Federal Reserve Opens Main Street Lending Program with $600 Billion
(Published 4/25/20 – New links to program information)
On April 9, 2020, the Federal Reserve System quietly announced the opening of the Main Street Lending Program. Through this program, the “Fed” is providing $600 Billion in loans to small and mid-market businesses. Loans are available to companies with up to 10,000 employees and annual revenues up to $2.5 Billion. Business must commit to make reasonable efforts to maintain payroll and retain workers. Loans may be new, or may be used to expand existing loans.
Given the limited funds in the SBA’s EIDL Program, the Main Street Lending Program may be a useful alternative.
The program has two types of loans:
- Main Street New Loan Facility (MSNLF), which provides new loans to businesses per the MSNLF Term Sheet.
- Main Street Expanded Loan Facility (MSELF), which expands existing loans to businesses per the MSELF Term Sheet.
The minimum loan is $1 million and the term is fixed at 4 years with the amortization of principal and interest deferred for the first year. The rate is adjustable based on the Secured Overnight Funds Rate (SOFR) plus 250 to 400 basis points, equating to a current rate between 2.51% and 4.01%.
