The following requirements must be met unless otherwise provided in the eligibility requirements for the particular type of loan.
(a) Controlled substances. The applicant, and anyone who will sign the promissory note, must not be ineligible for loans as a result of a conviction for controlled substances according to 7 CFR part 718 of this chapter.
(b) Legal capacity. The applicant, and anyone who will sign the promissory note, must possess the legal capacity to incur the obligation of the loan. A Youth loan applicant will incur full personal liability upon execution of the promissory note without regard to the applicant's minority status.
(c) Citizenship. The applicant, and anyone who will sign the promissory note, must be a citizen of the United States, United States non-citizen national, or a qualified alien under applicable Federal immigration laws.
(d) Credit history. The applicant must have acceptable credit history demonstrated by debt repayment.
(1) As part of the credit history, the Agency will determine whether the applicant will carry out the terms and conditions of the loan and deal with the Agency in good faith. In making this determination, the Agency may examine whether the applicant has properly fulfilled its obligations to other parties, including other agencies of the Federal Government.
(2) When the applicant caused the Agency a loss by receiving debt forgiveness, the applicant may be ineligible for assistance in accordance with eligibility requirements for the specific loan type. If the debt forgiveness is cured by repayment of the Agency's loss, the Agency may still consider the debt forgiveness in determining the applicant's credit worthiness.
(3) A history of failures to repay past debts as they came due when the ability to repay was within the applicant's control will demonstrate unacceptable credit history. The following circumstances, for example, do not automatically indicate an unacceptable credit history:
(i) Foreclosures, judgments, delinquent payments of the applicant which occurred more than 36 months before the application, if no recent similar situations have occurred, or Agency delinquencies that have been resolved through loan servicing programs available under 7 CFR part 766.
(ii) Isolated incidents of delinquent payments which do not represent a general pattern of unsatisfactory or slow payment.
(iii) “No history” of credit transactions by the applicant.
(iv) Recent foreclosure, judgment, bankruptcy, or delinquent payment when the applicant can satisfactorily demonstrate that the adverse action or delinquency was caused by circumstances that were of a temporary nature and beyond the applicant's control; or the result of a refusal to make full payment because of defective goods or services or other justifiable dispute relating to the purchase or contract for goods or services.
(e) Availability of credit elsewhere. Except for CL, the applicant, and all entity members in the case of an entity, must be unable to obtain sufficient credit elsewhere to finance actual needs at reasonable rates and terms. The Agency will evaluate the ability to obtain credit based on factors including, but not limited to:
(1) Loan amounts, rates, and terms available in the marketplace; and
(2) Property interests, income, and significant non-essential assets.
(f) Not in delinquent status on Federal debt. As provided in 31 CFR part 285, except for EM loan applicants, the applicant, and anyone who will sign the promissory note, must not be in delinquent status on any Federal debt, other than a debt under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 at the time of loan closing. All delinquent debts, however, will be considered in determining credit history and ability to repay under this part.
(g) Outstanding judgments. The applicant, and anyone who will sign the promissory note, must have no outstanding unpaid judgments obtained by the United States in any court. Such judgments do not include those filed as a result of action in the United States Tax Courts.
(h) Federal crop insurance violation. The applicant, and all entity members in the case of an entity, must not be ineligible due to disqualification resulting from Federal crop insurance violation according to 7 CFR part 718.
(i) Managerial ability. The applicant must have sufficient managerial ability to assure reasonable prospects of loan repayment, as determined by the Agency. The applicant must demonstrate this managerial ability by:
(1) Education. For example, the applicant obtained a 4-year college degree in agricultural business, horticulture, animal science, agronomy, or other agricultural-related field.
(2) On-the-job training. For example, the applicant is currently working on a farm as part of an apprenticeship program.
(3) Farming experience. For example, the applicant has been an owner, manager, or operator of a farm business for at least one entire production cycle or for MLs, made for OL purposes, the applicant may have obtained and successfully repaid one FSA Youth-OL. Farm experience of the applicant, without regard to any lapse of time between the farm experience and the new application, will be taken into consideration in determining loan eligibility. If farm experience occurred more than 5 years prior to the date of the new application, the applicant must demonstrate sufficient on-the-job training or education within the last 5 years to demonstrate managerial ability.
(4) Alternatives for MLs made for OL purposes. Applicants for MLs made for OL purposes, also may demonstrate managerial ability by one of the following:
(i) Certification of a past participation with an agriculture-related organization, such as, but not limited to, 4-H Club, FFA, beginning farmer and rancher development programs, or Community Based Organizations, that demonstrates experience in a related agricultural enterprise; or
(ii) A written description of a self-directed apprenticeship combined with either prior sufficient experience working on a farm or significant small business management experience. As a condition of receiving the loan, the self-directed apprenticeship requires that the applicant seek, receive, and apply guidance from a qualified person during the first cycle of production and marketing typical for the applicant's specific operation. The individual providing the guidance must be knowledgeable in production, management, and marketing practices that are pertinent to the applicant's operation, and agree to form a developmental partnership with the applicant to share knowledge, skills, information, and perspective of agriculture to foster the applicant's development of technical skills and management ability.
(j) Borrower training. The applicant must agree to meet the training requirements in subpart K of this part.
(k) Operator of a family farm. Except for CL:
(1) The applicant must be the operator of a family farm after the loan is closed.
(2) For an entity applicant, if the entity members holding a majority interest are:
(i) Related by blood or marriage, at least one member must be the operator of a family farm;
(ii) Not related by blood or marriage, the entity members holding at least 50 percent interest must be operators of a family farm.
(3) Except for EM loans, the collective interests of the members may be larger than a family farm only if:
(i) Each member's ownership interest is not larger than a family farm;
(ii) All of the members of the entity are related by blood or marriage; and
(iii) All of the members are or will become operators of the family farm; and
(4) If the entity applicant has an operator and ownership interest for farm ownership loans and emergency loans for farm ownership loan purposes, in any other farming operation, that farming operation must not exceed the requirements of a family farm.
(l) Entity composition. If the applicant has one or more embedded entities, at least 75 percent of the individual ownnership interests of each embedded entity must be owned by members actively involved in managing or operating the family farm.
[72 FR 63298, Nov. 8, 2007, as amended at 75 FR 54015, Sept. 3, 2010; 76 FR 75434, Dec. 2, 2011; 78 FR 3835, Jan. 17, 2013; 79 FR 60744, Oct. 8, 2014; 81 FR 3293, Jan. 21, 2016; 81 FR 10063, Feb. 29, 2016; 86 FR 43391, Aug. 9, 2021]