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Data released by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) on July 6 shows that over 200 businesses with Lebanon County ZIP codes have received Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans of at least $150,000, and nearly 1,200 others have borrowed smaller amounts.

The PPP is a loan program that Congress created when it passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The CARES Act provision is intended to help small businesses, self-employed workers, sole proprietors, and nonprofit organizations to continue paying their workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Read More: Local lenders, businesses tap into SBA Paycheck Protection Program loans

Loan amounts are tied to a business’ average monthly payroll.

Local businesses receiving PPP loans of at least $150,000 were named in the dataset, while those borrowing under $150,000 were not.

The U.S. Treasury Department and the SBA had initially resisted releasing information about the taxpayer funded program, citing the sensitivity of borrower-businesses’ income and payroll information but announced the release of the information on July 6.

“Today’s release of loan data strikes the appropriate balance of providing the American people with transparency, while protecting sensitive payroll and personal income information of small businesses, sole proprietors, and independent contractors,” said U.S. Treasury Department Secretary Steven Mnuchin regarding the dataset’s availability.

Under the PPP, businesses can have loans forgiven if the money is used for payroll, mortgage interest, rent, and utilities, and if certain employee and compensation levels are maintained. Businesses don’t have to keep employees, but if they don’t, the amount of the loan subject to forgiveness will be reduced and businesses will be required to repay the unforgiven amount, at one percent interest, within 24 months.

Number and amounts of Lebanon County loans

SBA has not released exact amounts for all the money loaned to local businesses under the PPP. Instead, it has bracketed the amounts and number of loans as follows:

  • $5-10 Million: 2
  • $2-5 Million: 6
  • $1-2 Million: 19
  • $ 350,000 to $1 Million: 67
  • $150,000 to $350,000: 109
  • Under $150,000: 1,192

Exact loan amounts are included for loans under $150,000, but as mentioned above, names of these businesses are not.

Just shy of $42 million was distributed to local businesses through loans under $150,000, with the average amount of these loans being approximately $35,000. Approximately 6,100 jobs were “retained” through this program, a loosely defined concept that typically refers to a business’ overall headcount, with an average of five jobs retained per loan. This works out to about $6,900 per job retained. The top industries represented in these loans were religious organizations (47), “all other personal services” (35), “all other business support services” (34), real estate agents and brokers (32), and full-service restaurants (30).

At least $80.8 million was distributed to local businesses through loans greater than $150,000, with approximately 11,000 jobs retained or on average 55 jobs per loan. This works out to about $7,300 per job retained, although this is a lower boundary based on using the minimum amounts for each of the loan brackets outlined above. The top industries represented in these loans were new car dealers (7), electrical contractors (7), full-service restaurants (6), physicians (5) and dentists (4), machine shops (5), and plumbing/heating/AC contractors (5).

Approximately 42 percent, or 84, of the loans over $150,000 were made to businesses in the 17042 ZIP code. Additional ZIP codes with more than 10 percent of loans were 17046 (33 loans, 16 percent), 17067 (24 loans, 12 percent), and 17078 (23 loans, 11%).

Approximately 32 percent, or 381 loans, under $150,000 were made to businesses in the 17042 ZIP code. Additional ZIP codes with more than 10 percent of loans were 17078 (209 loans, 18 percent), 17046 (163 loans, 14 percent), 17067 (120 loans, 10 percent), and 17003 (120 loans, 10 percent).

Top borrowers, number of jobs expected to be retained

The top eight borrowers and the number of jobs they said they expected to retain with the PPP loan money are:

$5,000,000 to $10,000,000

  • Weaber, Inc.: 500 jobs retained
  • Pennsylvania Counseling Services: 500 jobs retained

$2,500,000 to $5,000,000

  • Cornwall Manor: No number given
  • Cedar Haven Acquisition, LLC.: 400 jobs retained
  • APR Supply Co.: 312 jobs retained
  • Denmar Associates, Inc.: 307 jobs retained
  • PPC Lubricants, Inc.: 219 jobs retained
  • Everlast Roofing, Inc.: 215 jobs retained

Top lenders

Fulton Bank was the lender on 69 (34 percent) of the $150,000 and above loans, including three of the eight loans of $2 million or more. Fulton Bank was the only lender to have serviced more than one of the eight largest PPP loans.

Other financial institutions making seven or more loans of at least $150,000 were:

  • First Citizens Community Bank: 17
  • First National Bank of Pennsylvania: 13
  • Manufacturers & Traders Trust Co.: 10
  • Truist Bank d/b/a Branch Banking & Trust: 10
  • Jonestown Bank: 9
  • Members 1st Federal Credit Union: 8
  • Peoples Security Bank & Trust Co.: 8
  • Orrstown Bank: 7
  • Northwest Bank: 7

Fulton Bank was also the largest originator of loans under $150,000, with 311, or about 26 percent. Jonestown Bank was the second largest originator, with 194 loans or about 16 percent, followed by First National Bank (82 loans, 7 percent) and First Citizens (81 loans, 7 percent).

A searchable PPP loan database can be accessed here. To review the LebTown data used to report this article, click here. Additional figures accessible in this spreadsheet include the breakdown of loans between different towns and ZIP codes in Lebanon County, as well as industry breakdowns.

Watch for more LebTown reporting against this data in the days and weeks to come.

Note about methodology: LebTown’s data was constructed by filtering overall files for ZIP codes that are primarily contained in Lebanon County. However, as discussed in our COVID-19 tracker, ZIP codes don’t fall neatly within county lines and therefore some businesses included may fall outside county lines. Similarly, we have omitted ZIP codes that contain limited amounts of land in Lebanon County, such as 17545 (Manheim), 19551 (Robesonia), 19567 (Womelsdorf), and 17963 (Pine Grove). We are continuing to refine the data and may update this article in the future.


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Full Disclosure: Jonestown Bank & Trust Co. is an advertiser on LebTown. LebTown does not make editorial decisions based on advertising status and advertisers do not receive special editorial treatment. Learn more about LebTown’s advertising program here.

Davis Shaver contributed reporting to this article.

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Chris Coyle writes primarily on government, the courts, and business. He retired as an attorney at the end of 2018, after concentrating for nearly four decades on civil and criminal litigation and trials. A career highlight was successfully defending a retired Pennsylvania state trooper who was accused,...

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