Regulations revised.

• Position: Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority regulations

Small, start-up businesses in the Bush and large commercial real estate borrowers are the targeted beneficiaries of two sets of regulation changes approved by the board of directors of the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority in July. The new regulations allow AIDEA to guarantee unsecured loans of up to $50,000 with a term not to exceed five years.

"The purpose here is to ease AIDEA's application process and thereby encourage small businesses located outside the population centers," says Bill Scott, AIDEA executive director.

The new rules also allow banks to make certain long-term commercial loans that they otherwise would have to turn down. Under the new regulations, a differential program will allow banks to amortize their portion of a loan over a shorter time period. The shortened amortization period for the banks is to help finance projects that...