Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 72 Part 1.djvu/735

 72

STAT.]

PUBLIC LAW 85-69»-AUG. 21, 1958

693

subject to such limitations and regulations as the Administration may prescribe. (b) To encourage the formation and growth of small business investment companies, the Administration is authorized to lend funds to such companies through the purchase of their obligations which shall bear interest at such rate, and contain such other terms, as the Administration may fix. The total amount of obligations purchased and outstanding at any one time by the Administration under this subsection in any one company shall not exceed 50 percent of the paidin capital and surplus of such company. PROVISION OF E Q U I T Y CAPITAL FOR S M A L L - B U S I N E S S

CONCERNS

SEC. 304. (a) I t shall be a primary function of each small business investment company to provide a source of needed equity capital for small-business concerns in the manner and subject to the conditions described in this section. (b) Capital shall be provided by a company to a small-business concern under this section only through the purchase of debenture bonds (of such concern) which shall— (1) bear interest at such rate, and contain such other terms, as the company may fix with the approval of the Administration; (2) be callable on any interest payment date, upon three months' notice, at par plus accrued interest; and (3) be convertible at the option of the company, or a holder in due course, up to and including the effective date of any call by the issuer, into stock of the small-business concern at the sound book value of such stock determined at the time of the issuance of the debentures. (c) Before any capital is provided to a small-business concern under this section— (1) the company may require such concern to refinance any or all of its outstanding indebtedness so that the company is the only holder of any evidence of indebtedness of such concern; and (2) except as provided in regulations issued by the Administration, such concern shall agree that it will not thereafter incur any indebtedness without first securing the approval of the company and giving the company the first opportunity to finance such indebtedness. (d) Whenever a company provides capital to a small-business concern under this section, such concern shall be required to become a stockholder-proprietor of the company by investing in the capital stock of the company, in an amount equal to not less than 2 percent nor more than 5 percent of the amount of the capital so provided, in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Administrator. LONG-TERM LOANS TO S M A L L - B U S I N E S S

CONCERNS

SEC. 305. (a) Each company is authorized to make loans, in the manner and subject to the conditions described in this section, to incorporated and unincorporated small-business concerns in order to provide such concerns with funds needed for sound financing, growth, modernization, and expansion. (b) Loans made under this section may be made directly or in cooperation with other lending institutions through agreements to participate on an immediate or deferred basis. In agreements to participate in loans on a deferred basis under this subsection, the participation by the company shall not be in excess of 90 per centum of the balance of the loan outstanding at the time of disbursement. (c) The maximum rate of interest for the company's share of any

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