Simplified 504 Debt Refinancing Program is Great for Banks
Banks have been watching their loan-to-value ratios rise as commercial real estate appraisals continued to decline, often outside of the bank’s internal and regulatory guidelines.
Thanks to major recent changes simplifying the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) 504 debt refinancing program, banks have a unique opportunity to bring their owner-occupied commercial real estate portfolios back into regulatory compliance and reduce their overall commercial real estate portfolio concentrations.
Experience counts and Florida First Capital has led the way among certified development companies in Florida to structure, process and obtain SBA authorizations for 504 debt refinancing loans since the program’s inception. You can count on us to get your deals done quickly and efficiently.
Refinancing program benefits to banks include:
- Enables the bank to assist clients and reduce the risk of the overall relationship.
- Provides a new financial product to attract new clients.
- Allows borrowers to withdraw excess equity in the property for working capital to support ongoing business operations.
The basics of the 504 debt refinancing program are simple:
- The refinanced amount can be up to 90% of the appraised value of the subject property.
- The debt to be refinanced must have been entered into at least 24 months prior to the SBA refinance application.
- The qualified debt must be for a commercial loan that is current and has been paying as agreed under the original or modified bank terms for the past 12 months.
- The eligible small business must currently occupy 51% of the property to be refinanced.
- Existing 504 projects and government-guaranteed loans are not eligible to be refinanced.
To be eligible, the small business must be a for-profit company with a tangible net worth of less than $15 million and average net income after Federal income taxes (excluding carry-over losses) for the two full fiscal years prior to application cannot exceed $5 million.
This is temporary program that ends Sept. 27, 2012, so banks and small businesses need to act fast to take advantage of this great refinancing option.
