Small Business Administration Disaster Loan

Low-interest disaster loans are available in Ohio to small businesses, and most private, non-profit organizations of all sizes affected by hurricane-force winds on September 14, 2008.

SBA Acting Administrator Baruah made the loans available following a letter from Ohio Governor Ted Strickland on January 13, requesting a disaster declaration by the SBA.  The declaration covers Franklin, Greene, Hamilton and Montgomery counties and the adjacent counties of Butler, Clark, Clermont, Clinton, Darke, Delaware, Fairfield, Fayette, Licking, Madison, Miami, Pickaway, Preble, Union and Warren in the State of Ohio; Dearborn and Franklin counties in the State of Indiana; and Boone, Campbell and Kenton counties in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Eligible small businesses and most private, non-profit organizations of all sizes may qualify for loans up to $2 million.  The SBA offers Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) to help meet working capital needs caused by the disaster.  Interest rates are available at 4 percent with loan terms up to 30 years.  The SBA determines eligibility for the loans based on the size and type of the business and its financial resources.  Loan amounts and terms are set by the SBA and based on each applicant’s financial condition. 

Applications and program information are available by calling the SBA’s Customer Service Center at

1-800-659-2955 (1-800-877-8339 for the hearing impaired), Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. EST, or by emailing our customer service center at disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.  Business loan applications can also be downloaded from the SBA website at www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance. Completed applications should be mailed to: U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX. 76155.

The deadline to return economic injury applications is October 16, 2009.