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SBA Management Review: Office of Credit Risk Management (House Small Business Committee hearing, February 5, 2020)

Summary

The printed record of a House Committee on Small Business hearing, SBA Management Review: Office of Credit Risk Management, held February 5, 2020, Small Business Committee Document Number 116–069. The committee met at 11:35 a.m. in Room 2360 of the Rayburn House Office Building with Chairwoman Nydia Velázquez presiding; she and Ranking Member Steve Chabot gave opening statements. The sole witness was Susan E. Streich, Director of the Office of Credit Risk Management, which the chairwoman describes as responsible for oversight of SBA's lending programs and its $120 billion 7(a) and 504 loan portfolios serving the nation's 30 million small businesses. The appendix carries Streich's prepared statement and her responses to questions from Velázquez, Chabot and Ross Spano.

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“SBA Management Review: Office of Credit Risk Management (House Small Business Committee hearing, February 5, 2020).” Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/sba-management-review-office-of-credit-risk-management-house-small-bus-152565cea8/, SHA-256 efda618310f9eba0106e5fb0ccb07909c4165b78696a9756b3ce36b594fe7eb2.

Full text

                                                                   SBA MANAGEMENT REVIEW: OFFICE OF CREDIT
                                                                             RISK MANAGEMENT


                                                                                                  HEARING
                                                                                                          BEFORE THE


                                                                       COMMITTEE ON SMALL BUSINESS
                                                                              UNITED STATES
                                                                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
                                                                                ONE HUNDRED SIXTEENTH CONGRESS
                                                                                                       SECOND SESSION


                                                                                                        HEARING HELD
                                                                                                       FEBRUARY 5, 2020




                                                                                Small Business Committee Document Number 116–069
                                                                                  Available via the GPO Website: www.govinfo.gov




                                                                                           U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
                                                                    39–556                             WASHINGTON : 2020




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                                                                                    HOUSE COMMITTEE ON SMALL BUSINESS
                                                                                NYDIA VELÁZQUEZ, New York, Chairwoman
                                                                                        ABBY FINKENAUER, Iowa
                                                                                         JARED GOLDEN, Maine
                                                                                         ANDY KIM, New Jersey
                                                                                         JASON CROW, Colorado
                                                                                        SHARICE DAVIDS, Kansas
                                                                                          JUDY CHU, California
                                                                                          MARC VEASEY, Texas
                                                                                      DWIGHT EVANS, Pennsylvania
                                                                                       BRAD SCHNEIDER, Illinois
                                                                                     ADRIANO ESPAILLAT, New York
                                                                                     ANTONIO DELGADO, New York
                                                                                   CHRISSY HOULAHAN, Pennsylvania
                                                                                        ANGIE CRAIG, Minnesota
                                                                                  STEVE CHABOT, Ohio, Ranking Member
                                                                   AUMUA AMATA COLEMAN RADEWAGEN, American Samoa, Vice Ranking Member
                                                                                        TROY BALDERSON, Ohio
                                                                                         KEVIN HERN, Oklahoma
                                                                                       JIM HAGEDORN, Minnesota
                                                                                       PETE STAUBER, Minnesota
                                                                                       TIM BURCHETT, Tennessee
                                                                                          ROSS SPANO, Florida
                                                                                       JOHN JOYCE, Pennsylvania
                                                                                      DAN BISHOP, North Carolina

                                                                                          MELISSA JUNG, Majority Staff Director
                                                                            JUSTIN PELLETIER, Majority Deputy Staff Director and Chief Counsel
                                                                                            KEVIN FITZPATRICK, Staff Director




                                                                                                                  (II)




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                                                                                                            CONTENTS
                                                                                                         OPENING STATEMENTS
                                                                                                                                                                                         Page
                                                              Hon. Nydia Velázquez .............................................................................................          1
                                                              Hon. Steve Chabot ...................................................................................................        2

                                                                                                                      WITNESS
                                                              Ms. Susan E. Streich, Director, Office of Credit Risk Management, United
                                                               States Small Business Administration, Washington, DC .................................                                      3

                                                                                                                     APPENDIX
                                                              Prepared Statement:
                                                                  Ms. Susan E. Streich, Director, Office of Credit Risk Management, United
                                                                    States Small Business Administration, Washington, DC ..........................                                       17
                                                              Questions and Responses:
                                                                  Questions from Hon. Nydia Velázquez, Hon. Steve Chabot, and Hon.
                                                                    Ross Spano to Ms. Susan E. Streich and Responses from Ms. Susan
                                                                    E. Streich .......................................................................................................    22
                                                              Additional Material for the Record:
                                                                  None.




                                                                                                                           (III)




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                                                                      SBA MANAGEMENT REVIEW: OFFICE OF
                                                                           CREDIT RISK MANAGEMENT

                                                                                      WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2020

                                                                                       HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
                                                                                   COMMITTEE ON SMALL BUSINESS,
                                                                                                                 Washington, DC.
                                                                 The Committee met, pursuant to call, at 11:35 a.m., in Room
                                                              2360, Rayburn House Office Building. Hon. Nydia Velázquez
                                                              [chairwoman of the Committee] presiding.
                                                                 Present: Representatives Velázquez, Finkenauer, Golden, Kim,
                                                              Evans, Schneider, Delgado, Craig, Chabot, Burchett, and Hern.
                                                                 Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. Good morning.
                                                                 The Committee will come to order. I thank everyone for joining
                                                              us this morning, and I want to especially thank the witness for
                                                              being here with us today.
                                                                 This morning, the Committee will examine the management and
                                                              performance of SBA’s Office of Credit Risk Management, otherwise
                                                              known as OCRM. It is responsible for conducting oversight of
                                                              SBA’s lending programs and its $120 billion 7(a) and 504 loan port-
                                                              folios.
                                                                 All of us are acutely aware that access to capital plays a vital
                                                              role in the success of our nation’s 30 million small businesses.
                                                              Without it, small businesses cannot stock their shelves, pay their
                                                              employees, or upgrade equipment. Capital is the key to unlocking
                                                              opportunities to grow and create new jobs in the local economy.
                                                              Yet, this Committee has heard from numerous small businesses
                                                              from across the country, and they consistently tell us that one of
                                                              the biggest challenges they face is accessing affordable capital.
                                                                 The SBA 7(a) loan program plays an essential role in filling the
                                                              gap left by the private markets. In fiscal year 2019, almost 52,000
                                                              small businesses were approved for 7(a) loans, injecting over $23
                                                              billion in long-term capital into local communities across the coun-
                                                              try and supporting approximately 500,000 jobs. To optimize SBA’s
                                                              lending programs, SBA established the Office of Credit Risk Man-
                                                              agement within the Office of Capital Access. OCRM conducts re-
                                                              views of lenders to ensure that they are complying with the pro-
                                                              gram requirements.
                                                                 While the office played an important role in lender oversight, un-
                                                              precedented growth in the program combined with deficiencies
                                                              identified by GAO in SBA’s credit risk management prompted con-
                                                              gressional action. To that end, Congress passed the 7(a) Lending
                                                              Oversight Reform Act, which codified OCRM and gave it the tools
                                                              needed to conduct proper oversight and hold non-compliant lenders
                                                              accountable.
                                                                                                                  (1)




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                                                                 Today, I would like to learn more about how the SBA is imple-
                                                              menting the legislation. The regulation was expected to be finalized
                                                              months ago, so I am eager to hear when the final rule will be pub-
                                                              lished.
                                                                 Secondly, I would like to find out what is currently working at
                                                              OCRM, and what more can be done to address the ongoing concern
                                                              the Inspector General has with high-dollar, early-default loans,
                                                              which present a significant credit risk to the 7(a) program.
                                                                 Finally, I would like to know more about the steps you are tak-
                                                              ing to address the concerns of the Inspector General’s November re-
                                                              port. The report highlighted some areas where there is room for
                                                              improvement, and my motto always is, if it is not perfect, let’s
                                                              make it better.
                                                                 So, on the heels of that IG report, and in anticipation of SBA’s
                                                              budget submission to Congress, this hearing is a timely one.
                                                                 We look forward to hearing from the Director of the Office of
                                                              Credit Risk Management, Ms. Susan Streich, regarding the chal-
                                                              lenges she has faced since taking over at OCRM, as well as wheth-
                                                              er there are any additional tools Congress can provide OCRM as
                                                              it works to continue strengthening the 7(a) loan program.
                                                                 Again, I want to thank the witness for being here today, and I
                                                              now yield to the Ranking Member, Mr. Chabot, for his opening
                                                              statement.
                                                                 Mr. CHABOT. Thank you, Madam Chair. And thank you for
                                                              holding this hearing.
                                                                 Financing for a small business, entrepreneur or startup is the
                                                              fuel that turns the Nation’s economic engine on and propels it for-
                                                              ward. It can be the key to transforming an idea into the next great
                                                              American product or service.
                                                                 Unfortunately, as our economy moves forward, access to capital
                                                              remains one of the top challenges for the Nation’s job creators.
                                                              When financing options are limited, small business have the option
                                                              of turning to the SBA, the Small Business Administration, and its
                                                              numerous lending programs. These public-private partnerships
                                                              offer government guarantees based upon a multitude of factors. An-
                                                              nually, these programs provide capital assistance to small busi-
                                                              nesses all across the country, including in America’s greatest state,
                                                              Ohio.
                                                                 However, with any Federal Government program, vigorous and
                                                              comprehensive oversight is mandatory to safeguard American tax-
                                                              payer dollars.
                                                                 While this Committee conducts congressional oversight, the SBA
                                                              also dedicates an entire operating unit to this endeavor. The Office
                                                              of Credit Risk Management is charged with overseeing lending
                                                              partners and monitoring program risk. Last Congress, the Chair-
                                                              woman and I led efforts to codify this office and to ensure that it
                                                              remains a top priority moving forward.
                                                                 That is why it is critically important that the office’s director is
                                                              testifying today. I am looking forward to a productive conversation
                                                              that examines each program’s performance and each program’s
                                                              risk. Additionally, I would like to hear how last Congress’s over-
                                                              sight bill has been implemented and whether it has provided the
                                                              tools necessary to access and to assess and guard against risk with-
                                                              in the 7(a) loan program.




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                                                                 Each program is unique. Thus, each program requires its own
                                                              specific oversight plan. I am looking forward to examining each
                                                              program at this hearing. The timing of this hearing is fortuitous
                                                              because in the coming days we will receive the President’s budget
                                                              and each agency’s congressional budget justification which will in-
                                                              clude fiscal year 2021 requests. These important documents add
                                                              another layer to the monitoring of these programs.
                                                                 I know this Committee would like to continue to work with the
                                                              SBA to ensure these programs run effectively and efficiently on be-
                                                              half of the small businesses that truly need the SBA’s services.
                                                                 I want to thank the witness for joining us this morning. I wel-
                                                              come the conversation, and I yield back, Madam Chair.
                                                                 Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. Thank you, Mr. Chabot. The gen-
                                                              tleman yields back.
                                                                 If Committee members have an opening statement, we would ask
                                                              that they be submitted for the record.
                                                                 I would like to explain the timing rules. The witness gets 5 min-
                                                              utes to testify and members get 5 minutes for questioning. There
                                                              is a lighting system to assist you. The green light comes on when
                                                              you begin, and the yellow light means there is 1 minute remaining.
                                                              The red light comes on when you are out of time, and we ask that
                                                              you stay within that timeframe to the best of your ability.
                                                                 I would now like to introduce our only witness today.
                                                                 Our witness is Susan Streich. Susan joined the SBA in 2016 as
                                                              Director of the Office of Financial Program Operations, part of the
                                                              Office of Capital Access. She became director of the Office of Credit
                                                              Risk Management in 2017. Prior to joining the SBA, Susan spent
                                                              her distinguished career engaged in SBA lending, working with a
                                                              diverse array of financial services organizations, including a 7(a)
                                                              bank, a CDC delivering the 504 program in Arizona, and a small
                                                              business lending company with a national footprint. More recently,
                                                              Susan served in senior consulting roles with Booz Allen Hamilton
                                                              and NFI Consulting, leading projects with USDA’s Office of Rural
                                                              Development and the U.S. Treasury’s CDFI Fund.
                                                                 Ms. Streich, you are now recognized for 5 minutes. Thank you for
                                                              being here.
                                                              STATEMENT OF SUSAN E. STREICH, DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF
                                                               CREDIT RISK MANAGEMENT, UNITED STATES SMALL BUSI-
                                                               NESS ADMINISTRATION
                                                                 Ms. STREICH. Thank you, Chairwoman Velázquez, Ranking
                                                              Member Chabot, and members of the Committee for inviting me to
                                                              speak today. It is my pleasure to appear before you as we start this
                                                              new calendar year.
                                                                 As director of SBA’s Office of Credit Risk Management, or OCRM
                                                              for short, I am responsible for the oversight of lenders participating
                                                              in the Small Business Administration’s business loan programs.
                                                                 I bring to this position over 37 years of lending experience and
                                                              a commitment to the small business community and the lending
                                                              partners that serve them.
                                                                 In 2016, I was selected by SBA to serve as director of the Office
                                                              of Financial Program Operations in the Office of Capital Access.
                                                              While in that position, I successfully oversaw SBA’s loan origina-
                                                              tion servicing and liquidation operations. In 2017, I became the act-




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                                                              ing director of OCRM, and was made permanent director 3 months
                                                              later by then-administrator Linda McMahon.
                                                                 OCRM is responsible for developing and implementing effective
                                                              risk management practices and overseeing SBA loan programs and
                                                              lender participants. The four main responsibilities of my office are
                                                              to provide lender oversight, monitor the entire 7(a) and 504 loan
                                                              portfolios for performance, administer enforcement and supervision
                                                              of SBA approved lenders, and when necessary, suspend or debar
                                                              program participants.
                                                                 In 2018, Congress passed the Small Business 7(a) Lending Over-
                                                              sight Reform Act, which statutorily codified the existence and re-
                                                              sponsibilities of OCRM.
                                                                 I want to thank Congress, and particularly the members of this
                                                              Committee, for their work on this very important legislation.
                                                                 The 2018 legislation required SBA to promulgate regulations to
                                                              implement certain provisions of the law. The agency has pursued
                                                              this rulemaking in a diligent manner and published the proposed
                                                              Lender Oversight Rule in June 2019, 1 year following enactment
                                                              of the law. The final rule is expected to be published by the end
                                                              of the month.
                                                                 Over the last 2 years, OCRM has also been seeking ways to bet-
                                                              ter fulfill its mission while adapting to the current lending environ-
                                                              ment. OCRM has accomplished this by improving its operations, as
                                                              well as by bringing on additional staff.
                                                                 In 2019, OCRM implemented nationwide expansion of the Lend-
                                                              er Oversight Pilot Program so that one team is overseeing all feder-
                                                              ally regulated 7(a) lender participants. This national rollout cre-
                                                              ated a consistent review methodology across the Nation, improving
                                                              lender oversight and resulting in a more robust, effective and effi-
                                                              cient lender review process. This program enhancement was cou-
                                                              pled with a renewed focus on customer service with program par-
                                                              ticipants.
                                                                 OCRM is increasing its number of personnel from 36 to 42 staff
                                                              members in order to better fulfill its mission. OCRM has built
                                                              strong and collaborative relationships with the Federal Deposit In-
                                                              surance Corporation and the Office of the Comptroller of the Cur-
                                                              rency as part of its lender oversight activities. These partnerships
                                                              with the primary Federal regulators for lenders have enabled
                                                              OCRM to fulfill its mission and enhance its effectiveness in pro-
                                                              viding lender oversight of SBA program participants.
                                                                 I want to briefly touch upon the report that SBA’s Inspector Gen-
                                                              eral released in 2019 regarding the oversight of high-risk lenders.
                                                              The report covers lender oversight practices from 2015 to 2017,
                                                              which was before I took my role as director of OCRM. The report
                                                              offers six recommendations to improve oversight activities. We are
                                                              in the process of addressing those recommendations and will con-
                                                              tinue to address the concerns raised in the report.
                                                                 Finally, I want the Committee to know that OCRM is pursuing
                                                              several significant goals during the current fiscal year to improve
                                                              its ability to proactively monitor portfolio performance and identify
                                                              and mitigate lender risk. These include adding microloan inter-
                                                              mediary oversight capabilities by the end of this fiscal year; pub-
                                                              lishing the final lender oversight rule by the end of next month; re-
                                                              vising our two OCRM SOPs, SOP 5053, which is the Supervision




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                                                              and Enforcement SOP and SOP 5100, which is our examination
                                                              manual; and continuing to enhance our partnerships with the
                                                              FDIC and OCC.
                                                                 Thank you, Chairwoman Velázquez and Ranking Member
                                                              Chabot, for inviting me to testify here today. I look forward to an-
                                                              swering your questions and continuing our work together with you
                                                              to ensure proper oversight of SBA loan programs.
                                                                 Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. Thank you, Ms. Streich.
                                                                 I will begin by recognizing myself for 5 minutes.
                                                                 Last June, the SBA published a proposed rule to implement the
                                                              7(a) Lending Oversight Reform Act. The agency received 35 com-
                                                              ments from the public in response to the proposal. Can you de-
                                                              scribe the nature of the comments OCRM received in response?
                                                                 Ms. STREICH. Thank you. Okay, sorry.
                                                                 I do not have that information, that level of granularity with me
                                                              today. I would be happy to get that for you if you would like.
                                                                 Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. Sure, thank you.
                                                                 I am happy to hear that the rule will be published at the end
                                                              of this month. Will the rule be significantly different from the pro-
                                                              posed rule, the final rule?
                                                                 Ms. STREICH. No. Not in my estimation. Not significantly dif-
                                                              ferent.
                                                                 Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. Okay. The IG has an ongoing high-
                                                              risk 7(a) loan review program to see if high dollar 7(a) loans that
                                                              defaulted early were originated, closed, and complying with SBA’s
                                                              rule. The IG has identified numerous such loans that have created
                                                              a considerable credit risk to the agency. What specific action items
                                                              are you taking to make sure noncompliant lenders are held ac-
                                                              countable?
                                                                 Ms. STREICH. So Chairwoman Velázquez, the primary responsi-
                                                              bility for that activity actually resides with my former team, the
                                                              Office of Financial Program Operations, and they work closely with
                                                              the OIG on those issues throughout the year and try to resolve
                                                              them as quickly as they can.
                                                                 Now, how it impacts OCRM, as we are involved in lender over-
                                                              sight and reviews for those lenders that have actually originated
                                                              those loans, we are looking and collaborating with our team mem-
                                                              bers over an OFPO to see how we can actually build upon what
                                                              they are learning and make sure that we are collaborating and
                                                              learning from one another how we can help coach that lender into
                                                              doing the right thing from a compliance standpoint going forward.
                                                                 Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. The Oversight Act gave you addi-
                                                              tional tools to deal with program violations. How, and how often
                                                              have you used them?
                                                                 Ms. STREICH. We have approximately, in a variety of ways,
                                                              ma’am, we have approximately 40 lenders on the watch list, which
                                                              means that they are under increased supervision. That list changes
                                                              almost monthly depending upon——
                                                                 Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. What type of supervision? Are you
                                                              coaching them? Informal mechanism or——
                                                                 Ms. STREICH. It involves everything from voluntary agreements
                                                              with them to stand down on use of delegated authority or PLP au-
                                                              thority, to standing by on sale of any loans in the secondary mar-
                                                              ket without our view and permission of each and every loan trans-




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                                                              action. So, it can be a pretty significant impact on those lenders.
                                                              Many of those lenders are under orders from their primary federal
                                                              regulators.
                                                                 And then we have additional informal and formal actions under
                                                              way right now. I cannot be specific as to what they are as you
                                                              might know because they are confidential. And we have additional
                                                              supervision actions that we take, including when we are conducting
                                                              a review of a lender and we have concerns about the performance
                                                              that is exhibited both operationally for them and in deficiencies in
                                                              the loan review process. We will call them in to headquarters and
                                                              have a conversation with them and give them some kind of an ac-
                                                              tion plan to work with us on.
                                                                 Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. How many lenders are you dealing
                                                              with in this category?
                                                                 Ms. STREICH. Probably close to 125 at this point in time.
                                                                 Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. Ms. Streich, as you may know, ear-
                                                              lier this summer an SBA loan broker pleaded guilty to SBA loan
                                                              fraud amounting to more than $100 million and was sentenced to
                                                              prison for 9 years. Back in 2013, a codefendant was sentenced to
                                                              15 years and ordered to pay restitution of $91 million. Clearly,
                                                              keeping track of loan brokers and agents like this is a challenge
                                                              for the SBA. How effective is the current mechanism for tracking
                                                              loan brokers and agents? Please comment on its effectiveness.
                                                                 Ms. STREICH. Thank you, ma’am.
                                                                 Two things to think about here. One is that I am the suspension
                                                              and debarment agent’s agent for the SBA for all financial pro-
                                                              grams. I have the ability with OIG and OGC participation to take
                                                              suspension and debarment actions against individuals that have
                                                              received convictions or even indictments that we are concerned that
                                                              should get out of the lending industry entirely. And we do take
                                                              those actions regularly.
                                                                 Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. Have you taken such actions?
                                                                 Ms. STREICH. Yes. Yes.
                                                                 The risk that loan agents pose to the agency is something that
                                                              we are constantly monitoring. About 11 percent of the portfolio in
                                                              7(a) has been generated through loan agent activity. We work
                                                              closely as the FDIC and the OCC guidance has been provided to
                                                              their lenders. We work closely with the lenders involved that have
                                                              those contractual relationships with loan agents, and we work with
                                                              them to see how they are managing the third parties that they re-
                                                              tain, including loan agents. When we have an upcoming review of
                                                              a lender, we ask them if they have third parties involved in their
                                                              SBA loan operation at any stage. If we do find out that they do
                                                              have third parties, we get copies of the loan agreements that they
                                                              have, the contracts that they have with those agents. We review
                                                              those as part of our overall review, and then for each one we ask
                                                              them to complete a nine-page questionnaire to give us much more
                                                              detail about what is going on with that lender relationship and
                                                              what services they provide. That gives us a great deal of informa-
                                                              tion. That just began about the last 6 months so we do not have
                                                              lots of comprehensive data yet, but we are gathering it in hopes
                                                              that it will give us insight into how we can manage that and mon-
                                                              itor that more closely.
                                                                 Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. So last point.




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                                                                 Ms. STREICH. Yes.
                                                                 Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. Do you have enough staff to keep
                                                              track of loan brokers?
                                                                 Ms. STREICH. Ma’am, I think it depends on what you mean by
                                                              ‘‘keep track.’’ In terms of monitoring the risk on the portfolio and
                                                              the performance for lenders, yes, at this point we do.
                                                                 Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. Okay.
                                                                 Now, we recognize the Ranking Member.
                                                                 Mr. CHABOT. Thank you, Madam Chair.
                                                                 Thank you for being here today, Ms. Streich.
                                                                 As you know, Congress passed, and President Trump signed into
                                                              law the Small Business 7(a) Lending Oversight Reform Act in the
                                                              last Congress. While there are many provisions in the law that
                                                              strengthen the SBA’s ability to oversee risk, I want to touch on just
                                                              one that is essential for the program to serve small businesses that
                                                              truly need the SBA’s resources.
                                                                 Could you walk the Committee through the credit elsewhere test
                                                              and how your office monitors that?
                                                                 Ms. STREICH. So the legislation that you passed last year and
                                                              I would expect we will see something like this in the rule, and we
                                                              have SOPs that designate what the credit elsewhere rule means
                                                              and how lenders comply with it. And it is very specific in the SOP
                                                              50 10(5)(K). And we apply and interpret that in our reviews of
                                                              lender files so that we can determine whether or not they are actu-
                                                              ally maintaining compliance with credit elsewhere.
                                                                 The challenge with credit elsewhere, frankly, has been that we
                                                              do not have an easy, automated, electronic solution at this point in
                                                              time to check the box and determine how many of each reason for
                                                              credit elsewhere not being available the lender may have actually
                                                              checked. So, it is a bit of a manual exercise for us right now in the
                                                              loan review process.
                                                                 Just to give you an idea of the volume of loan files that are re-
                                                              viewed, the federally regulated team reviewed 2,000 loan files last
                                                              fiscal year, and that did include the SBA supervised loan files that
                                                              were reviewed, each and every one. We are manually keeping that
                                                              information on spreadsheets at the moment in hopes that eventu-
                                                              ally we will be able to actually have a database that we can include
                                                              that information on and make it easier to query and gather that
                                                              information and share it with you more specifically.
                                                                 Mr. CHABOT. Thank you.
                                                                 How often does it occur that lenders violate the credit elsewhere
                                                              test?
                                                                 Ms. STREICH. It is interesting that you would ask that. We had
                                                              a meeting about this just the other day, wrapping up 2019 reviews,
                                                              some of which the reports, or some of them are still getting com-
                                                              pleted and getting out. And we only have one lender in all of 2019
                                                              that really, in your opinion, was egregious with regard to not docu-
                                                              menting credit elsewhere to our satisfaction, and we have talked to
                                                              that lender.
                                                                 Mr. CHABOT. That is good to hear. Thank you.
                                                                 Congress was notified this time last year that the 7(a) loan pro-
                                                              gram required a $99 million subsidy to continue operating in fiscal
                                                              year 2020. In the coming days we are set to receive the fiscal year




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                                                              2021 number. Will the 7(a) loan program and/or the 504 CDC loan
                                                              program require a subsidy moving forward?
                                                                 Ms. STREICH. I am sorry; I will not be able to answer that ques-
                                                              tion. The Office of Capital Access and OCRM are not involved in
                                                              determining what the subsidy model components are and how it is
                                                              going to be developed. That really resides with our OCFO office.
                                                                 Mr. CHABOT. Expecting, anticipating that answer, let me ask
                                                              the question in another way.
                                                                 How have the 7(a) loan program and the 504 loan program per-
                                                              formed this year compared to last year?
                                                                 Ms. STREICH. So I would say that overall the entire portfolio is
                                                              performing well, both in 7(a) and 504. 504 defaults are at a re-
                                                              markable low level, remarkably low level. 7(a), we have seen early
                                                              defaults in 7(a) creeping up slightly year over year, but not chang-
                                                              ing dramatically and are not presently a cause for concern.
                                                                 Mr. CHABOT. Okay. Thank you.
                                                                 As you stated in your testimony, the SBA lending programs are
                                                              reserved for ‘‘creditworthy small businesses that otherwise would
                                                              not be able to access capital to start or expand their business.’’
                                                                 We want to continue to work with your office to ensure the ap-
                                                              propriate small businesses have access to these programs. What, if
                                                              any, additional tools do you think that you might need at your dis-
                                                              posal to meet this mission? Anything come to mind?
                                                                 Ms. STREICH. Thank you very much for asking.
                                                                 I think at this point we are still trying to digest all the changes
                                                              that have come about because of the act that you all were so won-
                                                              derful to provide for us and the additional authority provided to us.
                                                              We are actually also making changes organizationally and func-
                                                              tionally to make sure that we can do everything from a regulatory
                                                              standpoint that we are changed with and do it well. Obviously, in-
                                                              terest and sustaining a program integrity for the long term and
                                                              serving the needs of the small businesses who really need access
                                                              to capital. So, I think we need a little more time to digest every-
                                                              thing before I can recommend anything new that we might need
                                                              in terms of authority.
                                                                 Mr. CHABOT. Thank you very much.
                                                                 Since I am in single digits as how much time I have left, I am
                                                              going to yield back rather than go over here. Thank you. I yield
                                                              back.
                                                                 Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. Thank you. The gentleman yields
                                                              back.
                                                                 Now we recognize the gentleman from Pennsylvania, Mr. Evans,
                                                              for 5 minutes.
                                                                 Mr. EVANS. Thank you, Madam Chairperson.
                                                                 For the 7(a) loan program, SBA is not the direct lender. Instead,
                                                              it relies on private sector lenders, and these private sector lenders
                                                              are mostly banks. But it also includes small business lending com-
                                                              panies. FinTech lending has become increasingly popular for small
                                                              businesses looking for loans. Are there any plans for the SBA to
                                                              engage with FinTech lenders, and do you think it should?
                                                                 Ms. STREICH. Thank you for the question. I appreciate it very
                                                              much.
                                                                 We have talked to a number of FinTech lenders through the
                                                              course of the last couple of years. There is not an easy relationship




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                                                              between what they do and what we do at this point in time, but
                                                              we are learning from one another. And the result of just that con-
                                                              cept of quick decisioning and Internet-based applications has
                                                              helped foster the lender Match program at SBA. You may have
                                                              heard about that. It is an online application that is actually free
                                                              to the borrower or the proposed borrower and enables a number of
                                                              lenders participating in the 7(a) program to review applications
                                                              that come in right to the SBA website. It is a very successful pro-
                                                              gram. It is actually going forward and being improved now. And by
                                                              the end of, I believe, March, we are going to have a Spanish
                                                              version of Lender Match.
                                                                 Mr. EVANS. So you are going to engage with FinTechs?
                                                                 Ms. STREICH. It is a very similar approach to the FinTech solu-
                                                              tion because it is an Internet-based application. Yes, that is simi-
                                                              lar. We not really working one of the FinTechs to do this, however.
                                                                 Did I answer your question, sir?
                                                                 Mr. EVANS. Yes, you did.
                                                                 Ms. STREICH. Okay.
                                                                 Mr. EVANS. In your written statement you said that your office
                                                              participates in informal and formal enforcement actions, including
                                                              volunteer agreements and suspensions from participation in SBA
                                                              programs. How many enforcement actions did your office initiate in
                                                              2019? And what were the nature of these actions?
                                                                 Ms. STREICH. In 2019, we had informal and formal enforcement
                                                              actions. I think it was five. We have since then taken additional
                                                              actions in fiscal 2020 and we are continuing to be rigorous in our
                                                              approach to suspension and enforcement activities. The informal
                                                              activities generally involve calling a lender into a headquarters
                                                              meeting, which is actually a very serious occasion wehore we sit
                                                              down with them and we ask them if they understand why they are
                                                              not compliant with our requirements and what we can do to get
                                                              them on track. We want them on a compliant path, obviously, to
                                                              go forward.
                                                                 And then secondly, we have voluntary agreements. So if it is a
                                                              PLP lender, a preferred lender that has delegated authority, we
                                                              will ask them to please stand by in delegated authority and submit
                                                              all of their loan applications to the center in Citrus Heights for
                                                              their review, underwriting, and approval. So, we can track through
                                                              the center how they are performing in terms of application activity.
                                                              Are their applications complete? Do they really catch everything
                                                              from a credit administration standpoint in the credit memo? Do
                                                              they follow up and abide by the credit elsewhere criteria? All of
                                                              that can be checked by the center and they feed that information
                                                              back to us. When we think that they have solved their problems
                                                              and they are performing well, then we are willing to let them use
                                                              delegated authority again, but not until then.
                                                                 Mr. EVANS. This is somewhat of a piggyback on the Chair-
                                                              woman’s question earlier about resources. The 7(a) loan program
                                                              has made rapid growth in recent years, and in fiscal 2012, the pro-
                                                              gram approved $15.2 billion in loans. By fiscal 2017, that number
                                                              increased to $24.5 billion.
                                                                 Ms. Streich, how has your office adapted to this rapid growth?
                                                              And does it need additional resources to provide effective oversight
                                                              of credit risk?




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                                                                 I think what I heard you when you were responding to the
                                                              Chairwoman, you said, kind of gave an answer that was not that
                                                              clear to me.
                                                                 Ms. STREICH. Okay. Happy to have to provide additional infor-
                                                              mation.
                                                                 We have a great data warehouse called the Loaner Lender Moni-
                                                              toring System, LLMS for short. It is managed for us by Dun &
                                                              Bradstreet. And that system provides great data analytics for us to
                                                              measure performance by loan, by loan segment, by industry, by in-
                                                              dustry type, by geography and a variety of other segmentations
                                                              that we can perform of the portfolio to identify where risk is in the
                                                              portfolio, where emerging risk may be, and then what we need to
                                                              do to mitigate it. So that information is readily available from
                                                              LLMS. And we use that information weekly, monthly, quarterly,
                                                              semi-annually, and annually in intense deep drives into certain as-
                                                              pects, segments of the portfolio give us great data to use to deter-
                                                              mine what kind of course of action we as a risk identifying and
                                                              mitigating group have to proceed to make sure that we have man-
                                                              aged risk in the portfolio for 7(a).
                                                                 Did I do a better job of answering that question?
                                                                 Mr. EVANS. I yield. Yes.
                                                                 Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. The time has expired.
                                                                 Mr. EVANS. I yield. Yes. Thank you.
                                                                 Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. Now, we recognize the Ranking
                                                              Member of the Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Tax, and Cap-
                                                              ital Access, the gentleman from Oklahoma, Mr. Hern.
                                                                 Mr. HERN. Thank you, Madam Chairwoman, Ranking Member
                                                              Chabot.
                                                                 Director Streich, thanks for being here.
                                                                 As the Ranking Member of the Small Business Committee, Sub-
                                                              committee on Economic Growth, Tax, and Capital Access, I under-
                                                              stand the need for small businesses and entrepreneurs to obtain
                                                              access to capital. Additionally as a founder of a small community
                                                              bank, I also understand that heavily financial risk involved with
                                                              lending and loan programs such as this, sort of a loan of last re-
                                                              sort, if you will, I have experience with both the banking and the
                                                              business side. I find that it is essential that we have the necessary
                                                              checks and balances in place to ensure that the SBA’s loan pro-
                                                              grams are being properly executed and that the government is not
                                                              being taken advantage of due to lack of oversight. So, thank you.
                                                                 As you know, the 7(a) loan program gives small businesses the
                                                              opportunity to gain access to capital who often do not have the ca-
                                                              pacity to gain funding on their own. This successful program has
                                                              provided nearly 52,000 loans for small businesses and entre-
                                                              preneurs across the country, and the program operates by taking
                                                              fees which allow the SBA to run the loan program efficiently while
                                                              also protecting our taxpayers.
                                                                 These built-in fees meant to cover all program costs have been
                                                              sufficient until recently as the 7(a) program claimed the need for
                                                              a $99 million subsidy in fiscal year 2020.
                                                                 As someone who has successfully managed budgets his whole life
                                                              this was very concerning. It was concerning for every member on
                                                              the panel, the Chairwoman, both sides of the aisle here. To go from




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                                                              self-sufficiency to reliance on a $99 billion subsidy leaves me with
                                                              numerous questions including the following.
                                                                 And I appreciate it. I have been listening to you for short min-
                                                              utes here and you have got answers. When your former CFO was
                                                              here, he seemed not to have any answers to the tough questions,
                                                              so thank you for coming prepared to answer questions today.
                                                                 Director Streich, what performance characteristics contributed to
                                                              the 7(a) loan program needing subsidy? Was it performance de-
                                                              cline? What are you seeing today? You have described some of
                                                              those as I was walking in here. Could you talk to us about what
                                                              are you needing?
                                                                 Ms. STREICH. So, Congressman, I do not have specific informa-
                                                              tion into the components, into the subsidy model that was created
                                                              by our OCFO office in conjunction with OMB. That information is
                                                              closely held, and they segregate that away from those of us that
                                                              actually are involved in the capital access for purposes of, you
                                                              know, making sure that——
                                                                 Mr. HERN. But you are in credit risk——
                                                                 Ms. STREICH. Right.
                                                                 Mr. HERN. And I do not want this to be confrontational, but you
                                                              are in credit risk. So, you look at a lot of actuarial data, historical
                                                              data. We do not ever throw that away. You described a growing
                                                              economy. You described a default rate that you are collecting your
                                                              monies. And so, it is hard for us I think, I do not think most mem-
                                                              bers’ thoughts have changed on this because we have not had any-
                                                              thing to change it. The economy has even gotten better. We have
                                                              not heard a lot, or anything about business failure. So, what, in
                                                              your assessment of credit risk, there has to be some thoughts about
                                                              what would go on to drive this need for extra money to some myth-
                                                              ical credit risk.
                                                                 Ms. STREICH. So let me go back to my banking and lending
                                                              days and running a SBA loan production center, and talk to you
                                                              about just the countercyclical nature of SBA loans because I think
                                                              that will be helpful.
                                                                 During the Great Recession, SBA lending really took off and we
                                                              put in the portfolio a lot of really high creditworthy borrowers be-
                                                              cause the banks and others, as you might recall, stopped doing
                                                              lending almost entirely. So, the only way some of these borrowers
                                                              could get money was through the SBA loan program.
                                                                 As a result, with the economy being strong, those loans per-
                                                              formed really well. Now, those loans are refinancing and going con-
                                                              ventional because the conventional credit box during a strong econ-
                                                              omy has actually been opened up as a lender. If you have a con-
                                                              servative credit box during tough times, you have a more open
                                                              credit box as you probably did at your community bank during good
                                                              times. And as a result, more loans are going through that process
                                                              conventionally, which is really the purpose of the program. And
                                                              then we are getting loans that may be a little higher risk and fall-
                                                              ing outside of the conventional, the new conventional credit param-
                                                              eters.
                                                                 Mr. HERN. If I may stop you because I have got one other ques-
                                                              tion, but I like the word you just put in there, may be. They have
                                                              not proven to be, and so they are not based on really historical




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                                                              facts. They are based on presumption. And so, we have not seen
                                                              that yet.
                                                                 Let me ask you this last question before we lose our time here.
                                                                 As a result of the 7(a) loan program having a subsidy, what has
                                                              your office done to ensure taxpayer dollars are being protected
                                                              moving forward?
                                                                 Ms. STREICH. So we identify through each of our lender reviews
                                                              targeted and full reviews, we pull credit files, loan files from the
                                                              lenders and we review each and every page of each and every file,
                                                              usually thousands of pages, to make sure that they are being com-
                                                              pliant with SBA’s requirements. If we identify deficiencies during
                                                              those loan file reviews, we communicate that information back to
                                                              the centers that are involved in the operations side, the origination
                                                              and the Guaranty Purchase Center. Through the cron, which is an
                                                              electronic communication tool, we tell them where to focus their at-
                                                              tention. If that loan goes into default and ends up with a purchase
                                                              request to honor the guaranty, the NGPC, which is the National
                                                              Guaranty Purchase Center in Herndon, then that financial analyst
                                                              that pulls that information up on the cron can go right to that part
                                                              of the file, identify whether there is a deficiency that is material,
                                                              and if so, can either repair or deny the guaranty. That enables us
                                                              to make sure that we are not providing taxpayer dollars unneces-
                                                              sarily and inappropriately to a lender who has done the wrong
                                                              thing.
                                                                 Mr. HERN. Thank you.
                                                                 Madam Chairwoman, if I may, I would like to recognize the fact
                                                              that the SBA sent somebody that actually has answers to some of
                                                              our questions. I really appreciate that. This is a refreshing follow
                                                              up to the former member that was here. Thank you.
                                                                 Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. Thank you.
                                                                 Time has expired. Now we recognize——
                                                                 Mr. CHABOT. We do not complement witness around here that
                                                              much, so that is pretty good.
                                                                 Mr. HERN. That is a rarity. Thank you.
                                                                 Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. The gentleman from Illinois, Mr.
                                                              Schneider, for 5 minutes.
                                                                 Mr. SCHNEIDER. Thank you, Madam Chairwoman. Thank you
                                                              for having this hearing.
                                                                 Ms. Streich, thank you for being here. I will echo the comments
                                                              of my colleague, Mr. Hern. I think that is important.
                                                                 He was touching on some important issues. As you related, the
                                                              countercyclicality of the portfolio within the SBA. And as the econ-
                                                              omy is growing, access to capital is still critically important, espe-
                                                              cially for small businesses who enter conventional lending markets
                                                              to tell their story. Often, they may not have the track record of a
                                                              larger business or a more tenured business. It is a startup. And so,
                                                              these opportunities are vitally important to continue to grow our
                                                              economy.
                                                                 At the same time, while I think it is important that SBA lending
                                                              be easily accessed, efficient, effective, we need to monitor and man-
                                                              age the credit. As you were implementing the recommendations of
                                                              the OIG report as you look to the future what are some of the key
                                                              things that we need to do to make sure that we are protecting
                                                              against in appropriate risk, identifying and addressing when lend-




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                                                              ers are behavior inappropriately, but making sure that we main-
                                                              tain that access for small businesses to get the capital they need
                                                              to grow their businesses.
                                                                 Ms. STREICH. That is a great question. One of the challenges
                                                              that we are working with across all of our capital access team, es-
                                                              pecially our Office of Financial Assistance and our Office of Finan-
                                                              cial Program Operations is what kind of additional training we can
                                                              provide to lenders on a regular basis through our district offices,
                                                              through the Office of Field Operations, as well as directly. We did
                                                              16 conferences last year alone, both at district level, regional, and
                                                              trade associations. We do webinars regularly. The whole goal is to
                                                              make sure that lenders do not do the wrong thing. Do not make
                                                              a misstep. There is nothing worse if you are a small business per-
                                                              son relying upon your bank to be judicious in the amount of credit
                                                              they are willing to give you than to have them give you too much,
                                                              you cannot afford to repay it, and all of a sudden then you are in
                                                              trouble.
                                                                 Mr. SCHNEIDER. Right.
                                                                 Ms. STREICH. Right? So, we used to say, very similari to the
                                                              medical community, at first, do no harm. Right? And so, one of the
                                                              things that we have seen in our reviews of certain loan files for cer-
                                                              tain lenders this last year, is that, in fact what is happening in
                                                              part is smaller transactions are being overfunded. And as a result,
                                                              the borrowers are not able to repay that entire amount. They prob-
                                                              ably could have gotten away with significantly less money and it
                                                              would have been much more affordable for them. So it is our job,
                                                              in part, to make sure that we are working with the trade associa-
                                                              tions and the districts and all other opportunities to provide that
                                                              kind of insight and feedback to the lenders to get them to make
                                                              sure that they are actually making good, judicious credit decisions.
                                                                 Mr. SCHNEIDER. I think that is important. Oftentimes here we
                                                              are talking about unconventional ideas, unconventional risk. That
                                                              does not mean they are inappropriate, that does not mean they are
                                                              outside the range of what is an acceptable risk. But if you take
                                                              them too far, I like to say, I grew up near the mountains and I am
                                                              very comfortable driving on mountain roads. I tend to keep both
                                                              wheels on the road and in the center. I try not to go too far to the
                                                              edge, and that is what I want these small businesses to be able to
                                                              do, is to take the risk, to make the ascent, but to do it in a way
                                                              that is supported by the lender. So, I think it is important to com-
                                                              municate that.
                                                                 Taking that a step further, how do we make sure that—and this
                                                              may be outside your role—that the lenders are getting out to the
                                                              marketplace so that small businesses understand what is available
                                                              to them. That there is an opportunity to get capital, to fund their
                                                              ideas and invest in their business, but to do it in a way that is pru-
                                                              dent and appropriate for them.
                                                                 Ms. STREICH. That is an interesting question.
                                                                 When I started in this business, in 1981, as a 503 lender, nobody
                                                              knew what SBA was, but they were horrified that they might, as
                                                              a small business borrower, need to access any capital through the
                                                              SBA. It was a terrible reputation. So, we had to try to figure out
                                                              how to sell everything by developing some kind if credibility with
                                                              the small business borrower first.




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                                                                 That is not true today. Today, wherever I go, I like to talk to en-
                                                              trepreneurs—restuarants, my physical therapy office—I like to ask
                                                              them, you know, how did you get to this point? And I love hearing
                                                              them say, well, I got an SBA loan. And then I always ask them
                                                              from whom? Because I just like to know who is active in each mar-
                                                              ketplace. And I just think it just speaks to the fact that many lend-
                                                              ers really like this program. And they really are out there offering
                                                              it to the marketplace in a very active way. That is wonderful. They
                                                              are an adjunct to our educational opportunity for the marketplace.
                                                                 Mr. SCHNEIDER. And just to close, I am a little bit past my
                                                              time, but the role that we can play as members of Congress engag-
                                                              ing in our community, we have seminars, roundtables. We bring
                                                              entrepreneurs together to say, hey, we can make a difference, and
                                                              I look forward to continuing that.
                                                                 I yield back.
                                                                 Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. The gentleman yields back.
                                                                 Now we recognize the gentleman from Tennessee, Mr. Burchett,
                                                              for 5 minutes.
                                                                 Mr. BURCHETT. Thank you, Chairlady, Ranking Member. It is
                                                              always a pleasure being here, ma’am. And thank you, ma’am, for
                                                              being here with us.
                                                                 Let me make sure I have got the name right. Streich. Is that how
                                                              you say it?
                                                                 Ms. STREICH. Just like strike three and you are out. Yes.
                                                                 Mr. BURCHETT. All right. Well, Burchett. Just like the tree,
                                                              birch like the tree, and ett like I just ‘‘ett’’ lunch. Which I did not,
                                                              but the Chairlady always promises me she is going to bring me a
                                                              meal, but she never does, so anyway. That is just what happens
                                                              here in Congress, I guess.
                                                                 Does the Office of Credit Risk Management need any additional
                                                              oversight tools to further protect our taxpayer dollars within the
                                                              microloan program? And if so, what would you request?
                                                                 Ms. STREICH. That is a great question. I cannot answer it
                                                              today. We have as our goal to take on microlender oversight in
                                                              2020 but we are just starting to recruit for that position, and we
                                                              will be taking over the oversight that the program office has been
                                                              engaged in heretofore. So, in another 3 to 6 months I will be able
                                                              to probably answer that question much better than I can today.
                                                                 Mr. BURCHETT. Okay. That was an honest answer. So, thank
                                                              you.
                                                                 Let me ask you one more. What is the current oversight plan
                                                              that the Office of Credit Risk Management has in place to oversee
                                                              the microloan program?
                                                                 Ms. STREICH. So microlenders, as you know, are intermediaries
                                                              for us. We provide a loan to them and they actually provide the
                                                              loans to microlending opportunities, and they are usually within
                                                              their community. And they do that very well. Their performance
                                                              overall has been very stellar in terms of their portfolio. And what
                                                              we want to be able to do is examine what they are doing, make
                                                              sure it is compliant with any requirements that the SBA has for
                                                              their performance, and make sure that they are servicing those
                                                              loans very, very well and diligently. And if we request information
                                                              or access to their files that they will allow us to have a chance to
                                                              look at them. Very basic.




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                                                                 Mr. BURCHETT. Thank you, ma’am.
                                                                 Chairlady, Ranking Member, I yield back the remaining 2 min-
                                                              utes and 59 seconds of my time. Please use it wisely as I know you
                                                              will.
                                                                 Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. The gentleman yields back.
                                                                 Now we recognize the gentleman from Maine, Mr. Golden, for 5
                                                              minutes.
                                                                 Mr. GOLDEN. Thank you, Madam Chair.
                                                                 Director Streich, thank you for being with us today.
                                                                 I want to follow up on an earlier conversation you were having.
                                                              Does SBA assign loan brokers and agents with unique identifiers
                                                              to systematically track their activity?
                                                                 Ms. STREICH. Not at this time. No, sir.
                                                                 Mr. GOLDEN. And would there be any benefit to your office in
                                                              carrying out your role if you were to do that?
                                                                 Ms. STREICH. I do not believe so at this time. We have a variety
                                                              of tools available to us to track loan agent performance by lender
                                                              that they have relationships with. One way is through the review
                                                              process, and we ask the lender to provide a great deal of informa-
                                                              tion, including the agreements that they have with those loan
                                                              agents. We review those and see what kind of relationship there is
                                                              and what kind of services are provided and what kind of fees are
                                                              being charged and to whom. We also have the Form 159, which is
                                                              a form that really gives us a great deal of information for any fees
                                                              that are charged during the course of a loan origination, whether
                                                              it is by the lender or by a loan agent. And we use that information
                                                              and are just starting to aggregate that so we can determine and
                                                              monitor loan agent risk and performance of each individual loan
                                                              that they have referred into a specific lender. If we see that there
                                                              is a trend that a lender specifically with a relationship with a loan
                                                              agent is experiencing challenges with their portfolio performance,
                                                              then we are talking to them about why they are continuing to ac-
                                                              cept referrals from that loan agent if, in fact, their performance is
                                                              less than adequate.
                                                                 Mr. GOLDEN. You have a good level of confidence that you are
                                                              pulling in the information that you need to have visibility and that
                                                              it is compiled in a way that is easy for you and your staff to put
                                                              it to good use?
                                                                 Ms. STREICH. Well, we are certainly getting the information.
                                                              We are still working on the best way to compile it and access it
                                                              so that it is easier to automate and electronically available to us.
                                                                 Mr. GOLDEN. Thank you very much.
                                                                 Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. Well, Ms. Streich, thank you very
                                                              much. It is like a breath of fresh air to bring someone from the Ad-
                                                              ministration, at SBA, that really provides the facts and is able to
                                                              provide the answers to our questions. I really feel confident that
                                                              you are doing a very good job. Thank you.
                                                                 We have now learned more about a key function of the SBA’s
                                                              capital access programs and one without which the programs could
                                                              function effectively. However, we have also learned that there is
                                                              more work to be done towards ensuring proper oversight and ac-
                                                              countability over SBA’s partner lenders. If we intend to continue
                                                              enhancing access to affordable capital for small businesses, it is




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                                                              clear SBA’s Office of Credit Risk Management will be a key stake-
                                                              holder.
                                                                I look forward to working with my colleagues from across the
                                                              aisle as we continue to work to enhance the efficiency of SBA’s op-
                                                              erations and more broadly, to continue enhancing access to capital
                                                              for America’s small businesses.
                                                                I would ask unanimous consent that members have 5 legislative
                                                              days to submit statements and supporting materials for the record.
                                                                Without objection, so ordered.
                                                                If there is no further business to come before the Committee, we
                                                              are adjourned. Thank you.
                                                                [Whereupon, at 12:25 p.m., the Committee was adjourned.]




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                                                                                                   APPENDIX




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