Lender Eligibility and Certification

Lender Eligibility

The following lenders are eligible to register and enroll loans in both of IBank’s loan guarantee programs:

Federal or state-chartered banks
Savings associations
Certified Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs)
Credit unions
Farm Credit System Insurance Corporations (FCSICs)
Other financial institutions, with IBank exception

Federal or state-chartered banks and credit unions must have a minimum Bauer rating of 3 stars. There may be no regulatory action against the lender. If a lender does not meet the standards, the request to participate will be declined.

Other Financial Institutions

For “Other Financial Institutions” seeking:

Guarantees of $5 million or less, please reach out to a Financial Development Corporation , to learn more about the process and assess if an exception may be approved.
Guarantees of $5 million or more, please refer to the Climate Loan Guarantee Policy Manual.
IBank Climate Loan Participations, IBank will evaluate a lender’s credit policy and the credit of the underlying loan on a case-by-case basis.

Getting Certified For Loan Guarantees

Climate Tech Finance Loan Guarantee — For Loan Guarantees of Less than $5 million

An eligible lender can get certified to issue Climate Tech Loan Guarantees through a Financial Development Corporation (FDC). This process involves completing a Small Business Lender Certification to Participate and emailing it directly to an FDC of their choice. Alternatively, if you have questions, please contact IBank at sbfc@ibank.ca.gov.

Please note that lenders are required to submit the “Lender Certification to Participate” each fiscal year.

IBank Climate Loan Guarantee – For Loan Guarantees of More than $5 million

To participate in the Climate Loan Guarantee, a lender must have sufficient commercial lending experience, financial and managerial capacity, and operational skills. IBank will evaluate a lender’s capability based on criteria above.

There is no “Lender Certification to Participate” process for the larger guarantee program. However, a lender will need to certify that it understands and will comply with the obligations under the program in closing documents.

To learn more about how to submit an IBank Climate Loan Guarantee, see our Submitting a Loan Guarantee webpage.

Loan Participations

IBank’s Loan Participation product is based on shared risk between a Lead Lender and IBank. Lead Lenders do not need to enroll or provide ongoing certification in order to submit a loan for participation. However, to comply with federal requirements, lenders need to follow the procedures described in IBank’s Request for Proposals (RFP). Detailed instructions on submitting a proposal for a Loan Participation will be published under an open RFP.

Questions on the submission process? Email climatefinancing@ibank.ca.gov.