[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 50, Volume 7]
[Revised as of January 1, 2007]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 50CFR253.15]

[Page 637-638]
 
                    TITLE 50--WILDLIFE AND FISHERIES
 
  CHAPTER II--NATIONAL MARINE FISHERIES SERVICE, NATIONAL OCEANIC AND 
           ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
 
PART 253_FISHERIES ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS--Table of Contents
 
            Subpart B_Fisheries Obligation Guarantee Program
 
Sec. 253.15  Miscellaneous.

    (a) Applicant. Only the legal title holder of project property (or 
the lessee of an appropriate long-term financing lease) may apply for a 
guarantee. Applicants must submit an ``Application for Fisheries 
Obligation Program Guarantee'' to the appropriate NMFS Regional 
Financial Services Branch to be considered for a guaranteed loan.
    (b) Investigation and approval. The Division shall do a due 
diligence investigation of every application it accepts and determine 
if, in the Division's sole judgment, the application is eligible and 
qualified. Applications the Division deems ineligible or unqualified 
will be declined. The Division will approve eligible and qualified 
applications based on the applicability of the information obtained 
during the application and investigation process to the programmatic 
goals and financial requirements of the program and under terms and 
conditions that, in the Division's sole discretion, protect the U.S. The 
Division will state these terms and conditions in its approval in 
principal letter.
    (c) Insurance. All property and other risks shall be continuously 
insured during the term of the U.S. note. Insurers must be acceptable to 
the Division. Insurance must be in such forms and amounts and against 
such risks as the Division deems necessary to protect the U.S. Insurance 
must be endorsed to include the requirements the U.S., as respects its 
interest only, deems necessary to protect the U.S. (e.g., the Program 
will ordinarily be an additional insured as well as the sole loss payee 
for the amount of its interest; cancellation will require 20 days' 
advance written notice; vessel seaworthiness will be admitted, and the 
Program will be adequately protected against other insureds' breaches of 
policy warranties, negligence, omission, etc.)
    (d) Property inspections. The Division will require adequate 
condition and valuation inspection of all property as the basis for 
assessing the property's worth and suitability for guarantee. The 
Division may also require these at specified periods during guarantee 
life. These must be conducted by competent and impartial inspectors 
acceptable to the Division. Inspection cost will be at an applicant's 
expense. Those occurring before application approval may be included in 
actual cost.
    (e) Guarantee terms and conditions. The Division's approval in 
principle letter shall specify the terms and conditions of the 
guarantor's willingness to guarantee. These shall be incorporated in 
closing documents that the Division prepares. Terms and conditions are 
at the Division's sole discretion. An applicant's nonacceptance will 
result in disqualification for guarantee.
    (f) Noteholder. The Division will, as a gratuitous service, request 
parties interested in investing in guaranteed notes to submit offers to 
fund each prospective guaranteed note. The Division and the applicant 
will, by mutual consent, choose the responsive bidder, which ordinarily 
will be the prospective noteholder whose bid represents the lowest net 
effective annual cost of capital. Until the Division has closed the 
guarantee, arrangements between an applicant and a prospective 
noteholder are a matter of private contract between them, and the 
Program is not responsible to either for nonperformance by the other.
    (g) Closing--(1) Approval in principle letters. Every closing will 
be in strict accordance with a final approval in principle letter.
    (2) Contracts. The guaranteed note, U.S. note, and security 
documents will ordinarily be on standard Program forms that may not be 
altered without Divisional approval. The Division will

[[Page 638]]

ordinarily prepare all contracts, except certain pledges involving real 
property, which will be prepared by each notemaker's attorney at the 
direction and approval of the Division's attorney.
    (3) Closing schedules. The Division will ordinarily close guarantee 
transactions with minimal services from applicants' attorneys, except 
where real property pledges or other matters appropriate for private 
counsel are involved. Real property services required from an 
applicant's attorney may include: Title search, mortgage and other 
document preparation, execution and recording, escrow and disbursement, 
and a legal opinion and other assurances. An applicant's attorney's 
expense, and that of any other private contractor required, is for 
applicant's account. Attorneys and other contractors must be 
satisfactory to the Division. The Division will attempt to meet 
reasonable closing schedules, but will not be liable for adverse 
interest-rate fluctuations, loss of commitments, or other consequences 
of being unable to meet an applicant's and a prospective noteholder's 
closing schedule. These parties should work closely with the Division to 
ensure a closing schedule the Division can meet.