New Markets Tax Credit Loans

How it Works

Under the NTMC program, the federal government allocates tax credits to "Community Development Entities" (CDEs) that have a primary mission of serving low-income communities. CDEs can be nonprofit lenders like Self-Help, subsidiaries of for-profit banks or other kinds of entities. These intermediary organizations exchange the tax credits for equity from private investors and are then obligated to use the dollars to provide financing for businesses and nonprofits in low-income communities. The subsidy provided by the equity portion of any NMTC financing gets passed down to qualifying projects in the form of lower interest rates and more favorable loan terms.

Benefits of NMTC Loans

• Below-market interest rates
• Flexible terms like longer amortizations
• Higher loan-to-value ratios
• Lower origination fees

Eligibility Requirements

• All projects must be located in a low-income census tract, defined for the purposes of this program as having either (a) a poverty rate of at least 20% or (b) a median income no more than 80% of area median income.
• The majority of Self-Help's available funds require projects to be located in areas of "targeted distress," increasing the standard to (a) a poverty rate of at least 30%, (b) a median income no more than 60% of the area median income or (c) an unemployment rate at least 1.5 times higher than the national unemployment rate.
• Various uses of property are allowed, including office, retail, education, health care and industrial. Rental residential is permitted in some cases.
• The borrowing entity for a project must also meet certain asset and revenue tests, and some businesses are prohibited from being borrowers or tenants in properties financed through the New Markets Tax Credit program. A Self-Help loan officer will work through these issues with prospective applicants.

To pre-screen a project address for eligibility, visit Novogradac and Company's online mapping site.