Export-Import Bank of the United States: Activities, Competitiveness & International Comparisons

The Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank, EXIM Bank, or the Bank), an independent federal government agency, is the official export credit agency of the United States. It helps finance U.S. exports of manufactured goods and services, with the objective of contributing to the employment of U.S. workers, primarily in circumstances when alternative financing is not available. The Ex-Im Bank also may assist U.S. exporters to meet foreign, officially sponsored, export credit competition. Its main programs are direct loans, loan guarantees, working capital guarantees, and export credit insurance. Ex-Im Bank transactions are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. This book examines issues related to the Ex-Im Bank that centre on the economic rationale for the Bank; the impact of the Bank on the federal budget and U.S. taxpayers; the Bank’s support for specific types of business or industries; the current balance between the Bank’s advancement of U.S. commercial interests and other U.S. policy goals; and the Bank’s organisational structure.