my Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Application: The good news: your application has been approved; the bad: the SBA is out of money and you must wait for Congress to refund the program!
Although I have heard of a few small businesses that have received funding I am guessing that most persons reading this letter have encountered similar frustrations. Note: if you have received funding, please so reply.
We predicted in my first letter regarding PPP that the $349 billion fund would run out of money and this Thursday it did. It lasted two weeks! For an interesting map on where the funds were distributed nationwide see PPP Loan Allocation Map.
My message to you now is don’t give up. Yes, many small businesses with average monthly payroll over $1 million got preferential treatment by the big banks. However, the banks are incentivized under the SBA program to make small loans under $1 million.
And more encouraging: there is strong bi-partisan pressure to refund the program. (If only Congress could stop the bickering and see the urgency of the threats to millions of small businesses.) Regardless, if you have applied and are waiting to get approval, keep checking with your bank to make sure they have all necessary documentation and try to get confirmation your application has been approved. If you have not applied, do so immediately.
My son-in-law is a senior manager for a major regional bank in the western states and is working over-time this weekend to continue to process applications. My bank advisor also tells me she is working this weekend on her bank’s back-log of applications. Both banks believe the program will be refunded. I think that is a good bet.