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Financial Services Law Insights and Observations

FTC and SBA warn companies about misleading PPP marketing

Federal Issues Covid-19 FTC FTC Act SBA Deceptive Small Business Lending

Federal Issues

On May 14, the FTC and SBA sent letters to two companies for allegedly misleading small businesses seeking Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. The first letter was sent to a California-based media company, which owns the web address “sba.com.” The letter claims the website suggests an “an affiliation or relationship with the SBA and approved PPP lenders” and encourages customers to apply for PPP loans through the site. The second letter, sent to a Utah-based company, asserts the company and its affiliate lead generators may be violating Section 5 of the FTC Act. Among other things, the FTC notes that one of the company’s affiliate lead generators advertises itself as an SBA loan packager for a $495 fee, even though the SBA prohibits lead generators from charging fees to PPP loan applicants. Both letters instruct the recipients to remove all deceptive claims and advertisements and remediate any harm that may have been caused. The letters require the companies to notify the FTC within 48 hours of the actions taken in response.