Category: Federal Legislation

After receiving extensive public comment during the past month, the Federal Reserve announced on April 30, 2020 that it will expand the scope and eligibility of its Main Street Lending Program (“Program”). The Federal Reserve’s recent action follows the unprecedented steps taken by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve on April 9, 2020, to provide up to $2.3 trillion in credit facilities to households, employers, and state and local governments in response to the COVID-19 emergency’s impact on the U.S. economy. Gibbons previously covered these newly announced programs in a client alert. The Program facilitates lending to small and medium sized businesses. The Federal Reserve received 2,200 submissions relating to the Program, and on April 30, 2020 issued two updated Term Sheets and an initial Term Sheet, which are summarized as follows: The Program comprises the Main Street New Loan Facility (MSNLF), the Main Street Expanded Loan Facility (MSELF), and the new Main Street Priority Loan Facility (MSPLF). Below is a side-by-side comparison chart and additional details about the Program. Program Loan Options MSNLF MSPLF MSELF Term 4 years 4 years 4 years Minimum Loan Size $500,000 $500,000 $10,000,000 Maximum Loan Size Lesser of $25M or 4x 2019 adjusted EBITDA Lesser of $25M or 6x 2019 adjusted EBITDA Lesser of $200M, 35% of...

On April 9, 2020, acting with the approval and consent of the Secretary of the U.S. Treasury, the Federal Reserve took unprecedented additional action using its statutory emergency lending powers to provide immediate support to the national economy. In so doing, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve adopted a series of measures that will provide up to $2.3 trillion in credit facilities and loans to households, employers, and state and local governments, consistent with the Federal Reserve’s emergency lending powers under Section 13(3) of the Federal Reserve Act (12 U.S.C. 343(3)). In particular, the Federal Reserve will adopt or expand on the following programs: Main Street New Loan Facility (MSNLF) and Expanded Loan Facility (MSELF): The Federal Reserve will purchase up to $600 billion in loans, and the Department of Treasury, through Section 4027 of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Securities Act (“CARES Act”), will make a $75 billion equity investment in a single common special purpose vehicle (SPV) in connection with the MSNLF and MSELF, both of which are designed to facilitate lending to small and medium sized businesses by eligible lenders (i.e., US insured depository institutions, US bank holding companies, and US savings and loan holding companies). The MSELF will provide four-year loans to companies employing up to 10,000 workers...

While some companies have already begun to apply for relief from the Small Business Administration (SBA) and other government entities, others are waiting to see what additional programs may be on the horizon. While we do not know all the details of Phase III legislation in Congress, we do know it will include: Support for Businesses $10 billion for SBA emergency grants of up to $10,000 to provide immediate relief for small business operating costs $17 billion for SBA to cover six months of payments for small businesses with existing SBA loans A retention tax credit for employers to encourage businesses to keep workers on payroll during the crisis SBA loan forgiveness eligibility for rent, mortgage, and utility costs Support for State and Local Government $150 billion for a state, tribal, and local Coronavirus Relief Fund $30 billion for the Disaster Relief Fund to provide financial assistance to state, local, tribal, and territorial governments, as well as private nonprofits providing critical and essential services $10 billion for the Indian Health Services and other tribal programs Support for Industries $150 billion increase in the Marshall Plan for our healthcare system $30 billion in emergency education funding $25 billion in emergency transit funding Support for Workers Increase in the maximum unemployment benefit by $600 per week Four...