13 C.F.R. § 107.720 Small Businesses that may be ineligible for financing.
Title 13 - Business Credit and Assistance
(a) Relenders or reinvestors. You are not permitted to finance any business that is a relender or reinvestor. (1) Definition. Relenders or reinvestors are businesses whose primary business activity involves, directly or indirectly, providing funds to others, purchasing debt obligations, factoring, or long-term leasing of equipment with no provision for maintenance or repair. (2) Exception. You may provide Venture Capital Financing to Disadvantaged Businesses that are relenders or reinvestors (except banks or savings and loans not insured by agencies of the federal government, and agricultural credit companies). Without SBA's prior written approval, total Financings under this paragraph (a)(2) that are outstanding as of the close of your fiscal year must not exceed your Regulatory Capital. (b) Passive Businesses. You are not permitted to finance a passive business. (1) Definition. A business is passive if: (i) It is not engaged in a regular and continuous business operation (for purposes of this paragraph (b), the mere receipt of payments such as dividends, rents, lease payments, or royalties is not considered a regular and continuous business operation); or (ii) Its employees are not carrying on the majority of day to day operations, and the company does not provide effective control and supervision, on a day to day basis, over persons employed under contract; or (iii) It passes through substantially all of the proceeds of the Financing to another entity. (2) Exception for pass-through of proceeds to subsidiary. You may finance a passive business if it is a Small Business and it passes substantially all the proceeds through to one or more subsidiary companies, each of which is an eligible Small Business that is not passive. For the purpose of this paragraph (b)(2), “subsidiary company” means a company in which at least 50 percent of the outstanding voting securities are owned by the Financed passive business. (3) Exception for certain Partnership Licensees. With the prior written approval of SBA, if you are a Partnership Licensee, you may form one or more wholly-owned corporations in accordance with this paragraph (b)(3). The sole purpose of such corporation(s) must be to provide Financing to one or more eligible, unincorporated Small Businesses. You may form such corporation(s) only if a direct Financing to such Small Businesses would cause any of your investors to incur unrelated business taxable income under section 511 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (26 U.S.C. 511). Your ownership of such corporation(s) will not constitute a violation of §107.865(a) and your investment of funds in such corporation(s) will not constitute a violation of §107.730(a). (c) Real Estate Businesses. (1) You are not permitted to finance any business classified under Major Group 65 (Real Estate) or Industry No. 1531 (Operative Builders) of the SIC Manual, with the following exceptions: (i) Title Abstract companies (Industry No. 6541); and (ii) Companies listed under Industry No. 6531 (for example, real estate agents, brokers, escrow agents, managers and multiple listing services) that derive at least 80 percent of their revenue from non-Affiliate sources. (2) You are not permitted to finance a business, regardless of SIC classification, if the Financing is to be used to acquire or refinance real property, unless the Small Business: (i) Is acquiring an existing property and will use at least 51 percent of the usable square footage for an eligible business purpose; or (ii) Is building or renovating a building and will use at least 67 percent of the usable square footage for an eligible business purpose; or (iii) Occupies the subject property and uses at least 67 percent of the usable square footage for an eligible business purpose. (d) Project Financing. You are not permitted to finance a business if: (1) The assets of the business are to be reduced or consumed, generally without replacement, as the life of the business progresses, and the nature of the business requires that a stream of cash payments be made to the business's financing sources, on a basis associated with the continuing sale of assets. Examples include real estate development projects and oil and gas wells; or (2) The primary purpose of the Financing is to fund production of a single item or defined limited number of items, generally over a defined production period, and such production will constitute the majority of the activities of the Small Business. Examples include motion pictures and electric generating plants. (e) Farm land purchases. You are not permitted to finance the acquisition of farm land. Farm land means land which is or is intended to be used for agricultural or forestry purposes, such as the production of food, fiber, or wood, or is so taxed or zoned. (f) Public interest. You are not permitted to finance any business if the proceeds are to be used for purposes contrary to the public interest, including but not limited to activities which are in violation of law, or inconsistent with free competitive enterprise. (g) Foreign investment—(1) General rule. You are not permitted to finance a business if: (i) The funds will be used substantially for a foreign operation; or (ii) At the time of the Financing or within one year thereafter, more than 49 percent of the employees or tangible assets of the Small Business are located outside the United States (unless you can show, to SBA's satisfaction, that the Financing was used for a specific domestic purpose). (2) Exception. This paragraph (g) does not prohibit a Financing used to acquire foreign materials and equipment or foreign property rights for use or sale in the United States. (h) Associated supplier. You are not permitted to finance a business that purchases, or will purchase, goods or services from a supplier who is your Associate, except under the following conditions: (1) The amount of goods and services purchased (or to be purchased) from your Associate with the proceeds of the Financing, or with funds released as a result of the Financing, is less than 50 percent of the total amount of the Financing (75 percent for a Section 301(d) Licensee); (2) The price of such goods and services is no higher than that charged other customers of your Associate; and (3) The Small Business purchases no capital goods from your Associate. (i) Financing Licensees. You are not permitted to provide funds, directly or indirectly, that the Small Business will use: (1) To purchase stock in or provide capital to a Licensee; or (2) To repay an indebtedness incurred for the purpose of investing in a Licensee. [61 FR 3189, Jan. 31, 1996, as amended at 63 FR 5867, Feb. 5, 1998; 64 FR 70995, Dec. 20, 1999]
Title 13: Business Credit and Assistance
PART 107—SMALL BUSINESS INVESTMENT COMPANIES
Subpart G—Financing of Small Businesses by Licensees
Determining the Eligibility of a Small Business for SBIC Financing
§ 107.720 Small Businesses that may be ineligible for financing.
