American Lending Center Joins Disaster Relief Loan Program For Small Businesses

IRVINE, Calif. – American Lending Center, a non-bank lending institution based in Irvine, CA, has announced it is participating in the state Small Business Disaster Relief Loan Guarantee Program.

Our hearts go out to our neighbors in Los Angeles who have suffered devastating losses in these wildfires,” said Scott Thompson, ALC’s Chief Lending Officer. “So many people have lost homes and businesses in Pacific Palisades, Altadena, Pasadena and elsewhere. We’re here to help.

Megan Hodapp, small business finance center manager at the California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank (IBank), announced that with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s disaster declaration, the disaster relief loan guarantee program had been unlocked. That allows the state, through IBank, to guarantee loans of up to $1.25 million to owners of small businesses who have suffered either physical or economic damage as a result of the LA wildfires.

Loan proceeds must be used to recover from significant physical damage to buildings and equipment or significant economic damage as a result of the fires – loss of a local customer base, for example. Applicants have to meet the requirements for the general Small Business Loan Guarantee Program and be located in a disaster area.

For more information or to start the loan process through ALC, call Sally Chou at 562-449-0139.

This is only one of several disaster assistance programs available to business owners through the government. For information about these programs, go to this website.

People impacted by the wildfires also will receive extra time to deal with their taxes. An announcement last week from the Internal Revenue Service moved the deadline to file returns and pay any taxes that were originally due on or after Jan. 7 to Oct. 15, 2025.

To read more about that announcement, click here.


About American Lending Center: A Financial Times (FT) Americas’ Fastest Growing Company

American Lending Center (ALC) is a mission based non-bank lending institution nationally recognized as a leader in job-creation lending. Since its inception in 2009, ALC has proudly provided over $2.2 billion in loans and investments to thousands of companies of all sizes, empowering them to grow and thrive.

During the COVID years, ALC participated in the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and provided direct assistance to nearly 30,000 companies in all 50 states, and Washington, DC. Through the years, ALC has helped create and/or retain more than 140,000 jobs. Follow American Lending Center on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

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