SBA and Treasury value all lenders and their small business customers. For the benefit of small business customers and their employees, SBA and Treasury are working on ways to optimize the loan processing system. Starting today, Robotic Processing Automation (RPA), which are robotic systems used by some banks to mimic human data entry, may not be used to submit Paycheck Protection Program loans into SBA’s E-Tran loan system.

RPAs burden the processing system and diminish its capabilities. Without RPAs, the loan processing system will be more reliable, accessible, and equitable for all small businesses. Application Programing Interface (APIs) will still be permitted. If you are a lender who needs assistance converting your submission process to a non-RPA API, contact Sheri McConville. (Sheri.Mcconville@sba.gov).