AP Exclusive: Sept. 11 recovery loans went to many who didn't need them
The government's $5 billion effort to help small businesses recover from the Sept. 11 attacks was so loosely managed that it gave low-interest loans to companies that didn't need terrorism relief _ or even know they were getting it, The Associated Press has found.

Congress to investigate Sept. 11 loan program
Congress will investigate the "flagrant abuse" of a federal loan program designed to help businesses recover from the Sept. 11 attacks and make sure such problems don't occur with Hurricane Katrina relief, a key Senate Republican announced Friday.

Feds praise their Sept. 11 relief loan program
Facing a congressional inquiry, the Small Business Administration said Tuesday it believes it followed the law during its nearly $5 billion lending effort to help small companies recover from the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Small Business Administration ignores criticism of post-Sept. 11 loans
The Small Business Administration is distributing an audit praising its post-Sept. 11 relief work, while omitting a second report by the same auditor that criticized a substantial part of SBA's $5 billion lending effort.

Inspector general confirms that Sept. 11 loan recipients weren't hurt by attacks
Most companies interviewed about the government-backed Sept. 11 loans they received have told investigators they weren't hurt by the suicide attacks and didn't know they were getting terrorism assistance, an internal government investigation found.