If the mortgage on your commercial real estate property is a little too high to handle, the SBA has recently set up a new program to help property owners refinance, reports Boston.com.
Small business owners with eligible COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE mortgages maturing after Dec. 31, 2012, will be able to secure more stable, long-term financing through the SBA’s temporary 504 refinancing program. This new program will be available around April 6.
To be eligible for the temporary 504 refinancing program, a business must have been in operation for at least two years, the debt to be refinanced must be for owner-occupied real estate and have been incurred no less than two years prior to the date of application and the proceeds used for 504-eligible business expenses, and payments on that debt must be current for the last 12 months.
The refinancing loan is structured like SBA’s traditional 504 loan. Typically, a 504 project includes three elements: a loan (or first mortgage) secured with a senior lien from a private-sector lender covering 50 percent of the project cost, a second mortgage secured with a junior lien from an SBA Certified Development Company (backed by a 100 percent SBA-guaranteed debenture) covering up to 40 percent of the cost, and a contribution of at least 10 percent equity from the small business borrower.
Photo by Kevin Dooley