Banking & Finance Law Report

Archives: Bank Lending

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Paycheck Protection Program loan necessity questionnaire

Borrowers of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans – together with their affiliates – who have loans in excess of $2 million and seek loan forgiveness will potentially need to complete necessity questionnaires according to the Small Business Administration. There are separate forms for for-profit and non-profit businesses and will likely affect 52,000 borrowers. My colleagues … Continue Reading

Financial institutions encouraged to work with borrowers affected by COVID-19

Several governmental agencies have issued a statement encouraging financial institutions to work with borrowers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Conference of State Bank Supervisors, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation,  National Credit Union Administration, and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency issued a … Continue Reading

Commercial Loans: Equity Cure Provisions

Background In loan agreements, lenders customarily require the borrower to make various financial covenants­ whereby the borrower promises to achieve certain financial metrics, often requiring the borrower to stay above or below certain thresholds based on its operations. Since financial covenants are based on past financial performance, breaches of financial covenants typically cannot be cured … Continue Reading

Potential Changes for HVCRE Loans

In this blog, we have described some of the original concerns with the “high volatility commercial real estate” loan regulation as well as some suggestions for change. These rules apply to certain real estate loans for acquisition, development and construction. Recently, there have been suggestions that changes are possible regarding “high volatility commercial real estate” loans … Continue Reading

Location is Not Everything When Perfecting a Security Interest

Most of us are familiar with that old saw “location, location, location”. While location might enhance the value of real estate, including the location as part of the collateral description in the UCC financing statement can limit the protections provided to a secured creditor and may provide a strategy for attack by a bankruptcy trustee.  … Continue Reading

Seriously Misleading UCC Searches

Determining whether a security interest is properly perfected by using a state’s online lien search may be leading you astray. Perfecting a security interest in collateral establishes the priority of the secured party’s claim to such collateral, providing the perfected secured party with an interest in such collateral superior to the rights held by most … Continue Reading

STRUCTURED DISMISSAL OF CHAPTER 11 CASES AND THE INVOLUNTARILY SUBORDINATED CREDITOR: Official Comm. of Unsecured Creditors v. CIT Group/Bus. Credit Inc. (In re Jevic Holding Corp.), 787 F.3d 173 (3d Cir. 2015)

The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit plays a uniquely important role in the development of the bankruptcy laws.  The liberal venue rule for bankruptcy cases set out in 28 U.S.C. § 1408 has led to the disproportionate filing of large and mega chapter 11 bankruptcy cases being filed in the District … Continue Reading

FDIC Guidance on Agricultural Credits

At a time of relative affluence in the farming industry, the FDIC has issued a warning on a need for monitoring agricultural credits. FIL-39-2014 (July 16, 2014) suggests that banking institutions of all sizes should carefully consider a recent, negative projection by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. While current market conditions are good, the projection … Continue Reading

FBI increases criminal fraud investigations by 65%, director reports

FBI Director James Comey shared the bureau’s enforcement trends and objectives at the New York City Bar Association’s Third Annual White Collar Crime Institute on May 19. Comey recognized that although counter-terrorism is still a top priority for the agency, white-collar cases are receiving significant focus and resources. In the mortgage industry, agents are investigating … Continue Reading

U.S. Supreme Court Says Restitution Depends on Property a Lender Loses, not Collateral the Lender Receives

In the unanimous ruling Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court resolved a split in circuits regarding the interpretation of the Mandatory Victim’s Restitution Act (MVRA). In Robers v. United States, the high court confirmed that for purposes of calculating restitution, the return to the lender of collateral securing a fraudulent loan is not completed until the … Continue Reading

It’s Easy, People: Read Before You Sign

In a decision that will warm the hearts of vendors everywhere, the Court of Appeals for Ohio’s Eighth Appellate District recently upheld the enforceability of personal guaranty language in a credit application. See Wholesale Builders Supply, Inc. v. Green-Source Development, L.L.C., et al., 2013-Ohio-5129. This decision also serves as a reminder to read before signing. … Continue Reading

Amendment to Agricultural Lien Law Reinforces Decision in Ohio Dept. of Agriculture v. Central Erie Supply & Elevator Association

A recent change to Ohio’s agricultural lien law clarifies the interplay between security interests governed by Article 9 of the UCC and those governed by Ohio’s agricultural lien statutes, and confirms the ruling of the Sixth Appellate Court of Erie County in Ohio Dept. of Agriculture v. Central Erie Supply & Elevator Association, 2013-Ohio-3061. Central … Continue Reading

Lending Issues to Consider With Respect to The Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act of 1930

Secured lenders extending financial accommodations to borrowers whose collateral includes perishable food items should consider certain specific risks associated with such collateral. Notably, the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act of 1930 (PACA) creates a statutory trust for the benefit of persons who originally sell the perishable agricultural commodities to such borrowers and are not paid. The … Continue Reading

A Hypothetical in Agricultural Lending — Meet Farmer Bob, AgBank and Massive Grain Elevator

In this hypothetical, we will consider the following circumstances. “Farmer Bob” grows wheat (i.e., crops) “AgBank” has loaned Farmer Bob money secured in part by his wheat “Massive Grain Elevator” wants to purchase Farmer Bob’s wheat Can Massive buy the wheat and not get the shaft from AgBank? It depends. In 1985 Congress passed the … Continue Reading

Ohio Supreme Court overturns ruling in JNT Properties v. KeyBank

Commercial lenders will be glad to learn the Supreme Court of Ohio recently released a slip opinion overturning the Eighth District Court of Appeals’ decision in JNT Properties, LLC v. KeyBank, Nat’l Assoc. and concluding that KeyBank’s use of a "365/360" method of interest calculation in a commercial promissory note was not ambiguous. As previously … Continue Reading

In re: Tracy Broadcasting Corporation

Secured creditors of borrowers holding Federal Communications Commission ("FCC") broadcasting licenses, as well as such borrowers seeking credit, will be reassured by a recent decision of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, In re: Tracy Broadcasting Corporation, released October 16, 2012. The Tenth Circuit has joined other courts in upholding the priority … Continue Reading

Post-Judgment Remedies

This article is Part Five in a seven-part series on how to structure sales and what to do when your customer fails to pay.  You can find previous articles in this series here: Structuring Sales to Ensure Payment; Signs of Trouble Before Payment Default; Default by a Customer; Knowledge is Power and What to Consider … Continue Reading

What to Consider When Non-Payment Leads to Litigation

This article is Part Four in a seven-part series on how to structure sales and what to do when your customer fails to pay. You can find previous articles in this series here: Structuring Sales to Ensure Payment; Signs of Trouble Before Payment Default and Default by a Customer: Knowledge is Power.  Please subscribe to … Continue Reading
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