1.  A qualified community development entity which issues qualified equity investments under this chapter shall make qualified low-income community investments in businesses located in severely distressed census tracts, on a combined basis with all of its affiliated qualified community development entities that have issued qualified equity investments under this chapter, in an amount equal to at least 30 percent of the purchase price of all qualified equity investments issued by such entities.

2.  The Director may reduce the requirement in subsection 1 to 20 percent if the qualified community development entity uses its commercially reasonable best efforts to satisfy the requirements of subsection 1 and fails to do so within 9 months after its initial credit allowance date.

3.  A qualified community development entity which makes a qualified low-income community investment must allow the business in which the qualified low-income community investment is made to apply to refinance the qualified low-income investment if at least 4 years has passed since the qualified community development entity made the qualified low-income investment and the qualified low-income investment has not previously been refinanced.

4.  As used in this section, ‘severely distressed census tract’ means a census tract that, in the immediately preceding census, had:

(a) More than 30 percent of households with a household income below the federally designated level signifying poverty;

(b) A median household income of less than 60 percent of the median household income in this State; or

(c) A rate of unemployment that was equal to or greater than 150 percent of the national average.