SBA Issues Further Guidance on PPP Loan Repayment Safe Harbor; All Loans Under $2 Million Deemed to Have Been Received in Good Faith

This morning, the SBA issued much anticipated additional guidance with respect to the Paycheck Protection Program’s repayment safe harbor.  The new guidance provides significant clarity with respect to how the SBA will evaluate whether a borrower made the following certification in good faith when submitting its loan application:

“Current economic uncertainty makes this loan request necessary to support the ongoing operations of the Applicant.”

With the new guidance, the SBA makes clear that all borrowers receiving a loan of less than $2 million will be deemed to have made the certification in good faith.  Loans to borrowers and their affiliates will be combined for purposes of calculating this $2 million threshold.

Moreover, borrowers (including their affiliates) receiving more than $2 million will still have the opportunity to demonstrate that they made the certification in good faith, and if the SBA determines that they are not able to do so, the SBA will then permit those borrowers to repay the loan without any further penalties.

The SBA’s FAQ #46 states in full:

46. 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.

O’Neil, Cannon, Hollman, DeJong and Laing remains open and ready to help you. For questions or further information relating to the Paycheck Protection Program, please speak to your regular OCHDL contact, or the authors of this article, attorneys Jason Scoby and Pete Faust.