Lebanon and Lancaster counties had some of the lowest levels of unemployment in Pennsylvania just a few months ago, creating issues for growth tied to finding workers to fill numerous jobs. Now, like every other area in the state, the question is when, if ever, will the counties return to that vibrancy.

There’s still $147 billion available in the second round of the Paycheck Protection Program, according to a report by the Small Business Administration released on Saturday.

Business partnerships could be eligible for additional funds via the Paycheck Protection Program if they didn’t include the self-employment income of partners in its initial application, according to a guidance update from the Small Business Administration.

The long-awaited form Paycheck Protection Program borrowers need to be forgiven for their loan has been released by the Small Business Administration to “reduce compliance burdens and simplify the process for borrowers.”

Nine of this year’s Central Penn Business Journal’s Women of Influence and Circle of Excellence honorees have something in common: They’re graduates of one of Leadership Harrisburg Area’s programs.

“CDFIs are committed to supporting entrepreneurs and small businesses in low-income and underserved communities and that means collectively, these CDFIs will help keep paychecks flowing to employees who may need it the most.”

Businesses have until Monday to pay back a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan of $2 million or more to avoid a federal investigation for potentially taking more public funds than they needed to keep the company afloat during the coronavirus pandemic, federal policymakers announced late Wednesday.

Recipients of a less than $2 million loan via the Paycheck Protection Program automatically meet financial qualifications to receive their loan based on economic need, the Small Business Administration said in a Wednesday guideline update. 

Centric Financial Corporation, parent company of Harrisburg-based community bank Centric Bank, has a new Chief Human Resources Officer in Christine Pavlakovich, whose focus is to maintain the bank’s “people-first” culture amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

PNC Financial Services said it will divest its ownership of the New York-based asset manager, except for 500,000 BlackRock shares for a donation to the PNC Foundation by the end of the second quarter of 2020.

Wolf’s moratorium extends an April ruling from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court that barred landlords and lenders from removing people from their residences due to inability to meet rent and mortgage payments through May 11. The governor’s executive order extends the same coverage through July 10.

The Central Penn Business Journal has been the leader locally in recognizing high-achieving businesses and leaders across various industries at its awards celebrations. That's not changing.

Six months after announcing a definitive merger agreement, Northwest Bancshares is expanding westward with a $213 million acquisition of Muncie, Indiana’s MutualFirst Financial and subsidiary MutualBank.

From 4 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. today, the Small Business Administration will only accept Paycheck Protection Program loan applications from businesses with assets less than $1 billion, according to a 2 p.m. alert from federal officials.

“Every job is life-sustaining for someone, and the PPP is saving the livelihoods of those in our community,” Orrstown Executive Vice President and Chief Retail Officer Luke Bernstein said in his remarks to the nation Tuesday.