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New Mexico regulator declares that licensed small loan companies are non-essential
On April 6, New Mexico’s Financial Institutions Division issued notice that businesses operated by companies licensed under the New Mexico Small Loan Act of 1955 are not “essential businesses” for purposes of the state’s stay at home order and must remain closed through April 30.
Mississippi permits remote notarization
On April 6, the governor of Mississippi issued an executive order permitting remote notarizations. To perform a remote notarization under the terms of the order, the notary and the principal must be using two-way audio and visual communication at the time of signing. Additionally, the notary public must reasonably identify the principal, create an audiovisual recording of the act, retain the recording, and ensure that the intended document relates to a matter in Mississippi, among other things. Notaries public intending to perform remote notarizations may use this form to notify the secretary of state.
Federal Reserve encourages participation in SBA and Treasury lending programs
On April 6, the Federal Reserve Board (Fed) sent a letter to supervision officers at the Federal Reserve Banks encouraging supervised financial institutions to participate in programs offered by the Small Business Administration and the Treasury Department under the CARES Act. These programs include (i) the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program under Section 7(b) of the Small Business Act, which offers financial aid to small businesses to compensate for economic loss resulting from Covid-19; and (ii) the Paycheck Protection Program, which offers loans—subject to forgiveness pending certain conditions—to incentivize qualified small businesses to retain their employees throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. The Fed also reminded supervised institutions that prudent use of these programs will not receive criticism from examiners.
Treasury and SBA release additional details on PPP, including Affiliation Rules
On April 2, the Small Business Administration (SBA) released an Interim Final Rule (13 CFR Part 121). This Interim Final Rule supplements the Initial Rule with additional guidance regarding the application of certain affiliate rules applicable to SBA’s implementation of the Paycheck Protection Program established by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. Comments on the Interim Final Rule must be received 30 days after publication in the Federal Register.
The Treasury Department also issued Affiliation Rules Applicable to U.S. Small Business Administration Paycheck Protection Program, which states that “[f]or purposes of determining the number of employees of an applicant to the Paycheck Protection Program, the applicant is considered together with its affiliates.” This guidance details the affiliation tests applied to affiliated companies.
Additionally, the SBA, in consultation with Treasury, issued Paycheck Protection Program Frequently Asked Questions that will be updated on a regular basis. The first question discusses whether lenders must replicate borrowers’ calculations of the dollar amount of average monthly payroll costs.
Please see Buckley’s March 30 Special Alert for additional information on the program, as well as the firm’s dedicated SBA page, which includes additional SBA resources.
CFPB releases PPP information for small businesses
On April 6, the CFPB released information regarding the CARES Act Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). According to the Bureau, PPP was designed to help small businesses provide job retention for employees and cover certain other costs during the Covid-19 pandemic. Small businesses, as well as independent contractors and the self-employed, may be eligible to apply for PPP loans, which will be processed by SBA-certified lenders. Federally insured credit unions and depository institutions and Farm Credit System institutions may also apply to become approved lenders. Additional information for lenders, including links to an application form and an agreement, are provided in the release.
Senators seek protection against predatory lending practices during Covid-19 pandemic
On April 6, Senators Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) sent a letter to the federal financial regulators (Federal Reserve Board, FDIC, OCC, CFPB, and NCUA), asking them to issue guidance and lending principles to help protect small businesses and consumers affected by Covid-19 from predatory lending practices. As previously covered by InfoBytes, last month, the agencies issued a joint statement recognizing that small-dollar lending can play an important role in meeting credit needs, and recommending that financial institutions offer loans “through a variety of structures including open-end lines of credit, closed-end installment loans, or appropriately structured single payment loans.” The Senators expressed concerns, however, that without clear guidance banning predatory lending practices, consumers “are at risk of being exploited because of a financial hardship created through no fault of their own.” The Senators propose several measures intended to ensure that loan products include strong consumer protections. These include: (i) capping interest rates—preferably at a maximum rate of 36 percent—for small dollar short-term loan products; (ii) ensuring that borrowers are able to meet clear ability-to-repay standards; (iii) “prohibit[ing] loan products with unpaid principal from automatically enrolling the borrower in a new loan product without their knowledge and consent”; and (iv) “eliminat[ing] the potential for one-time lump sum payments or balloon payments.”
Federal regulators temporarily lower community bank leverage ratio
On April 6, federal regulators issued two interim final regulatory capital rules that will modify the framework of the Community Bank Leverage Ratio (CBLR) in order to enable qualifying community banking organizations (banks) to support lending during the Covid-19 pandemic. The first rule implements Section 4012 of the CARES Act, making temporary changes to the framework of the CBLR so that banks with a leverage ratio of at least eight percent starting in the second quarter of 2020 “may elect to use the community bank leverage ratio framework.” The rule also provides a two-quarter grace period for community banks whose leverage ratios fall below the eight percent requirement, provided that the bank’s leverage ratio does not fall below seven percent. The second interim final rule allows for the temporary CBLR gradually to transition to eight and one-half percent in 2021, and then back to nine percent at the beginning of 2022.
FINRA adds new Covid-19 FAQs
On April 6, FINRA added new FAQs to its Covid-19 regulatory relief FAQs document, which was launched in March (covered by InfoBytes here). The newly added FAQs state that (i) firms may electronically transmit required copies of the Uniform Termination Notice for Securities Industry Registration (Form U5) to terminated individuals; (ii) the prescribed period in which continuing education must be completed will be extended through May 31 for persons whose window is currently expired or set to expire before June; and (iii) late filing fees for Forms U4/U5 may be refunded or reduced upon request.
Previously, FINRA added FAQs regarding the “Net Capital Treatment of Covered Loans Under the CARES Act.” The FAQs cover adding back to net capital the “Forgivable Expense Amount” of a loan during the “covered period,” and excluding the loan amount from “aggregate indebtedness.” FINRA will continue to update the FAQ document as necessary, and it will issue a regulatory notice when a date for the termination of the temporary relief measures is determined.
New York Department of Financial Services calls on regulated entities to fund or partner Community Development Financial Institutions
On April 5, the New York Department of Financial Services Superintendent Linda Lacewell published a letter to state-regulated entities encouraging them to fund or partner with Community Development Financial Institutions. Lacewell stated that CDFIs play a major role in enabling the Paycheck Protection Loan Program established by the CARES Act for low and medium income communities, and without CDFI funding and grants, many New York small businesses will not be able to survive the economic fallout caused by Covid-19.