SBA To Help With Maturing Commercial Loans

In February, the Business Journal reported that $979 million in commercial mortgage-backed securities loans in South Florida were set to mature this year, followed by $1.46 billion maturing in 2012. The amount of maturities coming in the following years is even greater. With the collapse of the real estate bubble, many small business owners have found themselves unable to refinance as a result of inflated real estate values at the time they took out their mortgage, SBA Administrator Karen Mills said in a news release. SBA’s temporary 504 refinancing program was first made available to those small businesses with the most immediate need. Today’s step opens this critical assistance to more small businesses, giving them the opportunity to restructure their debt and free up capital that will be essential to keeping their doors open and also their future ability to grow and create jobs. The SBA 504 loan has three components:

• A senior loan from a bank covering 50 percent of the property.
• A second mortgage with 100 percent backing from the SBA covering 40 percent of the property.
• Owner equity of 10 percent.