Reports
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Small Business Administration OIG
Eligibility of PPP Loans Exceeding Maximum Size Standards
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) is issuing this Evaluation Report to determine whether the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) made Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans in accordance with program size standards. This is a follow-up to our earlier report which identified 355 PPP loans that likely exceeded the maximum size standard and may have been erroneously approved. Based on updated data analysis, we identified that 79 of those 355 loans still appeared to exceed the maximum size standard. Our objective was to determine whether PPP loans were made in accordance with program...
Small Business Administration OIG
COVID-19: Data Sharing Project Finds Billions Paid to Same Likely Fraudsters Under Both the Unemployment Insurance and Economic Injury Disaster Loan Programs
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) is issuing this inspection report to determine whether data sharing between the Employment and Training Administration and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) could mitigate the risk of fraudulent unemployment insurance benefit payments and SBA disaster program disbursements. In 2020, soon after Congress expanded the Unemployment Insurance and Economic Injury Disaster Loan Programs in response to the adverse economic effects caused by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic, the U.S. Department of Labor OIG and SBA OIG respectively began reporting...
Small Business Administration OIG
SBA’s Oversight of Non-Bank Lenders and Third-Party Service Providers Associated with PPP Loans
Over 5,300 lenders, including bank and non-bank lenders, participated in the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), an $813.7 billion program that provided forgivable loans to eligible borrowers. The primary distinction between the two is that non-bank lenders are not federally regulated. Both were allowed to partner with third-party service providers to assist in the PPP loan process. We assessed the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) oversight of non-bank lenders, including financial technology (fintech), and third-party service providers in the PPP. Opportunities exist for SBA to...
Small Business Administration OIG
Approved Disaster Assistance Loans Matching COVID‐19 EIDLs and PPP Loans with Fraud Hold Codes
The Office of Inspector General is issuing this evaluation report to determine whether the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) approved disaster loan applications with related Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) or Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans with fraud hold codes.In October 2022, SBA established an informal review process to match disaster assistance loan applications to pandemic loans that had fraud hold codes based on taxpayer identification numbers. In August 2023, the agency began transitioning to a new system that uses fraud...
Small Business Administration OIG
SBA’s Processing of COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan Reconsideration Requests
The Office of Inspector General is issuing this inspection report to assess the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) processing of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) reconsideration requests.SBA began accepting COVID-19 EIDL applications on March 12, 2020, and continued to accept them through December 31, 2021, when the COVID-19 EIDL program ended. COVID-19 EIDL applicants who were not approved for a loan could request the agency reconsider their loan application, initiating the reconsideration process.We found SBA generally processed reconsideration...
Small Business Administration OIG
SBA’s Guaranty Purchases for Paycheck Protection Program Loans
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) is issuing this Inspection report to assess the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) guaranty purchase process for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act established the PPP to provide guaranteed SBA loans for eligible businesses, individuals, and nonprofits adversely impacted by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic. We assessed whether SBA reported and referred charged-off PPP loans to commercial credit reporting agencies and the U.S. Department of Treasury in accordance with applicable...
Small Business Administration OIG
Evaluation of COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan Applicants on the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Do Not Pay List
The OIG is issuing this evaluation to assess whether the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) effectively implemented internal controls when using the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Do Not Pay (DNP) databases to detect and prevent payments of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) and grants to ineligible entities.Despite implementing controls requiring loan officers to check DNP databases prior to approval of COVID-19 EIDLs and provide applicants 30 days to rectify any negative information received from DNP, the agency continued to award and disburse...
Small Business Administration OIG
7(a) Loan Approval for Borrowers with Unresolved COVID-19 Pandemic Loan Compliance Issues
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) is issuing this Inspection Report to assess the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) process for approving 7(a) loans for borrowers with unresolved pandemic loan compliance issues.From October 1, 2019 through May 8, 2023, SBA approved and disbursed 172,598 7(a) loans, totaling $83.4 billion. The 7(a) lenders who have delegated approval authority approved 92 percent of these loans and SBA approved the remaining 8 percent. SBA implemented a process to screen 7(a) loan applications for eligibility, which included screening for Paycheck Protection Program...
Small Business Administration OIG
Evaluation of SBA’s Eligibility and Forgiveness Reviews of Paycheck Protection Program Loans Made to Borrowers with Treasury’s Do Not Pay Data Matches
This report is a follow up to SBA OIG Report Number 21-06, Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loan Recipients on the Department of Treasury’s (Treasury) Do Not Pay (DNP) List, which reported SBA did not use Department of Treasury (Treasury) DNP data to screen borrowers for eligibility prior to approving loans originated before August 8, 2020 (PPP round one). In this report, we assess SBA actions to address potentially ineligible loans identified in report 21-06 and its implementation of controls to review DNP data for PPP loans originated after August 8, 2020 (PPP round two).SBA implemented a...
Small Business Administration OIG
SBA's Handling of Identity Theft in the COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program
This report presents the results of our verification inspection of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) corrective actions for the five recommendations from the Office of Inspector General (OIG) evaluation report SBA’s Handling of Identity Theft in the COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program (Report 21-15).We initiated this verification inspection to determine whether the closed recommendations were fully implemented or if further corrective actions were needed. Accordingly, our objective was to determine the effectiveness of the corrective actions SBA implemented to 1)...
Small Business Administration OIG
SBA's Internal Controls to Prevent Shuttered Venue Operators Grants to Ineligible Applicants
This report presents the results of our inspection to assess the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) controls to prevent disbursements to ineligible entities. Specifically, our review focused on general eligibility requirements applicable to all SVOG applicants and venue-specific requirements applicable to live venue operators.SBA delayed launching the SVOG application portal for over 2 weeks in April 2021 because of technical issues. In June 2021, SBA officials made program changes, which SBA called a “program refresh,” to accelerate application...
Small Business Administration OIG
SBA’s Awards for Staffing Support for COVID-19 Economic Relief Loan Programs
We reviewed the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) blanket purchase agreement with Highlight Technologies, LLC for loan support services.To meet the increased demand for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) loan program support services, SBA issued labor hour contracts, e.g. call orders, using an existing blanket purchase agreement. However, SBA contracting officials did not always perform adequate price analyses, awarding contracts that were not the best use of taxpayer funds. SBA did not establish adequate guidance to ensure contracting officials consistently followed federal...
Small Business Administration OIG
SBA’s Administrative Process to Address Potentially Fraudulent Restaurant Revitalization Fund Awards
We inspected the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) administrative process used to review potentially fraudulent Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) applications and recover funds.Program officials designed the RRF application validation and approval processes using the Government Accountability Office’s A Framework for Managing Fraud Risks in Federal Programs. However, 3,790 applications submitted through a point-of-sale partner were processed without verifying gross sales, a key control designed to prevent ineligible entities from receiving awards.As a result, SBA’s RRF application...
Small Business Administration OIG
Follow-up Inspection of SBA’s Internal Controls to Prevent COVID-19 EIDLs to Ineligible Applicants
This report presents the results of our follow-up inspection to assess the effectiveness of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) enhanced internal controls to prevent Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) to ineligible applicants.The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act prohibited the agency from requiring tax return transcripts to prove eligibility. Congress eliminated this restriction 9 months later with the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021. We found SBA did not implement the tax transcript requirement in a timely...
Small Business Administration OIG
Paycheck Protection Program Eligibility for Nonprofit Organizations
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted this review to assess Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) eligibility for nonprofit organizations. Based on data analysis, we identified 179 PPP loans, totaling approximately $684 million, made to potentially ineligible nonprofits that may have exceeded SBA’s requirements for business size, known as size standards, at the time of application.We also reviewed PPP loans for three large nonprofits, including Planned Parenthood of Illinois that received over $3.8 million, Goodwill of Southwestern Pennsylvania...
Small Business Administration OIG
SBA’s Handling of Potentially Fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program Loans
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) found that the Small Business Administration (SBA) did not have an organizational structure with clearly defined roles, responsibilities, and processes to manage and handle potentially fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans across the program. In addition, the agency did not establish a centralized entity to design, lead, and manage fraud risk. This problem occurred because the agency did not establish a sufficient fraud risk framework at the start of and throughout PPP implementation. Management stated this was partly due to the speed of the...
Small Business Administration OIG
Evaluation of SBA’s Disaster Assistance Loan Recommendation Services
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) evaluated the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) procedures to award a contract for data analysis and loan recommendation services for Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) applications and Targeted EIDL Advance applications related to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.To increase loan processing capabilities and quickly disburse loans during the pandemic, SBA used an existing contract awarded to RER Solutions and its subcontractor Rocket Loans set aside for small businesses. SBA initially set a contract ceiling of $100 million and...
Small Business Administration OIG
SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program Loan Review Processes
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted this evaluation to assess the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) processes for reviewing Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans for eligibility and forgiveness.SBA’s online loan forgiveness platform used by lenders to submit forgiveness requests is adequate to support SBA’s loan review process. However, we found that for some loans, totaling $66.4 billion, SBA did not meet the 90-day statutory requirement to remit forgiveness payments to lenders. SBA did not meet the 90-day requirement for 98.2 percent of loans over $2 million. Not...
Small Business Administration OIG
SBA’s Oversight of the Grant Recipient’s Implementation of the CARES Act Resource Partners Training Portal
We evaluated the SBA’s handling of the grant to train small businesses on federal resources available in the wake of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act authorized funds up to $25 million for SBA to administer a grant to an association or associations representing resource partner centers to establish a single centralized hub for COVID-19 information.We found SBA did not ensure the grant recipient developed and implemented an effective marketing and outreach strategy to ensure the hub successfully achieved the...
Small Business Administration OIG
SBA Emergency EIDL Grants to Sole Proprietors and Independent Contractors
The Office of Inspector General examined Emergency EIDL grants to sole proprietors and independent contractors from March 29, 2020, until the funds were exhausted just 14 weeks later on July 10. We set out to determine whether the agency complied with its internal policy that set Emergency EIDL grants at $1,000 per employee up to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act mandated maximum amount of $10,000.Using SBA’s data, we found SBA provided $4.5 billion more in Emergency EIDL grants to sole proprietors and independent contractors than they were entitled to receive...
Small Business Administration OIG
Evaluation of SBA’s Coronavirus Reconstitution Plan
We found that SBA established its May 2020 COVID-19 Reconstitution Plan in accordance with applicable federal guidance. We identified issues with the implementation of the reconstitution plan that should be addressed to help the agency safeguard its employees from contracting and spreading COVID-19 in the workplace.We found the agency did not follow occupancy procedures for advancing or reverting phases at its Washington, DC headquarters. SBA also did not implement exposure tracking protocols to ensure it consistently traced COVID-19 cases. We found the agency did not consistently notify its...
Small Business Administration OIG
SBA’s Handling of Identity Theft in the COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) is issuing this Evaluation report to notify Small Business Administration (SBA) officials of significant matters regarding its handling of complaints of identity theft in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program.We recommend the Administrator to direct the Associate Administrator for the Office of Disaster Assistance, the Chief Financial Officer for the Office of Performance Management and Chief Financial Officer, and the Associate Administrator for the Office of Capital Access to:1. Develop a process to maintain...
Small Business Administration OIG
Management Alert Serious Concerns About SBA’s Control Environment and the Tracking of Performance Results in the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant Program
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) is issuing this Management Alert regarding serious concerns with the control environment and the tracking of performance results in the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) program requiring immediate attention and action.SBA should take immediate action to reduce or eliminate risks by strengthening existing controls and implementing internal controls to address potential misuse of federal funds. Strong controls will ensure the SVOG program can effectively help eligible small business owners and entities that have suffered economic injury because of the...
Small Business Administration OIG
Evaluation of SBA’s Award Procedures for the CARES Act Entrepreneurial Development Cooperative Agreements
This report found that SBA awarded the CARES Act entrepreneurial development cooperative agreements and grants in accordance with applicable federal laws, regulations, and guidance. We found program officials established performance goals and identified performance indicators. To more effectively ensure performance goals are achieved as intended, SBA should clearly define the performance goals and set performance targets.We recommended that SBA enforce standard operating procedures requiring defined performance goals and include performance targets in all future SBDC and WBC cooperative...
Small Business Administration OIG