NATIONWIDE DISASTER LOAN DEADLINE EXTENDED FOR SMALL BUSINESSES HURT BY SEPT. 11 ATTACKS

	WASHINGTON - The U.S. Small Business Administration has extended to September 30, 2002, the nationwide filing deadline for small businesses affected by the Sept. 11 attacks to apply for Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs). 

	The previous deadline was May 22, 2002.

	"The devastation caused by the Sept. 11 attacks was far reaching, and small businesses all over the country are making progress towards economic recovery," said SBA Administrator Hector V. Barreto.  "With this extension, more companies will have access to the working capital they'll need to rebound and stay in business." 

	The SBA administrator urged business owners to file their applications as soon as possible.   

	The EIDLs are available to eligible small businesses that suffered substantial economic injury as a direct result of the September terrorist attacks or a federal action taken in response to the attacks.  EIDLs provide eligible small businesses with the working capital needed to pay ordinary and necessary operating expenses they can't cover because of the disaster.  These expenses may include fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills.
	
	Small businesses may apply for a working capital loan of up to $l.5 million.  The interest rate on these loans is 4 percent with a maximum term of up to 30 years.  The SBA determines the amount of economic injury, the term of each loan and the payment amount based on the financial circumstances of each borrower.

	Since Sept. 11, SBA has approved more than $800 million in disaster loans nationwide to businesses affected by the terrorist attacks.  Of that total, more than $405 million in loans went to business owners and residents in New York City and Northern Virginia. 

	For an online application and instructions on how to complete it, go to http://www.sba.gov/disaster/eidl.html on the SBA Web site.

	Businesses interested in applying for an economic injury disaster loan can contact one of the four SBA disaster area offices to obtain an application.   Below are the phone numbers for the offices and the states each office serves:


Niagara Falls, NY 14303 
1-800-659-2955 
Serves: Connecticut, District of Columbia, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virgin Islands, Virginia and West Virginia

Atlanta, GA 30308 
1-800-359-2227 
Serves: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee and Wisconsin

Ft. Worth, TX 76155 
1-800-366-6303 
Serves: Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Wyoming

Sacramento, CA 95853-4795 
1-800-488-5323 
Serves: Alaska, American Samoa, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Arizona, California, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon and Washington 

	To find out more about the SBA's disaster assistance program, visit the Web site at www.sba.gov/disaster.   

	For more information about all of the SBA's programs for small businesses, call the SBA Answer Desk at 1-800-U-ASK-SBA, or visit the SBA's extensive Web site at www.sba.gov.