This article from HousingWire, “CFPB Issues Its Final Rule On Small Business Lending”, discusses the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) new regulations regarding small business lending. This final rule seeks to balance the playing field between larger businesses that can easily obtain better loan terms and small businesses who often struggle to find financing.

The rule applies to small business loans of $500,000 or less, addressing costs and terms of the loan, as well as the data collected so lenders can better assess the creditworthiness of a borrower. Primarily, the CFPB’s regulation serves to ensure that small business owners have access to the same financing options that larger companies do. It requires lenders to provide a Loan Estimate no later than three business days after receiving a loan application. This Loan Estimate summarizes key terms of the loan such as interest rate, expected payments, and other borrowing costs. Under this final rule, lenders must also provide a Loan Estimate when a consumer privately arranges financing from personal contacts, shareholders, or affiliates.

The CFPB also seeks to ensure that consumers have access to comparative data on lending options so that maythey can compare interest rates, fees, and other loan terms. The regulation requires lenders to report the data of the smaller loans (~$500.000 or less) to consumer reporting agencies in order to give borrowers a full view of their creditworthiness. The ultimate goal of this regulation is to ensure that lenders have access to good quality data in order to make more informed decisions and to ensure that small businesses are not being taken advantage of through predatory loan terms.

Small businesses are an important pillar of the economy and have always been taken advantage of due to their lack of access to financing that larger businesses have. The CFPB’s final rule serves to level the playing field and ensure small businesses have access to the same loan terms that larger companies are able to negotiate. The regulation also seeks to protect consumers by providing access to data so that borrowers can make more informed decisions and better compare their financing options. Overall, this final rule serves to ensure fairness in the loan market and to protect small business owners.

You can read this full article at: https://www.housingwire.com/articles/cfpb-issues-its-final-rule-on-small-business-lending/(subscription required)

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