SBA

Disaster Recovery Centers across Florida that remain open to assist people impacted by recent hurricanes Ian and Nicole have posted holiday closures for Christmas and New Year’s, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

People impacted by Hurricane Ian have more time to apply for federal disaster assistance.

Orange County suffered more than $200 million in damage because of Hurricane Ian, according to a final estimate released Wednesday by the county.

The U.S. Small Business Administration announced that it will operate a mobile Business Recovery Center for Seminole County starting Friday.

A paperwork issue is the latest snag keeping some small businesses from receiving COVID-19 disaster aid.

A paperwork issue is the latest snag keeping some small businesses from receiving COVID-19 disaster aid.

Taxpayers deserve a thorough examination into potential fraud before the government closes the books.

Israel Ben & Jerry's Truck are parked at the Ben & Jerry's ice-cream factory in the Be'er Tuvia Industrial area, Tuesday, July 20, 2021. Ron DeSantis, Florida placed Ben & Jerry’s parent company, Unilever, on its list of scrutinized companies that boycott Israel. “By placing Ben & Jerry’s Fortune 500 parent company Unilever on our List of Scrutinized Companies that Boycott Israel, Florida is sending a message to corporate America that we will defend our strong relationship with the Jewish State. The second Ben & Jerry’s decided to discriminate against Israel, it affected Florida’s ability to make investments with its parent company. During this call, the SBA was informed that Unilever had no plans to prevent Ben & Jerry’s from terminating its business activities in Israel.

The SBA is plans to open a new loan forgiveness portal for borrowers, allowing banks to sidestep loan forgiveness paperwork.

Customers Bank is holding off funding those loans until the SBA releases its guidance. Here are strategies to help you navigate the process — before, during and after your application. The SBA details first- and second-draw loans and loan forgiveness, and documents frequently asked questions on its website, as well. Typically, women and entrepreneurs of color have a tendency to request loan amounts they think they can get, instead of what they need, Bradley said. "There isn't a level of clarity of what is going to be required and how loan forgiveness is going to be calculated," Bradley said.

Special Agent in Charge Caroline O’Brien-Buster said she was confident agents will be able to trace the money and the person behind the SBA loan application. O’Brien-Buster said the case is just one of hundreds of loan fraud reports agents have been investigating since March. If you think your identity has been used to apply for an SBA loan you can contact the secret service at this email: ORL.CFTF@usss.dhs.gov . You may report fraud, waste, mismanagement, or misconduct involving SBA programs or employees either online or by calling the OIG Hotline toll-free at (800) 767-0385. If you have a question regarding an SBA loan or any SBA program, contact your local SBA District Office or the SBA Answer Desk at 1-800-U-ASK-SBA (1-800-827-5722) or answerdesk@sba.gov(link sends e-mail).

WASHINGTON After prodding from Democratic lawmakers, the Trump administration has agreed to give Congress but not the public complete data on the millions of small businesses that received loans from a $600 billion-plus coronavirus aid program. Their concession came with a warning to lawmakers not to divulge confidential loan information to the wider public. Last week, the Treasury Department and SBA relented to pressure from lawmakers and watchdogs and agreed to publicly disclose details on which businesses received loans under the program. Under the new agreement, the agencies will provide the complete data on loans of all sizes to the congressional oversight panels. Economists have said the small business loan program has helped, though its hard to know by how much.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin speaks during a Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship hearing to examine implementation of Title I of the CARES Act, Wednesday, June 10, 2020 on Capitol Hill in Washington. Mnuchin, testifying before the Senate Small Business Committee, said the administration plans to spend the next 30 days looking at what measures should go in the next relief bill. There is no question that small businesses in many industries will need more help, Mnuchin said. Small businesses and larger businesses are going to need more help.New support measures will need to encourage business owners to rehire workers, especially those in the hardest hit industries like restaurants and travel, he said. The applications require more paperwork from small businesses than the paycheck protection loans.

(Photo by Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images) Alexi RosenfeldA type of loan for small businesses impacted by the coronavirus pandemic comes with restrictions that may catch some entrepreneurs by surprise. "There's nothing that's so onerous about the EIDL loan terms in general," she added. EIDL termsUnlike PPP loans, disaster loans which carry a term of 30 years and a 3.75% interest rate require a personal guarantee and are backed by collateral for loans exceeding $25,000. Loan collateral can include tangible and intangible property like inventory and equipment. It would need written permission from the SBA to do so, if the old printer is among the items collateralizing the disaster loan, Lively said.

Customers wait for to-go orders outside Shake Shack in South Beach on April 19, 2020 in Miami Beach, Florida. Shares of Shake Shack, which raised about $150 million in an equity offering last week, fell about 3% to $42 on Monday morning. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in a tweet said he was "glad to see" that Shake Shack would return the loan. On Sunday, President Donald Trump defended restaurant chains, hotel operators, and hedge funds accessing funding meant for small businesses. U.S. Democrats and Republicans are nearing an agreement on extra money to help small businesses, Trump said on Sunday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. governments $350 billion small-business rescue program entered its fourth day on Monday, plagued by technology and processing problems that are delaying disbursements to businesses hurt by the novel coronavirus, according to industry groups, bankers and an email seen by Reuters. SBA also alerted lenders in the email that its technology platforms loan authorization form was not at all compliant with the terms of the rescue program. As of today Day 4 weve surpassed $35 billion originated; more than 100,000 small businesses have successfully applied and more than 2,000 lending institutions are up and running, the person said. According to two industry sources, paperwork problems have prevented all but a fraction of banks from distributing the funds. Some small businesses say they have had problems even finding a willing lender given that many are backed up with thousands of applications and are not processing new clients.

There is no doubt that women-owned companies are performing better than they have at any other time in U.S. business history. But economists predict that in a few years female business owners should catch up to their male counterparts and things may start to even out. The high number of SBA loans made last year has been beneficial to both male and female entrepreneurs. Support has become increasingly available to women entrepreneurs. Getting to parity"It's encouraging that the percentage increase in revenue for women-owned businesses outpaced male counterparts.

Misjudging costsWith a business plan in hand, you'll have a better sense of your funding needs, which will help you avoid two classic traps: over- and under-spending. Do your best to estimate actual costs of funding your venture through launch and the first year. (The SBA offers a great startup costs tool that helps estimate new business funding needs. In many cases, you can't launch a venture alone you'll need partners or investors for funding and know-how. Get to know your customers and market many businesses stumble because they fail to understand their target market.

Amazon has launched a new program that gives it full price control over select third-party products sold on its marketplace, as the company's pricing policy comes under heavier scrutiny. Amazon started inviting third-party sellers to a new program called Sold by Amazon (SBA) last week, describing it as a "new, hands off the wheel selling experience." "To ensure peace of mind, for each SBA product, Amazon will provide a Minimum Gross Proceed (MGP) amount to protect your margins." Amazon's representative told CNBC the SBA program is designed to "save time and increase sales by automating prices so they can consistently and effortlessly offer customers great prices." The new program could blunt criticism of Amazon's pricing policy, which has drawn scrutiny for possible antitrust concerns.