Eligibility screening. Applications will be reviewed to determine whether the lender and borrower are eligible, the information required under § 1300.16(b) is complete, and the proposed loan complies with applicable statutes and regulations. The Board may at any time reject an application that does not meet these requirements.

Evaluation criteria. Applications that are determined to be eligible pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section shall be subject to a substantive review by the Board. In addition to the general standards for Board issuance of Federal credit instruments set forth in § 1300.10, the Board shall consider the following evaluation factors:

Reasonable assurance that the borrower will be able to repay the loan by the date specified in the loan document, which shall be no later than seven years from the date on which the first disbursement of the loan is made;

The adequacy of the proposed provisions to protect the Federal Government, including sufficiency of any security provided by the borrower and the percentage of guarantee requested;

The ability of the lender to administer the loan in full compliance with the requisite standard of care. In making this determination, the Board will assess:

The lender's level of regulatory capital, in the case of banking institutions, or net worth, in the case of other institutions;

Whether the lender possesses the ability to administer the loan, including its experience with loans to air carriers; and

Any other matter the Board deems material to its assessment of the lender; and

The ability of the borrower to demonstrate, to the Board's satisfaction, one or more of the following criteria. The Board shall give preference to applications that satisfy one or more of these criteria, giving greater preference to those applications that meet the greatest number of these criteria, as follows:

A demonstration that the air carrier has presented a plan demonstrating that its business plan is financially sound;

A demonstration of greater participation in the loan by non-Federal entities;

A demonstration of greater participation in the loan by private entities, as opposed to public non-Federal entities;

A demonstration that the proposed instruments would ensure that the Federal Government will, contingent on the financial success of the air carrier, participate in the gains of the air carrier and its security holders;

A demonstration of concessions by the air carrier's security holders, other creditors, or employees that will improve the financial condition of the air carrier in a manner that will enable it to repay the loan in accordance with its terms and provide commercial air services on a financially sound basis after repayment;

A demonstration that guaranteed loan proceeds will be used for a purpose other than the payment or refinancing of existing debt;

A demonstration that the proposed instruments contain financial structures that minimize the Federal government's risk and cost associated with making loan guarantees. Examples include, but are not limited to, requests for guarantees that contain the following:

A maturity period that is less than the maximum permitted under the rules in this part;

Pledges of collateral;

Agreements by the borrower's parent or other entities to reimburse the Federal government for any payments that the Federal government may make under the guarantee;

A grant to the Federal government of favorable priority in the event of bankruptcy reflecting other creditors' agreement to subordinate their debts as a condition of the loan guarantee;

Limitation of the borrower's issuance of dividends and/or the borrower's payments to its parent or subsidiaries or related companies;

Limitation of the borrower's ability to incur additional debt, and/or the borrower's ability to incur capital expenditures, beyond that set forth in the business and financial plans that the Borrower submitted with the application;

A demonstration of reasonable liquidity;

A demonstration of favorable debt ratios; and

A demonstration that any proceeds raised from private sector financing subsequent to disbursement of the federally guaranteed loan be used to repay the federally guaranteed loan.

No guarantee will be made if either the borrower or lender has an outstanding delinquent Federal debt, including tax liabilities, until:

The delinquent debt has been paid in full;

A negotiated repayment schedule is established; or

Other arrangements, satisfactory to the agency responsible for collecting the debt are made.

Decisions by the Board. The Board shall approve or deny applications received on or before June 28, 2002, in a timely manner as such applications are received. The Board may limit the amount of a loan guarantee made to initial applicants to ensure that sufficient funds remain available for subsequent applicants. The Board shall notify the borrower in writing of the approval or denial of an application. Approvals for loan guarantees shall be conditioned upon compliance with § 1300.18.