Illinois Code § 9-4.3

§ 9-4.3.

Minority, veteran, female and disability loans. (a) In the making of loans for minority, veteran, female or disability small businesses, as defined below, the Department is authorized to employ different criteria in lieu of the general provisions of subsections (b), (d), (e), (f), (h), and (i) of Section 9-4. Minority, veteran, female or disability small businesses, for the purpose of this Section, shall be defined as small businesses that are, in the Department's judgment, at least 51% owned and managed by one or more persons who are minority or female or who have a disability or who are veterans. (b) Loans made pursuant to this Section: (1) Shall not exceed $2,000,000 or 50% of the business project costs unless the Director of the Department determines that a waiver of these limits is required to meet the purposes of this Act. (2) Shall only be made if, in the Department's judgment, the number of jobs to be created or retained is reasonable in relation to the loan funds requested. (3) Shall be protected by security. Financial assistance may be secured by first, second or subordinate mortgage positions on real or personal property, by royalty payments, by personal notes or guarantees, or by any other security satisfactory to the Department to secure repayment. Security valuation requirements, as determined by the Department, for the purposes of this Section, may be less than required for similar loans not covered by this Section, provided the applicants demonstrate adequate business experience, entrepreneurial training or combination thereof, as determined by the Department. (4) Shall be in such principal amount and form and contain such terms and provisions with respect to security, insurance, reporting, delinquency charges, default remedies, and other matters as the Department shall determine appropriate to protect the public interest and consistent with the purposes of this Section. The terms and provisions may be less than required for similar loans not covered by this Section. (5) Notwithstanding anything in this Act to the contrary, eligible projects include, but are not limited to, refinancing current debt if the loan will refinance a loan previously made by a lender that is unaffiliated with the financial intermediary making the new loan and if the proceeds of the refinance transaction are not used to finance an extraordinary dividend or other distribution. (Source: P.A. 103-1051, eff. 1-1-25.)