With restaurants and other hospitality businesses facing some of the earliest and largest financial losses from COVID-19, one local company established an online resource to help raise more than $200 million for them.

The Senate passed a record $2 trillion stimulus package late Wednesday aimed at jumpstarting the U.S. economy, which has seen mass layoffs, business closures, imperiled industries and volatile financial markets since the beginning of March due to the rapid spread of the coronavirus.

Midstate businesses could have a lot to gain from the Senate’s proposed $2 trillion stimulus bill if it becomes a law in the coming weeks.

The Senate plans to vote this afternoon on a $2 trillion stimulus bill that would inundate American households and businesses with cash with the intention of reviving the economy, which has endured mass layoffs and business suspensions due to the outbreak of the coronavirus.

Small businesses with 100 or fewer full-time employees have the opportunity to apply for a $100,000 low-interest loan through the Pennsylvania Industrial Development Agency (PIDA), state officials said this week.

As most people in Pennsylvania shelter in place, not going out to restaurants or stores and commuting only to the most essential jobs, gas prices are hitting record lows.

Taxpayers in the commonwealth have an extra 90 days to file their 2019 Pennsylvania personal income tax returns, as the deadline has been extended from April 15 to July 15.

Businesses will not be penalized for failing to meet the March 20 Accelerated Sales Tax (AST) deadline, officials from the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue confirmed to the Central Penn Business Journal.

The institutional asset management team at PNC Bank has a new senior business development officer in Mark Yasenchak, with roots in the central Pennsylvania markets he’s been recruited to serve, PNC Bank officials announced this week.

Community banks have been working around the clock for weeks to implement pandemic protocols, which address not only hygiene and cleanliness, testing procedures and sick leave compensation, but also ensure customers maintain access to vital banking services.

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf has asked the U.S. Small Business Administration to implement an SBA disaster declaration so businesses and nonprofits in the state can access SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans in all 67 counties.

U.S. Senator Bob Casey, D-Pennsylvania, was joined by 17 fellow senators in writing a letter to Senate leadership this week, urging Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to forward their legislation that would support Americans in the time of financial and economic uncertainty.

The federal Small Business Administration (SBA) is working with state officials to support small businesses impacted by the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) with up to $2 million targeted, low-interest disaster recovery loans.

F&M Trust holding company Franklin Financial Services named Kevin Craig to its board of directors, citing the company executive and accountant’s diverse industry background as an asset to the financial institution’s growth.

While markets already seem to be recovering, those remembering the pain of the great recession have expressed concerns of how an ongoing coronavirus outbreak, combined with dropping oil prices due to Saudi Arabia increasing oil output, could drill a hole in their retirement savings.