Hammond Landlord Runs Into Red Tape With Small Business Administration After Grant Went To Old Bank Account He'd Closed
HAMMOND, Ind. (CBS) -- You've heard of David versus Goliath – now how about landlord versus the federal government?
A Hammond, Indiana man fought for nearly a year to get a grant that he was approved for after it went to a closed bank account. CBS 2's Tim McNicholas went searching for answers.
Landlord Mike Atchison is focused on improvements to his property and his life. But lately, he says that hasn't been so easy.
"The biggest thing is the problems I've had with tenants that don't want to pay their rent throughout the pandemic," Atchison said.
Before he invited us to his fixer-upper in Hammond, Atchison joined us via Zoom to explain how he applied for a small business grant last winter to stay afloat.
"It's just been like an emotional roller coaster," Atchison said.
Shortly before he was approved, he changed banks - and then told the Small Business Administration.
"I went ahead and I changed the information through email, and I called them," Atchison said. "However, it went to the wrong - the prior bank account."
That set off a 10-month back-and-forth of phone calls and emails between Atchison and the SBA as he tried to find a solution.
"Very frustrating - the most," Atchison said. "You know, I'm a very simple person, and I believe in a direct answer to a direct question."
But Atchison said that's far from what he got. He turned to us a few weeks ago after an SBA employee wrote to him, "Due to high volume, there is no timetable" for a correction.
"It's been physically, psychologically, and emotionally - it's been draining," Atchison said.
So we reached out to the SBA several times to ask what the problem was. They didn't get back to us - but lo and behold, within days of our inquiry, they finally started to help Atchison, who'd been working on a property in Hammond.
"I guess whatever communications you had with the SBA, they finally started calling me pretty frequently and making sure that it happened - and I'm very thankful for that," Atchison said.
Now, finally, the loan is processed - this time for the right account.
"I can't tell you how relieved I am," Atchison said.
Despite our many emails to the Small Business Administration, no one has ever responded to us with an explanation for the bungling of Mr. Atchison's case.