SBA seeks to delay release of loan records following court order

The agency asked for more time to consider whether it should appeal. It could further delay public access to data on 87 percent of Paycheck Protection Program loans.

By Nate Jones & Aaron Gregg, Wash. Post, Nov. 17, 2020

The Small Business Administration has asked a federal judge to delay release of records involving millions of small businesses that received Paycheck Protection Program loans, arguing that publicizing those records would do “irreparable harm” to millions of businesses by exposing allegedly confidential information.

A federal judge ruled Nov. 5 that the SBA must release borrower and loan information about the federal Paycheck Protection Program by Nov. 19. The Washington Post and 10 other news organizations prevailed in a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit to win the information’s release. But in a Nov. 12 court filing, the agency said it needed more time to determine whether it should appeal.

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