Fed lowers Main Street Lending Program minimum loan size

Federal Issues Covid-19 Federal Reserve Department of Treasury SBA

On October 30, the Federal Reserve Board (Fed) announced an adjustment to the terms of the Main Street Lending Program (MSLP) in order to expand support to smaller businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic. Specifically, the Fed reduced the minimum loan size for the three Main Street facilities from $250,000 to $100,000 and adjusted the associated fees.

Additionally, the Fed and the U.S. Department of Treasury issued an FAQ clarifying that up to $2 million of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans may be excluded for purposes of determining the maximum loan size under the MSLP. If a borrower has applied for forgiveness, the amount that is eligible for forgiveness may be excluded from the “existing outstanding and undrawn available debt” calculation under the MSLP program. If the borrower has not yet applied for forgiveness, the amount to be excluded from the calculation is the amount that “its principal executive officer has a reasonable, good-faith basis to believe will be forgiven in accordance with applicable PPP requirements.”