HUD: Second Wave of Relief Funds, Over Half a Billion Dollars, Allocated to Protect Low-Income Americans
Funds can be used for personal protective equipment, childcare costs, travel costs to receive testing, among other actions U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson today announced his Department will allocate $685 million in COVID-19 relief funding to help low-income Americans residing in public housing. The funding, made available by the CARES Act legislation…
CFPB: Report Shows Substantial Decline in Credit Applications in March 2020
A Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (Bureau) report examining the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic found that consumer credit applications declined substantially in March. Applications are measured by the number of credit pulls or “hard inquiries” that lenders perform when a consumer applies for new credit. The report found that between the first and last week…
Federal Reserve: Expanded Scope and Eligibility for the Main Street Lending Program Announced
The Federal Reserve Board on Thursday announced it is expanding the scope and eligibility for the Main Street Lending Program. As part of its broad effort to support the economy, the Federal Reserve developed the Main Street Lending Program to help credit flow to small and medium-sized businesses that were in sound financial condition before…
EDA: $550,280 Invested to Support Disaster Resiliency Efforts in Midwest States
Today, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $550,280 grant to the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), of Washington, D.C., to provide disaster recovery technical assistance to states across the Midwest that were impacted by natural disasters in 2018 and 2019. The EDA grant will be matched with $137,570 in…
SBA: Joint Statement on Establishing Dedicated Hours for Small Lender Submissions of PPP Applications
U.S. Small Business Administration Administrator Jovita Carranza and U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin issued the following statement today on the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) amid continuing efforts to aid small community lenders, their small business customers, and ensure SBA’s systems run efficiently: “In order to ensure special access to the PPP loan program for…
EDA: $13 Million Invested to Build Disaster Resilient Business Incubator in Puerto Rico Opportunity Zone
Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced that the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $13 million grant to the University of Puerto Rico in Ponce to establish a disaster resilient research and business facility to support high-growth businesses focused on the health and medical tourism industries. The EDA grant, to be…
CFPB: Paving the Way for Consumers Facing Financial Emergencies to Obtain Access to Mortgage Credit More Quickly
Today, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (Bureau) took steps to make it easier for consumers with urgent financial needs to obtain access to mortgage credit more quickly in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. “The steps we are taking today will help consumers facing financial emergencies obtain access to mortgage credit faster,” said CFPB Director…
ABA: Strategic Partnerships Announced to Strengthen Minority Depository Institutions
The American Bankers Association (ABA) and the National Bankers Association (NBA) today announced that the organizations have joined together in a strategic partnership to promote the health and well-being of minority depository institutions (MDIs). This partnership will build on existing membership overlap and enable NBA and ABA members to work collaboratively on a variety of…
SBA: Joint Statement on the Review Procedure for Paycheck Protection Program Loans
U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin and U.S. Small Business Administrator Jovita Carranza issued the following statement today on the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP): “The Paycheck Protection Program is providing critical support to millions of small businesses and tens of millions of hardworking Americans. “We have noted the large number of companies that have appropriately…