Federal Assistance for Building Product Export

Several of our clients are getting through the rough economy by expanding sales overseas, China and the Gulf States included. These programs can be helpful to novice exporters:

The Ex-Im Bank has three financing products geared especially to small and medium-sized businesses:

Working Capital Guarantees: covers 90 percent of the principal and interest on commercial lenders' working capital loans for pre-export costs.

Export Credit Insurance: protects mostly small-business exporters and their lenders against the commercial and political risks of a foreign buyer defaulting on payment.

Loan Guarantees: enables American firms to offer foreign buyers competitive credit to win a sale of equipment and services.

The Office of International Trade at the SBA has two programs to enhance the ability of small businesses to compete in the global marketplace:

Export Working Capital Loan Program (EWCP): provides short term, transaction based financing up to $2 million to assist experienced U.S. exporters to fulfill specific export contracts purchase orders, or letters of credit from overseas buyers.

Export Express: provides loans up to $250,000 to assist with working capital funds for international marketing & promotion activities and long-term financing to support an exporter's acquisition of fixed assets.

For more information, visit the Ex-Im Bank's web site at www.exim.gov or the SBA's website at www.sba.gov/oit .