In addition to complying with SBA's requirements for SBA Lenders and SBA Supervised Lenders, an SBLC must meet the requirements contained in this regulation and the SBLC regulations that follow.

(a) Lending. An SBLC may only make:

(1) Loans under section 7(a) (except section 7(a)(13) of the Act in participation with SBA); and/or

(2) SBA guaranteed loans to Intermediaries (see subpart G of this part). Such loans are subject to the same conditions as guaranteed loans made to Intermediaries by 7(a) Lenders.

(b) Business structure. An SBLC must be a corporation (profit or non-profit) or a limited liability company or limited partnership.

(c) Written agreement. An SBLC must sign a written agreement with SBA.

(d) Dual control. An SBLC must maintain dual control over disbursement of funds and withdrawal of securities.

(1) An SBLC may disburse funds only by checks or wire transfers authorized by signatures of two or more officers covered by the SBLC's fidelity bond, except that checks in an amount of $1,000 or less may be signed by one bonded officer, provided that such action is permitted under the SBLC's fidelity bond.

(2) There must be two or more bonded officers, or one bonded officer and a bonded employee to open safe deposit boxes or withdraw securities from safekeeping. The SBLC must furnish to each depository bank, custodian, or entity providing safe deposit boxes a certified copy of the resolution implementing control procedures.

(e) Fidelity insurance. An SBLC must maintain a Brokers Blanket Bond, Standard Form 14, or Finance Companies Blanket Bond, Standard Form 15, or such other form of coverage as SBA may approve, in a minimum amount of $2,000,000 executed by a surety holding a certificate of authority from the Secretary of the Treasury pursuant to 31 U.S.C. 9304-9308.

(f) Common control.

(1) An SBLC must not control, be controlled by, or be under common control with another SBLC.

(2) In the case of a purchase of an SBLC by an organization that already owns an SBLC, the purchasing entity will have six months to submit a plan to SBA for the divestiture of one of the SBLCs. All divestiture plans must be approved by SBA and SBA may withhold approval in its discretion. Divestiture of the SBLC must occur within one year of purchase date.

(3) Without prior written SBA approval, an Associate of one SBLC must not be an Associate of another SBLC or of any entity which directly or indirectly controls, or is under common control with, another SBLC.

(4) For purposes of paragraph (f) of this section, common control means a condition where two or more SBLCs, either through ownership, management, contract, or otherwise, are under the Control of one group or Person (as defined in §120.10 of this chapter). Two or more SBLCs are presumed to be under common control if they are Affiliates of each other by reason of common ownership or common officers, directors, or general partners.

(5) “Affiliate” has the meaning set forth in §121.103 of this chapter.

(6) “Control” means the possession, direct or indirect, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of an SBLC or other concern, whether through the ownership of voting securities, by contract, or otherwise. The common control presumption may be rebutted by evidence satisfactory to SBA.

(g) Management. An SBLC must employ full time professional management.

(h) Borrowed funds. In general, an SBLC may not be capitalized with borrowed funds. Shareholders owning 10 percent or more of any class of its stock must not use personally-borrowed funds to purchase the stock unless the net worth of the shareholder is at least twice the amount borrowed or unless the shareholder receives SBA's prior written approval for a lower ratio.

[73 FR 75515, Dec. 11, 2008]