A federal judge today ordered the Small Business Administration to release the names, addresses and precise loan amounts for all Paycheck Protection Program loan recipients and all COVID-19-related Economic Injury Disaster Loan recipients. SBA must release the information by Nov. 19.
The judge found that SBA’s claimed exemptions from the Freedom of Information Act do not cover the PPP data sought by two news organizations. It was not clear whether SBA would appeal the ruling.
Earlier this year, SBA released less specific information about PPP loans to protect the personal financial information of borrowers and their employees. For loans totaling $150,000 and higher, SBA released the names and addresses of borrowers but provided a range for loan totals; for smaller loans, it released the exact amount and name of the lender but not the identity of the borrower.
