SBA Announces Historic Support for Small Businesses in Northern California

“SBA loans continue to be a key source of capital for small businesses across Northern California,” said George Flores, Acting Director of the SBA’s San Francisco District Office.  “I’m especially encouraged by this year’s historic level of SBA 504 lending,” said Flores.  “This region’s small businesses are continuing to bet big on growth, job creation, and the future.”

Despite ongoing, structural challenges that exist for small business owners when seeking capital, the SBA’s efforts in helping them pursue their American dream showed signs of progress.

Notably, the SBA’s low-interest 504 loan program grew in volume to $472 million in Northern California, a record level of lending for the 504 program.

In addition, the 7(a) program saw an increase in small-dollar loans, evidence of the SBA’s prioritization of startups and businesses hampered by gaps in credit markets.

By the Numbers

The SBA continues to innovate and retool its programs, while deepening outreach efforts to better reach business owners across the nation.

FY22 regular business lending programs data of note includes:

• $644 million in 7(a) loans: Returning to pre-pandemic levels, 861 7(a) loans worth $644 million were provided to small businesses.
• $472 million in 504 loans: Working with authorized Certified Development Companies (CDCs), the SBA’s 504 program delivered 380 fixed-rate loans for equipment and real estate worth more than $472 million to small businesses, the highest lending level in the program’s history.
• $683,997 in microloan funding: $683,997 in Microloan funding went to 31 small businesses.

Disaster business lending in Northern California resulting from the pandemic has included:

• $27 billion in PPP loans: Over 270 thousand businesses received forgivable loans through participating lenders.
• $12 billion in COVID EIDL loans: Over 108 thousand businesses experiencing revenue loss received low-interest loans directly from the SBA.
• $615 million in COVID EIDL Advances: Over 151 thousand businesses received funds up to $10,000 per business which did not need to be repaid.

In the whole state of California businesses were also helped by the Shuttered Venue Operator Grants (SVOG) and Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF):

• $2.4 billion in SVOG: Nearly 2,000 venues affected by COVID-19 received these grants statewide.
• $5.7 billion in RRF: Nearly 16,000 restaurants, bars and other food service businesses were helped with this funding in the state of California.

For more information about SBA’s loan programs, financial assistance, and other services, visit www.sba.gov.

SOURCE: https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USSBA/bulletins/33e7fdd