(a) Principal. Unless explicitly stated otherwise in these regulations or applicable statutes, the amount of any loan may not exceed 80 percent of actual cost, as such term is described in §253.16; provided that the Program may approve an amount that is less, in accordance with its credit determination.

(b) Interest rate. Each loan's annual interest rate will be 2 percent greater than the U.S. Department of Treasury's cost of borrowing public funds of an equivalent maturity at the time the loan closes.

(c) Ability and experience requirements. An obligor and the majority of its principals must demonstrate the ability, experience, resources, character, reputation, and other qualifications the Program deems necessary for successfully operating the project property and protecting the Program's interest in the project.

(d) Lending restrictions. Unless it can document that unique or extraordinary circumstances exist, the Program will not provide financing:

(1) For venture capital purposes; or

(2) To an applicant who cannot document successful fishing industry ability and experience of a duration, degree, and nature that the Program deems necessary to successfully repay the requested loan.

(e) Income and expense projections. The Program, using conservative income and expense projections for the project property's operation, must determine that projected net earnings can service all debt, properly maintain the project property, and protect the Program's interest against risks of loss, including the industry's cyclical economics.

(f) Working capital. The Program must determine that a project has sufficient initial working capital to achieve net earnings projections, fund all foreseeable contingencies, and protect the Program's interest in the project. In making its determination, the Program will use a conservative assessment of an applicant's financial condition, and at the Program's discretion, some portion of projected working capital needs may be met by something other than current assets minus liabilities (i.e., by a line or letter of credit, non-current assets readily capable of generating working capital, a guarantor with sufficient financial resources, etc.).

(g) Audited financial statements. Audited financial statements will ordinarily be required for any obligor with large or financially complex operations, as determined by the program, whose financial condition the Program believes cannot be otherwise assessed with reasonable certainty.

(h) Consultant services. Expert consulting services may be necessary to help the Program assess a project's economic, technical, or financial feasibility. The Program will notify the applicant if an expert is required. The Program will select and employ the necessary consultant, but require the applicant to reimburse the Program for any fees charged by the consultant. In the event that an application requires expert consulting services, the loan will not be closed until the applicant fully reimburses the Program for the consulting fees. This cost may, at the Program's discretion, be included in the amount of the note. For a declined application, the Program may reimburse itself from the application fee as described in §253.12, including any portion known as the commitment fee that could otherwise be refunded to the applicant.

(i) Property inspections. The Program may require adequate condition and valuation inspection of all property used as collateral as the basis for assessing the property's worth and suitability for lending. The Program may also require these at specified periods during the life of the loan. These must be conducted by competent and impartial inspectors acceptable to the Program. Inspection cost(s) will be at an applicant's expense. Those occurring before application approval may be included in actual cost, as actual cost is described in §253.16.

(j) Collateral. The Program shall have first lien(s) on all primary project property pledged as collateral. The Program, at its discretion, may request additional collateral and will consider any additional collateral in its credit determinations.

(k) No additional liens. All primary project property pledged as collateral, including any additional collateral, shall be free of additional liens, unless the Program, at the request of the applicant, expressly waives this requirement in writing.

(l) General FFP credit standards apply. Unless explicitly stated otherwise in these rules, all FFP direct lending is subject to the above general credit standards and requirements found in §§253.12 through 253.30. The Program may adjust collateral, guarantee and other requirements to reflect individual credit risks.

(m) Adverse legal proceedings. The Program, at its own discretion, may decline or hold in abeyance any loan approval or disbursement(s) to any applicant found to have outstanding lawsuits, citations, hearings, liabilities, appeals, sanctions or other pending actions whose negative outcome could significantly impact, in the opinion of the Program, the financial circumstances of the applicant.