october 28, 2020
october 22, 2020
October 19, 2020
october 15, 2020
october 12, 2020
october 8, 2020
october 5, 2020
september 22, 2020
september 21, 2020
September 11, 2020
august 4, 2020
july 6, 2020
july 1, 2020
- PPP Loan Deadline May Be Extended as SBA Issues New Rules Relating to Loan Forgiveness and Eligibility
- California Looks to Pass Legislation Concerning Business Interruption Coverage Due to COVID-19
June 29, 2020
June 22, 2020
- PPP Loan Forgiveness Application Forms Updated and Streamlined
- Nevada Division of Insurance to Disallow Policy Exclusions Related to COVID-19
- CDI Announces New Order Regarding Workers’ Compensation Premium Savings for CA Businesses Affected by COVID-19
june 15, 2020
june 10, 2020
- Note to the SBA: Debtors in Bankruptcy Are Eligible for PPP Loans
- California Modifies the Tolling of Statutes of Limitations in Civil Cases
june 8, 2020
June 4, 2020
may 29, 2020
may 28, 2020
may 27, 2020
- Hoteliers Beware: a Return to Business Post-Pandemic Brings With It Potential Legal Liability
- House Contemplates Revisions to the Paycheck Protection Program
may 15, 2020
may 14, 2020
- U.S. House Democrats Introduce HEROES Act, a New $3T Stimulus Package
- SAFE Banking Act for Cannabis-Related Businesses Included in the HEROES Act
may 12, 2020
may 8, 2020
- Treasury and the SBA Issue Guidance Regarding the Employee Retention Credit
- Businesses Reopen in Los Angeles County as Stage 2 of California’s Statewide Plan Begins
- Update: Large Employers Required to Pay Coronavirus-Related Sick Leave Under New L.A. County Ordinance
may 6, 2020
- SBA Extends PPP Certification Safe Harbor to May 14
- EPLI Insurance and Employee Benefits in the Age of the Coronavirus
may 5, 2020
- Update: PPP Guidance Issued by the SBA and U.S. Treasury at Odds With the CARES Act—Michelman & Robinson Files First-of-Its-Kind Lawsuit Challenging FAQs
- NAIC Issues Business Interruption Data Call in the Wake of COVID-19
may 4, 2020
may 1, 2020
april 29, 2020
- Planning for Your Employees' Return to the Workplace
- Los Angeles Hospitality Workers Among Those Thrown a Potential Lifeline
april 24, 2020
- Attention Cannabis Businesses: Hope May Be on the Horizon for Federal COVID-19-Related Relief
- California Department of Insurance Issues Notice Granting Tax-Filing Extension in Response to COVID-19
- SEC Approves Amendments to Nasdaq and NYSE Continued Listing Requirements Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic
April 23, 2020
april 21, 2020
- Additional Funding Is on the Way to Resurrect the PPP
- Certifying Your PPP Loan: Proceed With Caution
april 17, 2020
april 16, 2020
- Employment in the Wake of Coronavirus: EEOC and OSHA Guidance Allows Employers to Go Where They Could Not Go Before
- New Yorkers Ordered to Stay at Home Even Longer Amid the COVID-19 Crisis
- Paycheck Protection Program Funds Exhausted
april 15, 2020
April 14, 2020
- Insurance Companies Have Been Ordered to Provide COVID-19-Related Premium Relief to Businesses and Drivers in California
- What to Do If Your New York Business Has Been Deemed Non-Essential
APRIL 13, 2020
- IP Deadlines and Fees Extended Under the CARES Act
- Employment in the Wake of Coronavirus: Reintegrating Your Workforce in the New Normal
APRIL 10, 2020
- You Successfully Applied for and Received a PPP Loan Under the CARES Act: Now What?
- Safer at Home Order in L.A. Extended to May 15
- Maintaining Your Trade Secrets During the Coronavirus Crisis
APRIL 9, 2020
april 8, 2020
- Congress Looks to Bolster the PPP With Another $250B in Funding
- U.S. Treasury Provides Further Guidance to PPP Borrowers and Lenders
- L.A. Mayor Amends COVID-19-Related Paid Sick Leave Ordinance
april 7, 2020
April 3, 2020
april 2, 2020
april 1, 2020
March 31, 2020
march 30, 2020
- Large Employers Required to Pay Coronavirus-Related Sick Leave Under New L.A. Ordinance
- Insurance Coverage Potentially Triggered by COVID-19
- Attention Insurers: CDI Orders Mandatory Call for Business Interruption Coverage Information in the Wake of COVID-19
- DOL Is Requiring Employers to Post Families First Employee Rights Notice
March 27, 2020
- A Comprehensive Guide to Understanding Coronavirus-Related State Assistance Programs: Who is Giving What to Whom (Part II)
- HHS Relaxing Enforcement of HIPAA to Facilitate Sharing of Information During the COVID-19 Crisis
March 26, 2020
march 25, 2020
march 24, 2020
- Navigating the Coronavirus Pandemic: a Critical Business Review Checklist
- SBA Loans for Companies Impacted by Coronavirus
- SEC Relaxes Federal Proxy Rules for Annual Meetings
march 23, 2020
- Federal Reserve Responds Boldly to Coronavirus-Related Economic Downturn
- The Number of Jurisdictions Implementing Stay-at-Home Orders Is Increasing Exponentially
- Michelman & Robinson’s Guide to Coronavirus-Related Paid Sick Leave and Unemployment Insurance Laws in the Tri-State Area
MARCH 21, 2020
MARCH 20, 2020
- New York Governor’s PAUSE Order
- Illinois Governor’s Statewide Stay-at-Home Order
- Force Majeure Clauses in Commercial Real Estate Contracts
MARCH 19, 2020
- SEC Provides Regulatory Relief for Public Reporting Companies
- Student Loan Borrowers Can Breathe a Sigh of Relief, At Least Temporarily
- California Governor's Statewide Stay-At-Home Order
MARCH 18, 2020
- "Shelter in Place" Orders
- Telecommuting in the Age of Coronavirus
- Families First Coronavirus Response Act Just Passed by the Senate and Signed Into Law by the President
MARCH 17, 2020
MARCH 16, 2020
MARCH 5, 2020
Federal Reserve Responds Boldly to Coronavirus-Related Economic Downturn
SANFORD MICHELMAN
MARCH 23, 2020
Given the downward spiral of U.S. markets and disruptions faced by the economy in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, the Federal Reserve, in several unprecedented moves, has accelerated its rescue plan today and announced unlimited bond buying, three new credit facilities, and an upcoming Main Street lending program. Together, these historic programs inject an extraordinary amount of new financing into the economy, all in an attempt to support the flow of credit to American families and businesses, promote stability in the financial system, and to push back on an all-out financial crisis. Michelman & Robinson explains:
Q. How will quantitative easing expand?
A. The Fed will purchase Treasury securities and agency mortgage-backed securities in the amounts needed to support smooth market functioning and effective transmission of monetary policy. The Fed will buy at least $500B of Treasury securities and $200B of mortgage-backed securities, as well as agency commercial mortgage-backed securities.
Q. What is the Fed doing to support the flow of credit, whether to large employers, smaller businesses and consumers?
A. Using the Exchange Stabilization Fund (ESF), the Fed will provide $300B in new financing, backed by $30B from the ESF. This credit will be made available through the following facilities: (1) the Primary Market Corporate Credit Facility (PMCCF) for new bond and loan issuance; (2) the Secondary Market Corporate Credit Facility (SMCCF) to provide liquidity for outstanding corporate bonds; and (3) the Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility (TALF), which has been created to enable the issuance of asset-backed securities (ABS) backed by student loans, auto loans, credit card loans, loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA), and certain other assets.
Q. How will these credit facilities work?
A. The PMCCF will allow corporate bond issuers access to credit so that they are better able to maintain business operations and capacity during the period of dislocations related to the pandemic. This facility is open to investment grade companies and will provide bridge financing of four years. Borrowers may elect to defer interest and principal payments during the first six months of the loan, extendable at the Fed’s discretion, in order to have additional cash on hand that can be used to pay employees and suppliers. The Fed will finance a special purpose vehicle (SPV) to make loans from the PMCCF to companies, and the Treasury will make an equity investment in the SPV.
The SMCCF will purchase in the secondary market corporate bonds issued by investment grade U.S. companies and U.S.-listed exchange-traded funds whose investment objective is to provide broad exposure to the market for U.S. investment grade corporate bonds. Treasury, using the ESF, will make an equity investment in the SPV established by the Fed for this facility.
Under the TALF, the Fed will lend on a non-recourse basis to holders of certain AAA-rated ABS backed by newly and recently originated consumer and small business loans. In terms of the size of these loans, the Fed will lend an amount equal to the market value of the ABS less a percentage, and they will be secured at all times by the ABS. Treasury, using the ESF, will also make an equity investment in the SPV established by the Fed for this facility.
Q. Has the Fed instituted any programs to benefit local governments?
A. Yes, it is facilitating the flow of credit to municipalities by expanding the Money Market Mutual Fund Liquidity Facility (MMLF) to include a wider range of securities, including municipal variable rate demand notes (VRDNs) and bank certificates of deposit. Likewise, the Fed has broadened the Commercial Paper Funding Facility (CPFF) to include high-quality, tax-exempt commercial paper as eligible securities. In addition, the pricing of that facility has been reduced.
Q. Is anything else in the works to help small- and medium-sized businesses through these difficult times?
A. Yes, the Fed expects to announce the establishment of a Main Street Business Lending Program to support lending to eligible small-and-medium sized companies, complementing efforts by the SBA. As of this writing, details of this program are not available.
Q. What other steps has the Fed taken in recent days to address growing financial concerns?
A. Clearly, today’s announcement signals, by far, the most significant moves the Fed has taken to shore up the financial markets and support a shuttered U.S. economy. That being said, previously the Fed expanded central bank liquidity swap lines; enhanced the availability and eased terms for borrowing at the discount window; eliminated reserve requirements; issued guidance encouraging banks to be flexible with customers experiencing financial challenges related to the coronavirus and to utilize their liquidity and capital buffers in doing so; and made statements encouraging the use of daylight credit at the Fed.
Q. Big picture, what is the takeaway from the Fed’s actions?
A. In effect, the Fed has infused a massive amount of liquidity into financial markets and the banking system in order to prevent the coronavirus health crisis from completely crippling the economy. In terms of business, this effort by the Fed seeks to ensure that companies, large and small, have access to the credit they need to continue to exist in the face of a massive economic slowdown. In short, this should be very welcome news.
We are working diligently to keep our clients up to date on coronavirus-related developments. Nevertheless, these developments are changing daily and, in some cases even hourly, so it is important that you make sure you are dealing with the most current information. That being said, this alert is not offered, and should not be relied on, as legal advice. You should consult an attorney for guidance and counsel regarding any specific concern or situation.