x
Breaking News
More () »

Small business owners apply for SBA disaster loans

The Small Business Administration is now offering several kinds of loans to help business owners get through this difficult time.

MAINE, USA — A lot of small businesses are cutting back on operations due to the coronavirus. The Small Business Administration or SBA is now offering several kinds of loans to help business owners get through this difficult time.

But for some small businesses in Maine, the process hasn't been easy. The owners of The Maine Bagel in Scarborough said the website keeps crashing, making it hard to apply.

The owner said they are afraid the process could take more than a month to complete, which they said isn't timely.

"The uncertainty of whether or not we'll be able to make rent coming up, payroll, we're trying to employ people, trying to get people employed and it's pretty daunting," said owner Nick Lancaster.

NEWS CENTER Maine went to the U.S. Small Business Administration's website and got an error message that read:

"The portal will not be available during this planned maintenance period."

We reached out to the SBA which said the agency is looking into it.

The President and CEO of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce said he isn't surprised people are having a tough time, because he said the system is being crowded.

He said anyone seeking an SBA loan should go to a financial lender.

"Go to your bank, go to your credit union, those who are geared up to help you maneuver through the process. They're there to be part of the solution," said President and CEO Dana Connors.

Other businesses such as The Holy Donut said they haven't had difficulties getting onto the website and applying.

RELATED: Maine credit union offers to defer loans to its members

RELATED: Small businesses overwhelmed by coronavirus closures, SBDC is here to help

RELATED: United Airlines warns of massive layoffs without federal aid

At NEWS CENTER Maine, we're focusing our news coverage on the facts and not the fear around the illness. To see our full coverage, visit our coronavirus section, here: /coronavirus

NEWS CENTER Maine Coronavirus Coverage

RELATED: Stocks achieve first back-to-back gain in 6 weeks

RELATED: These states have issued stay-at-home orders. What does that mean?

NEWS CENTER Maine YouTube Coronavirus Playlist

Before You Leave, Check This Out