Takeaways

On April 23, 2020, retroactive guidance from SBA, issued in the form of a Frequently Asked Question (FAQ), stated that PPP applicants must consider their access to other sources of liquidity before certifying that the “[c]urrent economic uncertainty makes this loan request necessary to support the ongoing operations of the Applicant.” The guidance set a safe harbor date of May 7, 2020, later extended to May 14, 2020, and then extended again to May 18, 2020, for a borrower to repay its loan if it determined that its certification of “necessity” was no longer valid in light of the guidance.
SBA’s new guidance, issued on the eve of the safe harbor deadline, provides that: (1) any borrower whose affiliate group received less than $2 million “will be deemed to have made the required certification . . . in good faith;” and (2) if SBA determines later that a borrower whose affiliate group received more than $2 million lacked a sufficient basis for its certification of necessity, SBA will require the repayment of the loan and will not pursue other enforcement actions against the borrower.
The new guidance appears to reflect an important shift in SBA’s treatment of the certification of necessity that greatly reduces the risk to borrowers, especially in terms of fines and other potential penalties.

On April 24, 2020, President Trump signed into law the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act, whose provisions we summarized here. PPP applicants are required to make a number of certifications in connection with their applications, for example concerning their eligibility and the purposes for which they will use the loans. Attention to these certifications is extremely important, given the severe penalties that are possible for submitting false or misleading certifications to the government. One such certification that has drawn particular scrutiny is the certification that the “[c]urrent economic uncertainty makes this loan request necessary to support the ongoing operations of the Applicant.”

On April 23, 2020, SBA added the following new FAQ concerning this certification, reproduced below in full

31. Question: Do businesses owned by large companies with adequate sources of liquidity to support the business’s ongoing operations qualify for a PPP loan?

Answer: In addition to reviewing applicable affiliation rules to determine eligibility, all borrowers must assess their economic need for a PPP loan under the standard established by the CARES Act and the PPP regulations at the time of the loan application. Although the CARES Act suspends the ordinary requirement that borrowers must be unable to obtain credit elsewhere (as defined in section 3(h) of the Small Business Act), borrowers still must certify in good faith that their PPP loan request is necessary. Specifically, before submitting a PPP application, all borrowers should review carefully the required certification that “[c]urrent economic uncertainty makes this loan request necessary to support the ongoing operations of the Applicant.” Borrowers must make this certification in good faith, taking into account their current business activity and their ability to access other sources of liquidity sufficient to support their ongoing operations in a manner that is not significantly detrimental to the business. For example, it is unlikely that a public company with substantial market value and access to capital markets will be able to make the required certification in good faith, and such a company should be prepared to demonstrate to SBA, upon request, the basis for its certification.

Lenders may rely on a borrower’s certification regarding the necessity of the loan request. Any borrower that applied for a PPP loan prior to the issuance of this guidance and repays the loan in full by May 7, 2020 will be deemed by SBA to have made the required certification in good faith.

Although FAQ No. 31 referred only to public companies, on April 28, 2020, SBA effectively confirmed, via FAQ No. 37, that private companies also are required to consider alternative sources of liquidity. We summarized the key takeaways from this new guidance here. On May 5, 2020, SBA extended the safe harbor date to May 14, 2020 and promised to provide “provide additional guidance” on how SBA will review the certification.

SBA issued this much-anticipated “additional guidance” on May 13, 2020 and, for many borrowers struggling with the decision to return their PPP loans, the new guidance is critical. The new guidance provides, in full:

46. Question: How will SBA review borrowers’ required good-faith certification concerning the necessity of their loan request?

Answer: When submitting a PPP application, all borrowers must certify in good faith that “[c]urrent economic uncertainty makes this loan request necessary to support the ongoing operations of the Applicant.” SBA, in consultation with the Department of the Treasury, has determined that the following safe harbor will apply to SBA’s review of PPP loans with respect to this issue: Any borrower that, together with its affiliates, received PPP loans with an original principal amount of less than $2 million will be deemed to have made the required certification concerning the necessity of the loan request in good faith.

SBA has determined that this safe harbor is appropriate because borrowers with loans below this threshold are generally less likely to have had access to adequate sources of liquidity in the current economic environment than borrowers that obtained larger loans. This safe harbor will also promote economic certainty as PPP borrowers with more limited resources endeavor to retain and rehire employees. In addition, given the large volume of PPP loans, this approach will enable SBA to conserve its finite audit resources and focus its reviews on larger loans, where the compliance effort may yield higher returns.

Importantly, borrowers with loans greater than $2 million that do not satisfy this safe harbor may still have an adequate basis for making the required good-faith certification, based on their individual circumstances in light of the language of the certification and SBA guidance. SBA has previously stated that all PPP loans in excess of $2 million, and other PPP loans as appropriate, will be subject to review by SBA for compliance with program requirements set forth in the PPP Interim Final Rules and in the Borrower Application Form. If SBA determines in the course of its review that a borrower lacked an adequate basis for the required certification concerning the necessity of the loan request, SBA will seek repayment of the outstanding PPP loan balance and will inform the lender that the borrower is not eligible for loan forgiveness. If the borrower repays the loan after receiving notification from SBA, SBA will not pursue administrative enforcement or referrals to other agencies based on its determination with respect to the certification concerning necessity of the loan request. SBA’s determination concerning the certification regarding the necessity of the loan request will not affect SBA’s loan guarantee.

There are four key takeaways from this guidance:

  1. SBA has stated that any borrower whose affiliate group collectively received less than $2 million in PPP loans “will be deemed” to have certified the necessity of the loans in good faith. Thus, for recipients of smaller-size loans, SBA has announced that it will not review or audit the question of the loan’s necessity.
  2. For a borrower whose affiliate group collectively received more than $2 million in PPP loans, SBA represents that it will review the circumstances of the borrower’s certification of necessity but, critically, SBA “will seek repayment of the outstanding PPP loan balance” and “will not pursue administrative enforcement or referrals to other agencies based on its determination with respect to the certification concerning necessity of the loan request.” In other words, SBA has represented that the penalty for what SBA determines to be a flawed assertion of necessity likely will be the return of the loan, not additional enforcement action, such as significant fines.
  3. Thus, with respect to the latter category of PPP loans, SBA effectively has extended the safe harbor provision indefinitely, since SBA’s remedy appears to be the same whether the funds are returned by May 18, 2020 or following SBA’s later determination.
  4. As a word of caution, although SBA has represented that loan repayment will be its primary recourse against a borrower found to have lacked a sufficient basis to certify the necessity of its PPP loan, if a certification of necessity is truly indefensible, it still would be prudent for the borrower to return its loan by May 18, 2020. Regardless of SBA's actions, other government entities—such as the Department of Justice or even Congress—could investigate whether borrowers' certifications were made in good faith.

Pillsbury attorneys can help clients interpret and assess the PPP requirements as clients assess and strategize regarding the availability of SBA loans and other stimulus funds. We are proactively monitoring any forthcoming regulations and guidance.


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