ITMedia Solutions, LLC
Also known as: IT Media, SBA.com.
The FTC and the Small Business Administration sent ITMedia Solutions, which operates SBA.com, a warning letter saying its marketing could lead small businesses to believe it was affiliated with the SBA or that they could apply for PPP loans on its site.
Documented. Subject of a regulatory action, lawsuit, or other official proceeding on the public record.
Identity
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- Registrations
- FTC and SBA joint warning letter to ITMedia Solutions, LLC (May 2020)
- Locations
- California
- Other handles
- SBA.com
- Jurisdictions
- United States (federal)
A warning letter, not a complaint
In May 2020 the Federal Trade Commission and the Small Business Administration sent warning letters to two companies whose marketing, the agencies said, may be misleading small businesses seeking SBA loans during the coronavirus pandemic.
The letters went to California-based ITMedia Solutions, LLC, which operates SBA.com among other sites, and to Utah-based Lendio, Inc. The concern was that their marketing could lead businesses to believe they were affiliated with the SBA, or that they could apply on those sites for loans under the Paycheck Protection Program or other CARES Act programs.
The letter to ITMedia highlighted claims such as “Your Paycheck Protection Program Loan starts here!” and prompts encouraging visitors to “Get Started” with PPP applications.
The letter to Lendio addressed both its own claims and those of lead generators working for it, including ITMedia. It also pointed to another Lendio lead generator whose site claimed to be an authorized SBA loan packager for PPP and advertised its services for a $495 fee, despite the SBA prohibiting lead generators or other agents from charging fees to PPP applicants.
The letters instructed the recipients to remove any deceptive claims, remediate harm to small businesses, and tell the FTC within 48 hours what they had done.
What is not established
This is a warning letter, not an enforcement action. The agencies described the marketing as potentially misleading. No complaint was filed, no allegation was adjudicated, and the supplied document records no finding, order, penalty or monetary relief against either company.
Sources
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- Enforcement action May 18, 2020
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First recorded May 18, 2020 · Last updated May 18, 2020