https://starfieldsmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/16ddd4cc-d0f3-4f8d-b5a0-2a9b128533b8.mp3 Earlier this year SBA Procedural Notice 5000-876626 was published, updating its guidance on applicant ownership and residency requirements for 7(a) and 504 loans. The revised guidance generated numerous questions from lenders about the new requirements. On March 31, 2026, the agency addressed some of those questions in SBA Procedural Notice 5000-877673, providing brief responses ... Read More

https://starfieldsmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/3dccec0f-6300-4aaa-8f04-1a03d48edd35.mp3 At Starfield & Smith, we are pleased to announce a new internal initiative dedicated to one of the Firm’s most quietly admired professional skills: checklist design. For years, our team has demonstrated an exceptional ability to create checklists that are clear, practical, well-sequenced, and, in certain notable cases, unusually satisfying to look at. These ... Read More

https://starfieldsmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/b6f0d0ac-a039-496f-90bb-b86524c9a0f2.mp3 Determining next steps when dealing with an SBA Borrower that is in payment default can be challenging. If the loan is sold on the secondary market, decisive action becomes even more imperative. Proper SBA loan preparation makes sure that lenders are equipped with the necessary documentation to handle these high-stakes scenarios Maintaining strict SBA ... Read More

https://starfieldsmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/c727a5fa-fa2d-410e-a13d-981b1ce3e805.mp3 Artificial intelligence is already helping commercial lenders streamline intake, review financial information, detect fraud, summarize documents, and speed routine communications. For SBA lending teams, those efficiencies are attractive, but they come with legal risk if sensitive borrower, deal, or counsel-related information is entered into the wrong AI tool. Understanding how these tools intersect with ... Read More

https://starfieldsmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/5a97ec89-ffae-4cb0-a6fb-3034da0cc171.mp3 When underwriting or discussing a loan where Maryland real property is collateral, a lender must take recording fees and taxes that will be incurred to record the appropriate lien document into account when computing potential closing costs. While the recording fees are generally not high, the recording taxes could be.  The amount is dependent ... Read More

https://starfieldsmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/47208d0a-8940-41b8-a518-1f02cd3fa8a9.mp3 As artificial intelligence tools become increasingly accessible, lenders are facing a new and evolving risk landscape when communicating with borrowers following a loan default. Borrowers now have the ability to record, transcribe, analyze, and strategically generate communications using AI-driven platforms. Routine conversations that once carried minimal perceived risk may now become evidence in lender ... Read More