Abrigo Solutions Empower Financial Institutions to Ramp Up CARES Act SBA Lending

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Mar 31, 2020, 12:44 ET

AUSTIN, Texas, March 31, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Now that President Trump has signed the $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, community financial institutions are scrambling to make sure they can help small businesses in their communities tap into nearly $350 billion that will be available to help them.

Abrigo announced today that its market-tested Sageworks SBA Lending solution will streamline and automate financial institutions' processes so they can quickly get capital into the hands of customers and members through the CARES Act's Paycheck Protection Program, an expansion of the Small Business Administration's (SBA) 7(a) loan program. SBA 7(a) lenders have been originating loans via Abrigo's digital SBA solution with E-Tran integration for more than a year, and Abrigo has worked quickly to modify the solution to fit the new CARES Act Paycheck Protection Program requirements. Abrigo also has resources to help lenders learn more about the program, as additional details are released.

Financial institutions like Farmers State Bank in Harrisburg, Illinois, are already working with small business owners interested in applying for the Paycheck Protection Program and are using Abrigo solutions, including the Sageworks SBA Lending solution and Abrigo's online loan application, to help handle the high volume of interest.

"We're very fortunate that we have the Abrigo system," said Chris Healy, President of Small Business Lending at Farmers State Bank. "We're going to run 100% of the SBA Paycheck Protection Program loans through it."

The Paycheck Protection Program allows SBA lenders to offer loans of 2.5-times monthly payroll, or up to $10 million, to small businesses, nonprofits, self-employed individuals, and contractors. Banks and credit unions should be prepared for an influx of new loan requests, based on the program's wider pool of eligible applicants, looser eligibility requirements, the opportunity for loan forgiveness, and the difficulties that businesses across the U.S. are facing.

The SBA is expected to release formal guidance on logistics of the expanded lending program in the coming days. In the meantime, Abrigo is adjusting its SBA Lending solution to prepare for the updates so that financial institutions can be readily equipped to serve small businesses soon after the SBA's release. Abrigo also has resources, including articles and webinars, to help financial institutions learn more about the Paycheck Protection Program and other SBA options for borrowers.

Farmers State Bank has been emailing customers and putting information about SBA relief loans on its website to help small business customers get a jump on applying without having to come into a branch. The response has been strong, with about 200 responses since Thursday. "We want to make this as easy as possible." Healy said. Right now, Farmers State Bank has applicants provide preliminary information through an online application built using Abrigo's Sageworks Lending Solution. Once the SBA releases an updated Form 1919, Farmers State Bank will be able to send a follow-up email to each borrower asking them to upload the required information remotely so the bank can quickly transmit the application to E-Tran. "It's a great tool, especially in times like this when you don't want people to meet face to face," Healy said.

"Community financial institutions have always been the lifeline of capital to businesses in their communities, and they will play a key role in this Paycheck Protection Program," said Abrigo President Jay Blandford. "Our SBA Lending solution will keep them from getting bogged down by duplicative data entry so that they can efficiently process applications and deliver funds quickly. Helping institutions learn more about the program as the SBA releases new details is another way we hope to help them during this coronavirus crisis."

SBA 7(a) loans have been a popular choice of funding for entrepreneurs, start-ups, and small businesses seeking capital for their enterprise due to low interest rates and flexible terms. However, only about 1,700 banks and credit unions were active SBA lenders in federal FY2019, according to SBA statistics. As more small business borrowers turn to SBA 7(a) lenders to help navigate uncertain economic times, more financial institutions should take advantage of opportunities to streamline processes in order to take swift action in the expanded SBA 7(a) program at a critical time for both lenders and borrowers. Abrigo's solutions and resources can help them get ramped up quickly for the new program so that lenders can maintain existing customers experiencing difficulty due to the coronavirus, and so they can acquire new customers.

While some details are still unclear, key aspects of the Paycheck Protection Program include:

Raising the maximum loan amount to $10 million from $5 million under the current 7(a) program.
Guaranteeing 100% of the loan by the SBA
Risk rating of 0 (i.e., no impact to the allowance for credit losses).
Waiving the requirement that borrowers have to show they cannot obtain credit elsewhere
Expanding eligibility to nonprofits, self-employed individuals, sole proprietors, and independent contractors
Deferring all payments (principal, interest, and fees) for a minimum of 6 months and a maximum of 12 months
Forgiving loans based on loan proceeds used for of payroll, mortgage, rent, and utilities.

While the traditional SBA 7(a) lending program comes with many advantages for borrowers who qualify, key drawbacks such as a lengthy application process and extensive turnaround time can deter financial institutions from participating.

Abrigo's Sageworks SBA Lending product reduces inefficient, manual processes involved in the lending process, and empowers financial institutions to ramp up SBA 7(a) lending efforts to support small businesses struggling to make ends meet. Abrigo's solutions streamline underwriting by eliminating duplicative data entry through an E-Tran integration with the Sageworks API network, and it allows financial institutions to decision SBA loans in the same platform as other loan or product types, reducing bottlenecks and siloed systems. Two required PDF forms for an SBA loan – Form 1919 Borrower Information Form and Form 1920 Lender's Application for Loan Guaranty – can also be generated directly within the SBA Lending product. Financial institutions that are already using Abrigo's Sageworks Lending solutions will be able to pull data directly into these documents, further decreasing the amount of manual data entry required.

To learn more about the Sageworks SBA Lending product and how to handle Paycheck Protection Program loans, register for the webinar, "SBA Lending – What's Going On and How Abrigo Can Help." For more information and resources regarding navigating the coronavirus, visit Abrigo's Coronavirus News and Resources page.

About Abrigo
Abrigo is a leading technology provider of compliance, credit risk, lending, and asset/liability management solutions that community financial institutions use to manage risk and drive growth. Our software automates key processes – from anti-money laundering to asset/liability management to fraud detection to lending solutions – empowering our customers by addressing their Enterprise Risk Management needs. Visit abrigo.com to learn more. Follow Abrigo on social media using @weareabrigo.

SOURCE Abrigo