How Can Loan Guarantees Help U.S. Businesses?

EXIM assists U.S. companies by guaranteeing financing to creditworthy foreign buyers for purchases of U.S. capital goods and services. In turn, U.S. companies receive payment at the time of shipment. With this payment guarantee, U.S.-based companies have more confidence to compete for sales in new markets worldwide.

With EXIM's loan guarantees, buyers in both the private and public sectors are able to obtain competitive term financing from lenders when it is otherwise unavailable, with terms generally up to 10 years. As some buyers prefer an alternative to traditional installment loans, EXIM also supports finance leases.

EXIM Medium- and Long-Term Guarantees Provide:

  • Financing for international buyers of U.S. capital goods and related services, not consumer goods.
  • Risk mitigation for a transaction with a particular buyer.
  • More secure entry to emerging markets.
  • Longer repayment terms.
  • Flexible lender financing options backed by EXIM's guarantee.
  • Coverage for 100 percent of commercial and political risks.

EXIM's guarantee to the lender is unconditional and transferable. It covers local costs up to 40 or 50 percent, and ancillary services such as financial, legal, or lender fees may be included.

Eligibility Requirement

  • EXIM finances only the U.S. content. Please review the Content Policy for more information.
  • EXIM can do business in most markets. However, the agency may be limited or unable to offer financing in certain countries and under certain terms. (See Country Limitation Schedule).
  • EXIM cannot support exports of military or defense products and services (with some exceptions), nor can it support purchases made by military buyers. (See Military Policy.)
  • Products must be shipped from the United States to a foreign buyer.
  • There is no maximum limit to the size of the export sale that may be financed with EXIM's loan guarantee.

Prior to approving certain transactions, EXIM will consider the economic impact of a particular transaction (see Economic Impact policies) and the environmental effects (see Environment policies).

Coverage

  • Coverage is available for medium-term and long-term transactions. EXIM provides an 85 percent guarantee (a 15 percent down payment is required from the buyer). Principal and accrued interest are included.
  • A guaranteed loan is a loan funded by a commercial bank and guaranteed by EXIM.
  • Guaranteed loans can be denominated in U.S. dollars or other currencies, and they carry either a fixed or floating rate of interest.

Costs

  • Letter of Interest processing fee is $100.
  • Preliminary Commitment (PC) application fee is 1/10th of 1 percent of financed amount.
  • Commitment fee is 0.125 percent, based on unused portions of the loan.
  • Exposure fee is based on risk (variable; see exposure fee calculators).
  • Interest rate is negotiated between lender and borrower.

Getting Started