The U.S. Small Business Administration announced Tuesday that it approved approximately 60,000 Paycheck Protection Program loan applications submitted by nearly 3,000 lenders, for over $5 billion, in the first week that it was reopened, Jan. 11-17. The PPP provided dedicated access to community financial institutions that specialize in serving underserved communities, including minority-, women- and veteran-owned small businesses from Monday through Thursday, which were joined Friday by smaller lenders. As of Tuesday this week, the program is now open to all participating lenders. The Paycheck Protection Program remains open for first- and second-draw PPP loans until March 31, as set forth in the Economic Aid Act, or until congressionally appropriated funding is exhausted.