Internal Audit

Yesterday New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, Department of Health (DOH) Commissioner Judith Persichilli, and Department of Human Services Commissioner Carole Johnson announced that $155 million in relief funds will be provided to long-term care facilities.  The funding will assist the facilities with the implementation of a new DOH directive focused on safely reopening long-term care…

On August 11, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) approved $15.3 million in CARES Act funding through their Small Business Assistance Grant Program. The purpose of adding the additional funding to this program is to provide assistance to businesses located in twelve New Jersey counties that did not receive direct funding from the federal…

On July 23rd, the Small Business Administration (SBA) issued the following Procedural Notice regarding the process which lenders must follow in their review of your Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) forgiveness application and how they will interface with the SBA to request reimbursement for loans that they approve for forgiveness. View the Procedural Notice here –…

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the IRS announced a payroll tax credit as well as other relief over the past few months.  With the 2020 second quarter payroll tax return due dates approaching, below are highlights of these potential benefits and tax reporting changes that you should be aware of. Employee Retention Credit – Qualifications…

On Wednesday, June 24th Mercadien’s Financial Institutions Services Group hosted a one-of-a-kind presentation featuring the nation’s leading Community Reinvestment Act expert, Kenneth H. Thomas, Ph.D., author of The CRA Handbook and former finance lecturer at The Wharton School of Business, who addressed the OCC’s Final CRA rule, and what it means for banks and their…

The lender portal for the Federal Reserve’s Main Street Lending Program (MSLP) has opened as the alternative to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Unlike the PPP, the Main Street Lending Program’s loans are not forgivable, although they are at low interest rates. The program is being offered through the Federal Reserve rather than the SBA…

Mercadien is ready to assist you in facilitating the CARES Act Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan forgiveness processing. The SBA stated that Lenders are expected to perform a good-faith review, in a reasonable time, of the borrower’s calculations and supporting documents concerning amounts eligible for loan forgiveness.  If the lender identifies errors in the borrower’s…

The Mercadien Group is pleased to announce that its affiliate company, Kingstonville-Mercadien JV, LLC, has been awarded a five-year contract with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to provide risk-based review and risk oversight support services for the Certified Development Company (CDC)/504 Loan Program, administered through the Offices of Capital Access and Credit Risk Management.…

The Mercadien Group is pleased to announce several promotions within the firm’s corporate leadership team. Ms. Raji Sathappan, CPA, MBA, CRCM, CAMS, a member of the Financial Institutions Services Group, is promoted to managing director of The Mercadien Group and principal in Mercadien, P.C., CPAs (the official titles of firm partners). Raji has been employed…

“Oh great, an audit!” When the word audit is seen or heard by most people working in any type of organization, it usually invokes a negative response.  They view the term as an unpleasant event that may be disruptive or unsettling to their normal course of business.  To add to the displeasure, audits generally are…