On Sept. 11, 2012, the SBIC Funding Corporation completed pooling of SBA debentures with a coupon rate of 2.245%. This lowers the previously record-low price in March 2012 of $571 million at a 2.766% coupon rate, and is the lowest pricing on SBA-pooled debentures in more than 50 years of the SBA program.
The pricing of the pool is a critical component to the cost of funds used by SBIC Funds. Once pooled, the interest rate on the SBA debentures becomes fixed for a 10-year period. The SBIC Fund is responsible only for a semiannual interest-only payment on the SBA debentures until the SBA debentures are repaid. The SBA debentures must be repaid within 10 years. In addition, there are no prepayment penalties.
The historical pooling information is reflected in our chart (click to view)
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