Scenario 1. My business may close because I don’t have enough working capital.
If you are facing an SBA loan default, then you may want to consider selling your business. If your business has a good track record, but your business is starved for working capital, a loan assumption may be an option. In some cases your loan may be assumable by a third-party buyer who can then step into your shoes, purchasing both the assets and assuming the debt creating a win-win for you and the bank.
Scenario 2. My business is doing well and we want to sell, but we have an SBA loan outstanding.
When you start a business, apart from the income it generates, there is always a need for an exit strategy. It may be that you need to move to take advantage of new opportunities or simply retire. When you have an outstanding SBA loan, you may be able to work with your bank to sell the business and achieve those goals. However, as with the first scenario, you need to be sure you really have “exited” and that no further personal liability exists under the unconditional personal guarantee you signed when the SBA loan was originated.
My loan was assumed, so why should it matter if the new borrower defaults?
Your bank will likely be happy to help facilitate a loan assumption to avoid a default. And, you banker may also be willing to work with you to help facilitate an exit for retirement. Certainly, this sounds like a win-win situation for all parties. However, the devil is in the details. It is important that you work very closely with your attorney to ensure that the SBA actually releases you from the unconditional personal guaranty you signed when you originated the loan. One would think that would be the default result, but that is not the case.
If the new borrower defaults, the bank may certainly pursue them and the new guarantors; however, if neither the new borrower or the new guarantors pay up, and instead file bankruptcy, then the bank may still have recourse against you. In order to avoid this dire situation, you and your attorney should read the fine print of the legal documents together and confirm that you are expressly released. Your banker may also think that that you are released, but it is the fine print in the final documents that count. Remember, the bank, well meaning or not, does not represent you. You must look to yourself and your own attorney to protect your interests.
