Industry News

SBA: Steps Taken to Improve First Draw Paycheck Protection Program Loan Review

 The U.S. Small Business Administration is taking steps to improve the First Draw Paycheck Protection Program loan review so that small businesses have as much time as possible to access much needed PPP funds. The Biden-Harris Administration is focused on ensuring small businesses receive the support they need to keep their doors open and continue to employ…

CDFI Fund: Question and Answer Sessions Scheduled for 2021 ACR Reporting Cycle

In light of substantive changes that have been made to its Annual Certification and Data Collection Report (ACR) for the 2021 reporting cycle, the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund) will be conducting quarterly conference calls to respond to questions specifically related to the ACR. The quarterly conference calls are intended to serve as a forum…

HUD: Acting Secretary Announces Extension of Eviction and Foreclosure Moratoriums through March 31, 2021

Agency actions extend eviction and foreclosure moratoriums on federally-backed single family mortgages through March 31, 2021 to provide urgent economic relief to homeowners impacted by COVID-19 Acting U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Matthew E. Ammon today announced that the Department has implemented President Biden’s requests to immediately extend eviction and foreclosure moratoriums on…

HUD: Biden Administration Authorizes Extension of FHA Single Family Foreclosure and Eviction Moratorium through March 31, 2021

One of the first Administration actions provides meaningful support to homeowners struggling financially as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic Yesterday, the Biden Administration requested the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and other Federal Agencies to extend its foreclosure and eviction moratorium for single family mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) or guaranteed…

HUD: $4.4 Million Awarded for Carbon Monoxide Detectors in Public Housing

U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary, Ben Carson today awarded an additional $4.4 million under the Capital Fund Emergency Safety and Security Program to 58 public housing agencies (PHA) for the purchase and installation of carbon monoxide (CO) detectors in public housing units where they are necessary. This is in addition to the $5…

SBA: 60,000 Paycheck Protection Program Loans Approved in First Week

SBA’s dedicated access to community financial institutions helped underserved small businesses Today, the U.S. Small Business Administration announced that it has approved approximately 60,000 PPP loan applications submitted by nearly 3,000 lenders, for over $5 billion, between the program’s re-opening on Monday, Jan. 11, at 9 a.m. ET through to Sunday, Jan. 17.   Last week,…

SBA: Rule Proposed to Eliminate Regulations that Exclude Faith-Based Organizations from Seven SBA Programs

Public Comments Due by February 18, 2021 The U.S. Small Business Administration invites public comment on a proposed rule designed to remove regulatory provisions that exclude certain faith-based organizations from seven business loan and disaster assistance programs.  These programs include the Intermediary Lending Program (ILP), Business Loan programs (7(a), Microloan and 504 programs), Economic Injury Disaster Loan…

SBA: National Science and Technology Council and SBA Partner to Award $330,000 in Prizes in New Lab to Market Competition

The U.S. Small Business Administration partnered with the National Science and Technology Council’s Lab-to-Market subcommittee to award $330,000 in prizes to the winners of the new Lab-to-Market (L2M) Inclusive Innovation Ecosystem Prize Competition.  The L2M prize competition recognizes the most impactful organizations, programs and ideas that support the research and development (R&D) innovation ecosystems, particularly those focused on underrepresented…

FHFA: Foreclosure and REO Eviction Moratoriums Extended Through February 28, 2021

Foreclosure moratorium applies to Enterprise-backed mortgages; eviction moratorium applies to Enterprise-owned properties Today, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announced that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the Enterprises) will extend the moratoriums on single-family foreclosures and real estate owned (REO) evictions until February 28, 2021.  The foreclosure moratorium applies to Enterprise-backed, single-family mortgages only. The…

EDA: $2 Million in Grants Awarded to Drive Innovation and Entrepreneurship through Inaugural STEM Talent Challenge

Economic Development Administration’s Program Supports Efforts of Seven Organizations in Seven States WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross today announced the seven grant recipients of the Economic Development Administration’s (EDA) STEM Talent Challenge to boost local science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) talent.  The inaugural STEM Talent Challenge funding opportunity kicked off in August 2020 to further build STEM…