Business and Industry Guaranteed Loan Program Annual Renewal Fee

In this final rule the Rural Business-Cooperative Service (the Agency) amends its regulation for the Business and Industry (B&I) Guaranteed Loan Program to provide the authority for the charging of an annual renewal fee on all loans obligated after the publication of the final rule. This annual renewal fee is in addition to the existing one- time guarantee fee. Changes to modify the program regulations were originally proposed on February 28, 2005. The intended effect of this rule is to reduce the subsidy rate for guaranteed loans allowing the budget authority dollar level to support a greater level of assistance to the public (i.e., higher supportable loan level). A notice will be published in the Federal Register each fiscal year that will establish the guarantee fee rate and any annual renewal fee rate for loans obligated during that fiscal year.