Finance & Secured Lending

On May 21, 2020, the U.S. Small Business Administration (“SBA”) released a notice informing lenders of how they may collect loan processing fees for eligible loans issued under the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”).

Pursuant to the CARES Act and the Interim Rule, issued by the SBA on April 2, 2020, the SBA will pay fees to lenders for processing eligible PPP loans at the following rates, based on the balance of the loan outstanding at the time of full disbursement:

  • 5% for loans under $350,000;
  • 3% for loans between $350,000 and $2 million; and
  • 1% for loans over $2 million.

However, in order to collect the processing fee on a PPP loan, a lender must first report to the SBA that a loan has been fully disbursed using SBA Form 1502.  The SBA will begin accepting these reports on fully disbursed PPP loans on May 22, 2020.  Once the report is received, the SBA will initiate the process of paying the PPP processing fee for which the lender is eligible.

Continue Reading SBA Announces Procedure for PPP Lenders to Collect Loan Processing Fees

On April 9, 2020, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the “Federal Reserve”), and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (collectively, the “federal banking agencies”) issued an interim rule that permits banks to neutralize the regulatory capital effects of participating in the Federal Reserve’s Paycheck Protection Program Lending Facility (the “PPPL Facility”).

Continue Reading Paycheck Protection Program Loans May Be Excluded from a Bank’s Regulatory Capital Ratios

CalculatorOn April 6, 2020, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (collectively, the “federal banking agencies”) announced the issuance of two interim final rules to provide temporary relief to community banks.  The federal banking agencies acted to implement Section 4012 of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”), which requires the federal banking agencies to temporarily lower the community bank leverage ratio (“CBLR”) to eight percent (8%).

Continue Reading Temporary Regulatory Relief: Community Bank Leverage Ratio Set At 8%

hand shakeVedder Price is pleased to announce that its client Byline Bancorp, Inc. (Byline), parent company of Byline Bank, entered into a definitive agreement to acquire First Evanston Bancorp, Inc. (First Evanston), parent company of First Bank & Trust, in a cash and stock transaction valued at approximately $169 million.

At the closing of the transaction each share of First Evanston’s common stock will be converted into the right to receive 3.994 shares of Byline common stock and an amount in cash equal to $27 million divided by the number of outstanding shares of First Evanston common stock at the closing date. Based upon the closing price of Byline’s common stock of $19.73 on November 24, 2017, this represented a fully diluted transaction value of approximately $169 million.  The transaction is expected to close during the first half of 2018.  Closing of the transaction is subject to regulatory approvals, the approval of First Evanston’s and Byline’s shareholders, and the satisfaction of certain other closing conditions.
Continue Reading Vedder Price Counsels Byline Bancorp, Inc. in Its Acquisition of First Evanston Bancorp, Inc.

payday loan pen and paperOn October 5, 2017, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) released its nearly 1,700-page final rule for short-term loans (“Payday Lending Rule”). Notably, almost simultaneously with the CFPB’s announced Payday Lending Rule, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (“OCC”) rescinded its longstanding Guidance on Supervisory Concerns and Expectations Regarding Deposit Advance Products (“DAP Guidance”), theoretically opening the door for banks to offer short-term credit products to customers with less regulatory burden.

When will the Payday Lending Rule become effective?

While certain provisions of the Payday Lending Rule relating to the registration of information systems will become effective 60 days after the Payday Lending Rule is published in the Federal Register, the rest of the Payday Lending Rule will become effective 21 months after publication in the Federal Register. Consequently, the Payday Lending Rule will not become effective until sometime during the summer of 2019. Given that the term of the current CFPB Director expires in mid-2018, and will presumably be replaced by a director less hostile to the payday loan industry, some industry commentators speculate that the Payday Lending Rule, at least in its present form, may never become effective.
Continue Reading The CFPB’s Payday Lending Rule: An Opportunity in Disguise?