Paperwork Reduction Act Statement
According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such
collection displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 3048-004. The time
required to complete this information collection is estimated to be 90 minutes per response, including the time spent to review
instructions, search existing data resources, gather the data needed, and complete and review the information collection. If you have
any comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate(s) or suggestions for improving this form, forward correspondence to Ex-
Im Bank and the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project, OMB # 3048-004 Washington, D.C. 20503.
Introduction
The Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 (as amended) directs EXIM to report annually to the U.S. Congress on any actions taken toward
providing export credit programs that are competitive with those offered by official foreign export credit agencies.
The Report measures competitiveness through a series of comparisons which draw on quantitative information about the programs and
policies of the major foreign export credit agencies. For instance, the report evaluates EXIM’s competitiveness on the core financing
elements of official export credit support: interest rates, risk premia, and risk taking. In addition, EXIM provides a comparative
assessment of how well the financing elements are packaged into major programs: aircraft, project finance, co-financing, environmental
exports, and services exports. Finally, EXIM evaluates noteworthy public policy considerations that affect EXIM’s services
and therefore have the potential to impact U.S. exporter competitiveness: economic impact, content, and shipping polices.
As part of this report, Congress requires EXIM to conduct a survey of users of our programs to gain insights into EXIM's real-world
utility and competitiveness. Your views are essential in understanding how EXIM can support the success of American businesses in
the international marketplace. Your participation is also very critical in obtaining a representative and valid sample of EXIM Bank users
and substantiating the Bank’s true performance.
Instructions
One response per company.
Please respond to all questions based on the company’s most recent experiences.
If your company engaged EXIM for more than one transaction, please respond with your average experience and use the
general comments area in each section to discuss how a specific deal differed (e.g., your company’s experience with the long-
term loan program compared to the medium-term insurance program).
Questions that require a response are marked with an asterisk (*).
Contact Information
*
1. Name
2. Title
3. Phone
4. E-mail
*
5. Company
Company Information
*
6. What EXIM programs(s) did your company utilize or apply for? This includes transactions awaiting EXIM
approval. (choose all that apply)
Long-term guarantee
Long-term loan
Medium-term guarantee
Medium-term insurance
Medium-term loan
Short-term insurance
Working capital
Company did no business with EXIM due to lack of quorum or
other reasons
*
7. Is your company an exporter, a lender, or a project sponsor? (choose all that apply)
Exporter
Lender
Project Sponsor
Other (please specify)
Supplier Information
8. How many suppliers did your company use to execute export contracts?
None
1 - 25
26 - 50
51 - 75
76 - 100
100+
Don't know
9. How many employees did your supplier(s) employ?
Under 500
500 - 1,000
1,000 - 10,000
10,000+
Don't know
Not applicable
Foreign ECA Experience
*
10. Did your company work on a transaction with another Export Credit Agency (ECA) besides EXIM? (i.e.
did another ECA finance the export of your company's product or guarantee a loan from your bank).
Yes
No
Foreign ECA Experience (continued)
11. With which foreign ECAs did your company do business? (choose all that apply)
BNDES (Brazil)
CESCE (Spain)
COFACE/Bpifrance (France)
UKEF (United Kingdom)
EDC (Canada)
EulerHermes (Germany)
Finnvera (Finland)
GIEK/ECN (Norway)
JBIC/NEXI (Japan)
KSURE/KEXIM (Korea)
SACE (Italy)
Sinosure/China Exim (China)
Other (please specify)
12. Overall, how would you compare EXIM to other ECAs?
EXIM is far less competitive
EXIM is slightly less competitive
EXIM is equally competitive
EXIM is slightly more competitive
EXIM is much more competitive
Don't know
Foreign ECA Experience (continued)
13. Do you work with another ECAs' headquarters, satellite offices, or both?
Headquarters
Satellite
Both
Don't know
14. How did EXIM's response time to routine calls and inquiries compare with that of other ECAs?
EXIM had much slower response time
EXIM had slightly slower response time
EXIM had equal response time
EXIM had slightly faster response time
EXIM had much faster response time
Don't know
15. How did EXIM’s ease of doing business impact EXIM’s competitiveness with other ECA's?
Made EXIM far less competitive
Made EXIM slightly less competitive
Made EXIM equally competitive
Made EXIM slightly more competitive
Made EXIM much more competitive
Don't know
16. Please provide general comments on your company’s experience with foreign ECAs.
Direct ECA Competition
*
17. Did you work on a transaction where a buyer chose between two suppliers who were each supported
by an export credit agency?
Yes
No
Direct ECA Competition (continued)
18. Did the buyer choose the supplier supported by U.S. EXIM or the foreign ECA?
U.S. EXIM supported company
Foreign ECA supported company
19. What was the main factor in the buyer's decision?
Non-ECA related factor
Interest rate
Exposure fee
Tenor
Speed of doing business
Shipping policy
Environmental policy
Foreign content policy
Economic impact policy
Other (please specify)
Aircraft
*
20. Did your company utilize EXIM to finance aircraft?
Yes
No
Aircraft (continued)
21. Overall, how did EXIM's support for aircraft transactions compare with that offered by other ECAs?
EXIM is far less competitive
EXIM is slightly less competitive
EXIM is equally competitive
EXIM is slightly more competitive
EXIM is much more competitive
Don't know
22. Please provide general comments on your company’s experience with EXIM's aircraft financing.
Project and Structured Finance
Project finance
: The financing of an asset (or “project”) whereby the lender relies purely on the underlying cash flows being generated
by the asset as the sole source of repayment for the loan.
Structured finance
: Financing relies on the underlying project’s revenues to ensure against the risk of non-payment, but is not the
sole source of repayment.
*
23. Did your company utilize EXIM for project or structured finance deals?
Yes
No
Project and Structured Finance (continued)
24. Overall, how did EXIM's support for project finance or structured finance transactions compare with that
offered by other ECAs?
EXIM is far less competitive
EXIM is slightly less competitive
EXIM is equally competitive
EXIM is slightly more competitive
EXIM is much more competitive
Don't know
25. Specifically, how did EXIM's support for project or structured finance transactions compare with that
offered by each of the following ECAs?
EXIM is far less
competitive
EXIM is slightly
less competitive
EXIM is equally
competitive
EXIM is slightly
more
competitive
EXIM is much
more
competitive
Don't know
BNDES (Brazil)
COFACE/Bpifrance (France)
UKEF (United Kingdom)
EDC (Canada)
EulerHermes (Germany)
JBIC/NEXI (Japan)
KSURE/KEXIM (Korea)
SACE (Italy)
Sinosure/China Exim
(China)
Other (please specify)
26. Please provide general comments on your company’s experience with EXIM's project or structured
finance program.
Cover Policy
Cover policy
: The extent to which an ECA is open for business in a country across tenors and buyer types. It should represent an
ECA’s general attitude about a country.
27. How did EXIM's country cover policy compare with that of other ECAs?
EXIM is far less competitive
EXIM is slightly less competitive
EXIM is equally competitive
EXIM is slightly more competitive
EXIM is much more competitive
Don't know
28. For each of the following aspects, how did EXIM’s cover policy compare with that of other ECAs?
EXIM is far less
competitive
EXIM is slightly
less competitive
EXIM is equally
competitive
EXIM is slightly
more
competitive
EXIM is much
more
competitive
Don't know
Availability of cover by
market
Use of country exposure
limits
29. Please provide general comments on your company’s experience with EXIM's cover policy.
Risk Taking
Non-sovereign entities
: Public or private entities that do not carry the full faith and credit of a sovereign state.
Risk taking
: The extent to which an ECA is willing to provide export credit support in a market.
Sovereign entities
: Entities that are explicitly and legally mandated to enter into a debt payment obligation on behalf of a sovereign
state, typically the ministry of finance or central bank.
30. How did other ECAs willingness to take risk taking compare with EXIM?
EXIM is less willing to take risk
EXIM is the same
EXIM is more willing to take risk
Don't know
31. For each of the following types of buyers, how did other ECAs’ risk appetite compare with that of other
EXIM?
EXIM is less willing to
take risk EXIM is the same
EXIM is more willing to
take risk Don't know
Sovereign buyers
Public non-sovereign
buyers
Corporate buyers
32. Please provide general comments on your companys experience with EXIM's approach to risk taking.
Interest Rates
Commercial Interest Reference Rate (CIRR)
: The official fixed interest rate offered under EXIM’s direct loan program.
Floating interest rate
: The interest rate offered by banks using EXIM’s guarantee program.
Interest rates
: Either the fixed rate CIRR for direct loans as established by the OECD rules on export credits or floating rates charged
by guaranteed or insured lenders.
33. For each of the following types of interest rates, how did EXIM’s interest rates compare with those of
other ECAs?
EXIM’s rates are lower
EXIM’s rates are the
same
EXIM’s rates are higher Don't know
CIRR-based fixed
interest rates
Floating interest rates
34. Compared to EXIM, when do other ECAs set the interest rate?
Earlier in the process than EXIM
Same time in the process than EXIM
Later in the process than EXIM
Don’t know
35. Compared to EXIM, how long do other ECAs set the interest rate?
Shorter amount of time than EXIM
Same amount of time as EXIM
Longer amount of time than EXIM
Don't know
36. What interest rate flexibilities do other ECAs offer that EXIM does not?
37. Please provide general comments on your company’s experience with EXIM's approach to interest
rates.
Exposure Fees
Exposure fees (or risk premia)
: Fees that cover the risk of nonpayment for a transaction.
38. Overall, how did EXIM's exposure fees compare with those offered by other ECAs?
EXIM’s fees are lower
EXIM’s fees are the same
EXIM’s fees are higher
Don’t know
39. What was your company exposure fee payment method? (choose all that apply)
Upfront
As drawn
Don't know
40. Did EXIM’s method of collecting upfront exposure fees pose any competitive implications for your
company’s ability to finance transactions through EXIM?
Yes
No
Don't know
Not applicable
41. Did your company benefit from EXIM’s exposure fee financing?
Yes
No
Don't know
42. Please provide general comments on your company’s experience with EXIM's exposure fee.
Environmental Review
Environmental review
: A review of the environmental impacts of a project pursuant to Ex-Im Bank’s Environmental Procedures and
Guidelines.
*
43. Did your company have experience with EXIM's environmental review?
Yes
No
Don't know
Environmental Review (continued)
44. How did EXIM's environmental review compare with that required by other ECAs?
EXIM is far less competitive
EXIM is slightly less competitive
EXIM is equally competitive
EXIM is slightly more competitive
EXIM is much more competitive
Don't know
45. Please provide general comments on your company’s experience with EXIM's environmental review.
Environmentally Beneficial Exports
Environmentally beneficial exports
: Exports qualifying for enhanced support under Ex-Im Bank's Environmental Export Program
(e.g., renewable energy and water exports).
*
46. Did your company have experience with EXIM's environmentally beneficial exports program?
Yes
No
Don't know
Environmentally Beneficial Exports (continued)
47. For the following aspects, how did EXIM’s environmentally beneficial exports program compare with
similar programs of other ECAs?
EXIM is far less
competitive
EXIM is slightly
less competitive
EXIM is equally
competitive
EXIM is slightly
more
competitive
EXIM is much
more
competitive
Don't know
Renewable energy
extended terms
Renewable express
program
Premia amount
Premia payment method
Support of energy
efficient exports
48. Please provide general comments on your company’s experience with EXIM’s environmentally
beneficial exports program.
Services
Services
: Economic output that is intangible in nature and that is generally produced and consumed at the same time.
*
49. Did your company have experience with EXIM's financing of services?
Yes
No
Don't know
Services (continued)
50. How did EXIM's support for services compare with that offered by other ECAs?
EXIM is far less competitive
EXIM is slightly less competitive
EXIM is equally competitive
EXIM is slightly more competitive
EXIM is much more competitive
Don't know
51. Please provide general comments on your company’s experience with EXIM's policies towards
services.
Co-Financing
Co-financing (also referred to as “reinsurance and “one-stop-shop”)
: Financing arrangements that allow an exporter to market a
single ECA financing package to a buyer interested in procuring goods and services from two (or more) countries.
*
52. Did your company have experience with EXIM's co-financing program?
Yes
No
Don't know
Co-Financing (continued)
53. How did EXIM’s co-financing program compare with that of other ECAs?
EXIM is far less competitive
EXIM is slightly less competitive
EXIM is equally competitive
EXIM is slightly more competitive
EXIM is much more competitive
Don't know
54. Please provide general comments on your company’s experience with EXIM's co-financing program.
Local Costs
Local costs
: Project-related costs for goods and services originated and incurred in the buyer's country.
*
55. Did any of your company's transactions benefit from local cost financing?
Yes
No
Don't know
Local Costs (continued)
56. Please identify the nature of the local costs used by your company. (choose all that apply)
Inland freight and transportation
Taxes
Local construction, labor and installation
Deliveries from local subsidiaries and/or affiliates
Other (please specify)
57. Did EXIM’s local cost policy affect your company’s sourcing decisions?
Yes
No
Don't know
58. How does EXIM's local cost policy compare to other ECAs?
EXIM is far less competitive
EXIM is slightly less competitive
EXIM is equally competitive
EXIM is slightly more competitive
EXIM is much more competitive
Don't know
59. Please provide general comments on your companys experience with EXIM local cost policy.
Content Policy
Foreign content
: The portion of an export that originates outside the seller’s country, excluding local costs incurred in the buyer’s
country. A product must be shipped from the United States to qualify as either U.S. export or U.S. content.
*
60. Did any of your company’s transactions with EXIM involve foreign content?
Yes
No
Don't know
Content Policy (continued)
Aggregation
: An exporter can choose to certify to the foreign content within his/her products on an item-by-item basis or can choose to
aggregate the level of foreign content of all the items listed in a single invoice.
Average annual content certification
: Exporters can choose to calculate the average foreign content for each export from a specific
location/manufacturing facility, which is based on a projected level of foreign content. This calculation is applied to Ex-Im financing for
that specific export for the following year.
Codification of Ex-Im’s services content policy
: During Ex-Im Bank’s 2013-2014 content review process, the Bank sought to clarify
and codify its services content policy by defining eligibility standards for: 1) what constitutes an eligible services contract; 2) which
workers qualify as U.S. content; 3) the treatment of licenses; and 4) the content requirements for tools used in the execution of a
services export contract.
61. Did EXIM’s foreign content policy affect your company’s sourcing decisions?
Yes
No
Don't know
62. If yes, please explain how it affected your sourcing decision.
63. How does EXIM's foreign content policy compare with other ECAs?
EXIM is far less competitive
EXIM is slightly less competitive
EXIM is equally competitive
EXIM is slightly more competitive
EXIM is much more competitive
Don't know
64. Has EXIM's efforts to add additional flexibility to its foreign content policy helped increase EXIM's
competitiveness vis-a-vis other ECA's foreign content policies? These flexibilities include: average annual
content certification, codifying the services content policy, and allowing aggregation of content as opposed
to calculating support on an item-by-item basis.
Did not increase competitiveness at all
Slightly increased competitiveness
Greatly increased competitiveness
Don’t know
65. Please provide comments on your company’s experience with EXIM content policy.
Economic Impact
Economic impact
: The Congressional requirement that EXIM assess whether the extension of EXIM financing support is likely to
cause substantial injury to U.S. industry or would result in the production of substantially the same product that is the subject of
specified trade measures.
*
66. Did EXIM's economic impact policy affect any of your company’s transactions?
Yes
No
Don't know
Economic Impact (continued)
67. Did EXIM’s economic impact policy affect your company’s sourcing decisions?
Yes
No
Don't know
68. How does this requirement compare with other ECA's?
EXIM is far less competitive
EXIM is slightly less competitive
EXIM is equally competitive
EXIM is slightly more competitive
EXIM is much more competitive
Don't know
69. Please provide general comments on your company’s experience with EXIM's economic impact policy.
Shipping Policy
Certifications or determinations (historically referred to as waivers)
: When MARAD advises Ex-Im whether shipments on foreign
flagged vessels are eligible for Ex-Im financing. For certifications MARAD considers vessel availability, and for determinations MARAD
considers other related matters such as future shipments under the transaction.
MARAD
: U.S. Marine Administration.
*
70. Did any of your deals have to conform to the requirement to ship on U.S. flag vessels?
Yes
No
Don't know
Shipping Policy (continued)
71. Did you approach MARAD for any certifications of Non-Availability?
Yes
No
Don't know
72. If yes, was your company satisfied with the outcome? Please elaborate in comments section
Yes
No
Don't know
Comment
73. Did you approach MARAD for any determination (e.g. Compensatory, General, Reachback)?
Yes
No
Don't know
74. If yes, was your company satisfied with the outcome? Please elaborate in comments section below.
Yes
No
Don't know
Comment
75. For those transactions that were affected by the U.S. flag vessel shipping requirement, how many had
the following final outcomes:
U.S. export transaction
went forward with EXIM
financing
U.S. export transaction
went forward without EXIM
financing
U.S. export transaction did
not go forward because
buyer selected another
competitor
76. Does this requirement make EXIM more or less competitive with other ECAs?
Makes EXIM far less competitive
Makes EXIM slightly less competitive
Makes EXIM equally competitive
Makes EXIM slightly more competitive
Makes EXIM much more competitive
Don't know
77. Please provide general comments on your company’s experience with EXIM's shipping policy.
Non Standard Financing (Non-OECD Compliant Financing)
Market Windows
: Government sponsored programs that assert to offer export credit on market terms, outside of the OECD
Arrangement rules. ECAs often simultaneously manage an “Official Window” that offers OCED Arrangement terms for riskier
transactions.
Non-OECD Compliant Export Financing
: Transactions that do not comply with the OECD Arrangement.
*
78. Did your company encounter competition benefiting from non-OECD compliant financing (such as
Market Windows)?
Yes
No
Don't know
Non Standard Financing (Non-OECD Compliant Financing)
79. From which country?
80. How did this competition impact your sales?
81. Please provide general comments on your company’s experience competing with businesses that
benefit from non-OECD compliant financing.
Non Standard Financing (Untied Financing)
Untied financing
: A form of credit support that is extended by a government entity to a recipient for the purpose of providing credit and
is not linked to or conditioned upon the purchase of goods and services/exports from the donor government. Untied financing is
characterized as market-based financing, especially regarding the interest rate, but may not require any cash down payment and/or
have repayment terms in excess of what is allowed under the OECD Arrangement.
*
82. Did your company encounter competition benefiting from official untied financing programs?
Yes
No
Don't know
Non Standard Financing (Untied Financing)
83. From which country?
84. How did this competition impact your sales?
85. Please provide general comments on your company’s experience competing with businesses that
benefit from untied financing.
Tied Aid
Tied aid
: Concessional financing support provided by donor governments in the form of a grant or a “soft” loan for which capital goods
procurement by developing countries is contractually linked or tied to procurement from firms located in the donor country.
*
86. Did your company encounter foreign competition benefiting from tied aid financing programs?
Yes
No
Don't know
Tied Aid (continued)
87. In general, how did EXIM’s tied aid financing compare with that offered by other ECAs?
EXIM is far less competitive
EXIM is slightly less competitive
EXIM is equally competitive
EXIM is slightly more competitive
EXIM is much more competitive
Don't know
88. Please provide general comments on your company’s experience with tied aid.
Foreign Currency Guarantee
Foreign currency guarantee
: ECA-covered export credit that is denominated in a currency (either hard or soft) other than the ECA’s
domestic currency. Hard currencies refer to readily convertible currencies such as the Euro or Yen. Soft currencies refer to currencies,
not readily convertible, such as the Mexican peso or South African rand.
*
89. Did your company use EXIM’s foreign currency guarantee program?
Yes
No
Don't know
Foreign Currency Guarantee (continued)
90. Generally speaking, how did EXIM’s foreign currency guarantee program compare with that offered by
other ECAs?
EXIM is far less competitive
EXIM is slightly less competitive
EXIM is equally competitive
EXIM is slightly more competitive
EXIM is much more competitive
Don't know
91. Which of the following types of support did your company request from EXIM?
Hard Currency
Soft Currency
Both Hard and Soft Currency
Don't know
92. Please provide general comments on your company’s experience with EXIM's foreign currency
guarantee program.
Denied Deals
Denied deals
: Transactions that were submitted to EXIM but for some reason not approved.
*
93. Did EXIM deny any of your company’s applications?
Yes
No
Don't know
Denied Deals (continued)
94. How many of your company’s EXIM applications were denied?
1
4
2
5
3
6+
95. What happened to those transactions that EXIM denied? (choose all that apply)
Won without EXIM support
Sourced from non-U.S. supplier
Sourced from your company's foreign subsidiary
Sourced from other U.S. supplier
Still in process/no decision yet
Postponed
Buyer cancelled procurement
Don’t know
Other (please specify)
96. Please provide any general comments on denied deals.
Deterred Deals
Deterred deals
: Transactions that either did not come to EXIM because of prior knowledge of EXIM’s eligibility requirements and/or
policy or the application was withdrawn by the exporter because the exporter and/or lender realized that EXIM approval was going to
be difficult to obtain.
*
97. Did any of EXIM's policies deter your company from seeking EXIM support for any transactions?
Yes
No
Don't know
Deterred Deals (continued)
98. Which of the following were reasons for not applying to, or withdrawing an application from, EXIM?
(choose all that apply)
Co-financing: Lack of availability and/or flexibility
Cover policy: Off cover in requested market and/or specific
tenor
Economic impact: Product(s) subject to specific trade
measure
Economic impact: Subject to detailed economic analysis
Environmental policies: Requirement to publish ex-ante overly
transparent for competitive reasons
Environmental policies: Environmental review process
Exposure fees: Better pricing from other ECA
Exposure fees: Lack of predictability
Foreign currency guarantee: Lack of availability
Foreign currency guarantee: EXIM crystallization requirement
Foreign content: Did not meet EXIM content requirements
Interest rates: Lender guarantee interest rate cost prohibitive
Interest rates: Inability to access to EXIM direct loan
Local costs: Requirement to demonstrate foreign competition
and/or local financing not available from commercial market
(medium term only)
MARAD PR-17: Requirement to ship on U.S. flagged vessel
MARAD PR-17: Determination not made
MARAD PR-17: Processing time for determination
Market Windows: Request to match financing not granted/Did
not meet EXIM requirement(s) to match
Risk-taking: Requirement for risk mitigation and related costs
(legal, financial, etc.)
Services: Stand-alone services not covered
Services: Associated services not covered
Tied aid: Transaction did not meet, or not likely to meet, EXIM
tied aid policy
Tied aid: Processing time
Untied financing: Absence of untied financing program
Other (please specify)
99. Please provide any general comments on deterred deals that you may wish to share.
Global Government Influences - U.S.
*
100. Did any U.S. government actions impact your business with EXIM?
Yes
No
Don't know
Global Government Influences - U.S. (continued)
101. Overall, what type of impact did these U.S. government actions have?
Positive
Negative
Neutral
102. Please provide specific examples of which U.S. government actions impacted your deals.
Global Government Influences - Foreign Countries
*
103. Did any foreign government actions impact your business with EXIM?
Yes
No
Don't know
Global Government Influences - Foreign Countries (Continued)
104. Overall, what type of impact did these foreign government actions have?
Positive
Negative
Neutral
105. Please provide specific examples of which foreign government actions impacted your deals.