ALPENA — Out of more than $51 million in government-backed loans given to hundreds of Northeast Michigan firms to help them survive the coronavirus, nearly 40% went to just eight businesses, a News analysis of recently released federal data shows.

That would align with trends across the country that have drawn criticism that too many federal Paycheck Protection Program loans went to large businesses and not enough was done to help the small business Congress intended to help.

However, The News has discovered issues with the data released recently by the federal Small Business Administration after multiple media outlets sued to force disclosure.

The spreadsheets, which include abbreviated names for many loan recipients, shows an “ALPENA IND DEV CORP”received $1.4 million and reported 45 jobs would be saved.

That name sounds like the Greater Alpenda Industrial Development Corp., the original name of the economic development firm Target Alpena.

However, the Devere Drive address given in the data is not Target Alpena’s address.

And Target Alpena did not receive $1.4 million and does not have 45 employees, said Mike Mahler, Target Alpena’s director of economic development.

The data shows Target Alpena received a $16,600 loan for one employee.

“I do not know what the $1.4 million is or what the 45 jobs are, and I don’t know any other organization here that does what we do that would use a similar name to us,” he said.

The Devere Drive address is the address of the national headquarters of Panel Processing Inc., where President Eric Smith said 45 employees do work.

But Smith couldn’t confirm that business received $1.4 million. He said the company received multiple loans for its manufacturing plants around the country and those loans helped save 235 jobs around the country, not just the 45 at the Alpena headquarters.

Loans to other Panel Processing plants are listed separately from the “ALPENA IND DEV CORP,” entry in the Small Business Administration’s data.

So, if the $1.4 million represents the total amount that company received, the data could include duplications.

The Small Business Administration doesn’t comment on individual loan recipients, spokeswoman Andrea Roebker said in an email to The News.

The data “is what the delegated lenders provided to the SBA,” she said, referring to the banks that disbursed the PPP loans for the federal government.

The data released by SBA shows mBank loaned the money the “ALP IND DEV CORP.” A spokesman for the bank said it, too, does not comment on individual borrowers.

While there are questions in the data, there is no question the loans — which are forgivable if businesses avoided layoffs — helped several businesses stay afloat and saved many jobs.

“I absolutely think it was needed and the right thing to do,” Mahler, of Target Alpena, said. “You always have these outliers and the anomalies … The reality is, I think a lot of main street America benefited from this program, more than enough to offset those situations.”

Mahler said the program was well-run, despite its hasty rollout in the midst of the coronavirus emergency.