Beginning April 1, 2017, FAME lender partners can opt for up to $750,000 in loan insurance through FAME’s OnLine Answer (OLA). Lenders can process applications for loan insurance on OLA, FAME’s secure web application, and receive a decision in seconds. This expansion allows lenders to use the OLA system instead of applying for larger exposure loans through FAME’s traditional paper application. This is the fourth and largest loan insurance enhancement FAME has launched in the past six months in response to extensive customer feedback actively sought by the agency.

At its March 16, 2017 monthly board meeting, the Finance Authority of Maine (FAME) approved direct loan financing for Beal College of Bangor to help the institution establish a new school of nursing. Scheduled to begin in the Fall of 2017, the new program seeks to address the expected workforce shortage of nurses in Maine in the coming years. In a strategic partnership with the college, Eastern Maine Medical Center will donate the equipment necessary to set up a nursing lab at the school, and will provide clinical rotations for students and classroom space as needed.

The Harold Alfond Foundation has unveiled “Alfond Leaders,” a statewide student loan debt relief program for Maine residents working in the STEM-related fields of science, technology, engineering and math and employed by a Maine-based business. The program offers up to $60,000 of debt relief per recipient and will be awarded through a competitive application process to approximately 150 Alfond Leaders over the next three years.

At its monthly meeting on January 19, 2017, the FAME Board approved financing for Husson University; Thornton Academy; MaineHealth; and LifeFlight of Maine, LLC. The move will help to improve the general health and well-being of Maine students and businesses.