SBA: PPP Direct Borrower Forgiveness Portal Surpasses Expectations and Accepts More than 340,000 Submissions in First Two Weeks
SBA portal significantly outpacing top PPP lenders not utilizing the Agency’s direct forgiveness tool in forgiveness submissions Since the opening of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Direct Borrower Forgiveness Portal on August 4, the U.S. Small Business Administration has received more than 340,000 submissions from borrowers with PPP loans of $150,000 or less, highlighting Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman’s priority of rushing relief to the smallest of small businesses and far exceeding expectations. In providing its new, streamlined portal, the SBA is also executing…
FHFA: 2022-2024 Housing Goals for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Published
Stakeholder comments requested for proposed goals which establish benchmarks, promote equitable access to affordable housing Today, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) proposed housing goals for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the Enterprises) for 2022 to 2024. The proposed housing goals are designed to ensure the Enterprises responsibly promote equitable access to affordable housing that reaches…
FEMA: President Biden Approves Emergency Declaration for Florida
FEMA announced that federal emergency aid has been made available to the state of Florida to supplement state, local and tribal response efforts to the emergency conditions resulting from Tropical Storm Fred, beginning on Aug. 13 and continuing. The President’s action authorizes FEMA to coordinate all disaster relief efforts to alleviate the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population,…
EDA: $2.65 Million Invested to Boost Business Growth and Workforce Development Efforts in West Virginia
U.S. Economic Development Administration Investments Expected to Create or Retain Nearly 1,000 Jobs and Generate $21.3 Million in Private Investment Today, U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Alejandra Y. Castillo announced that the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding $2.65 million in grants to support business development and workforce…
ABA: Report Finds Credit Conditions Remained Strong in First Quarter 2021
Credit conditions remained strong in the first quarter of 2021, as U.S. consumers continued to drive the economic recovery, according to the American Bankers Association’s latest quarterly Credit Card Market Monitor. While monthly purchase volumes were mostly unchanged compared to the fourth quarter of 2020 and were roughly equivalent to early 2019 levels, credit card…
Census Bureau: Small Business Pulse Survey Phase 6 Begins
The U.S. Census Bureau today announced the beginning of data collection for Phase 6 of the Small Business Pulse Survey (SBPS). This experimental survey was designed and launched in April 2020 to measure temporal economic trends in the nation’s small businesses and provide insight into the scope of impact of the pandemic response in the United States….
SBA: $2.7 Million in Grants Awarded to 14 Women’s Business Centers
Funding Aims to Help Improve Innovative Projects Aiding Women-owned Businesses Impacted by COVID-19 The U.S. Small Business Administration issued 14 grant awards of up to $200,000 each to organizations in 13 states as part of the Women’s Business Centers (WBC) Resiliency and Recovery Demonstration Grant under the SBA’s Office of Women’s Business Ownership (OWBO). The purpose of the grants is…
FDIC: New FDITECH Sprint Launched to Measure and Test Bank Operational Resiliency
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) today announced a new tech sprint designed to determine how well community banks, and the banking sector as a whole, can withstand a major disruption of any type. This tech sprint is intended to be the first of several focused on how to foster stronger resiliency in banking. Read…
FHFA: Results of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Dodd-Frank Stress Tests Announced
Today, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) released reports providing the results of the 2020 and 2021 annual stress tests Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the Enterprises) are required to conduct under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank Act). The Dodd-Frank Act, as amended in 2019, requires certain financial institutions that are regulated by a…
FDIC: Request for Information on Supervisory Approach to Bank Examinations During the Pandemic Issued
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) today issued a Request for Information (RFI) seeking feedback and comments from FDIC-supervised financial institutions regarding the FDIC’s supervisory approach to examinations during the pandemic, including the impact of off-site activities on institution operations, the effectiveness of technology used to carry out off-site activities, and the effectiveness of communication…