Effective January 1, 2021, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (the “Act”) became law. Among other provisions, the Act contains the most significant changes to the Bank Secrecy Act (the “BSA”) since 2001. Most significantly, the Act requires the Department of the Treasury, through the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”), to adopt regulations within one year that will establish a framework by which smaller, closely held businesses, regardless of the type of…

On December 27, 2020, as part of a larger government funding bill, President Donald J. Trump signed into law the Economic Aid to Hard-Hit Small Businesses, Nonprofits, and Venues Act (the “Act”). The Act, among other things, restarts the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”), as administered by the Small Business Administration (“SBA”), provides borrowers with greater flexibility in using PPP loan proceeds and expands the types of expenses eligible for loan forgiveness. The following is a…

On October 2, 2020, the Small Business Administration (the “SBA”) issued a procedural notice (the “Notice”) detailing the requirements for an entity (a “PPP Borrower”) that received a Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) loan (“PPP Loan”) to enter into a change of ownership/sale transaction without defaulting on such loan. The Notice provides much needed guidance, particularly in light of months of delays in the PPP Loan forgiveness process. A brief summary of the Notice’s requirements is…

Markets like certainty.  On July 20, 2020, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (the “OCC”) proposed a new rule for national banks and federal savings associations that would solve the “true lender” question and help bring certainty to financial markets.  Under the proposed rule, a bank will be deemed the “true lender” in a bank partnership model if it is either (i) the named lender in the underlying loan agreement or (ii) the party that…

On May 28, 2020, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation that, if adopted by the Senate and signed into law by the President, would provide considerable relief to borrowers under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The bill, known as the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act of 2020 (PPPFA), amends the original Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to loosen restrictions placed on PPP loans, making them more favorable for borrowers.…