To Our Small Business Clients
Generally, through the CARES legislation, the Small Business Administration (SBA) is offering two types of loans to provide relief to all kinds of smaller businesses:
Some information about the program and the bank’s administration of the program:
- The CARES Act includes language that will allow all banks to participate in the SBA Paycheck Protection Plan (PPP) loan program, and we are already an SBA 7 (a) lender.
- Andrew Johnson Bank is participating, and it is our honor to do so.
- These loans will be available to businesses, including self-employed and independent contractors, non-profits (501c3), and others with less than 500 employees to assist with their payroll and other business operating expenses.
- We are participating in daily calls with the Tennessee division of the SBA, and we know that the Treasury and SBA are working as quickly as they can. Furthermore, we are hopeful to have a complete picture of the program very soon.
- Please know that even as these rules and guidelines are being drafted, our bank is preparing as best we can with the information we have been provided (which again is limited for ALL banks and other SBA lenders).
- We will process requests for both customers and non-customers, and welcome the opportunity to make new friends! If you are a customer, we thank you and also invite you to introduce us to one of your friends (virtually of course, for right now).
- As a quick recap, according to the Treasury, the PPP loan program is for:
- Payroll costs, including benefits
- Interest on mortgage obligations, incurred before February 15, 2020
- Rent, under lease agreements in force before February 15, 2020
- Utilities, for which service began before February 15, 2020
- According to the Treasury, the targeted availability dates are:
- Starting April 3, 2020, small businesses and sole proprietorships can apply for loans to cover their payroll and other certain expenses.
- Starting April 10, 2020, independent contractors and self-employed individuals can apply for loans to cover their payroll and other certain expenses.
Note that while the date of April 3rd is targeted for the first round of applications, it is also the date targeted for the release of the structure, rules, and guidance for the entire program to everyone.
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BE CAREFUL
Be diligent and avoid scams. Fraudsters have already begun targeting small business owners during these economically difficult times. Don't release any private information (especially Social Security numbers, credit card information, or banking information) in response to an unsolicited call, letter, or email.
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| Please continually visit our website for updates on SBA loans and how we are helping. |
This is such a stressful time for us all, and especially difficult as there are health concerns, financial concerns and also emotional challenges during this time of social-distancing. We are hopeful that we can help ease your burden by leading you through the PPP loan process. We are all in unchartered territory with the launch of this program and one of our greatest fears is that there will be issues with the process that are beyond our control. We will have to rely on the government for the processing of the applications and for the guidance relative to how the program is to be administered by our bank. We are sure there will be a few bumps in the road as the SBA is flooded with thousands of applications now and applications for forgiveness in the next 8 weeks.
Please know that we commit to doing everything we can to help you obtain these loans. At Andrew Johnson Bank, helping friends is our business.
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