PPP Borrowers’ Names and Loan Amounts Must be Released, Says U.S. District Court
November 6, 2020
In a lawsuit brought by news organizations and others, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia has ordered the Small Business Administration (SBA) to publicly release the names, addresses, and loan amounts of recipients of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) COVID-related loans.
The court’s decision on November 5 found that the SBA’s claims that the data be withheld based on the Freedom of Information Act’s exemptions for confidential and private information did not cover the requested information and required the SBA to supplement its prior disclosure with the names, addresses, and precise loan amounts of all PPP and EIDL borrowers by November 19.
In its prior disclosure, the SBA had only released the PPP recipient’s name and address for loans of $150,000 or more, but had withheld the actual loan amount, instead providing ranges of $150,000 to $350,000; $350,000 to $1 million; $1 million to $2 million; $2 million to $5 million; and $5 million to $10 million. For PPP loans of less than $150,000, the SBA had released the precise dollar amounts, but had withheld the borrower’s name and street address.
The court’s decision is available by copying and pasting the following link: https://ecf.dcd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/show_public_doc?2020cv1614-21.
TAGS: Coronavirus, COVID-19, PPP Loans