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ABOUT THE SMALL BUSINESS LENDER COUNCIL
The PEFCO Small Business Lender Council
is a network of lenders that support Ex-Im Bank's outreach
to small U.S. exporters. Members of the Council include banks
and trade finance companies. Ex-Im Bank participates on the
Council as an ex officio member.
The Council has two principal functions.
- As a funding resource for small exporters
and overseas importers of US goods and services
- As a forum where Ex-Im Bank can have
frank discussions with lenders on subjects of common interest.
The Council is an important resource for small businesses
. Council members provide export finance services
using the complete range of Ex-Im Bank programs: short-term,
medium-term and long-term. Council members also offer financing
not generally available from mainstream lenders. For example:
- A lender specializing in Ex-Im Bank's new 15-year environmental
export program
- A lender with overseas offices that can become an exporter's
local financing arm for its importing customers in the country
- A lender with a program to train US exporters to incorporate
export financing into their overseas marketing efforts
- A lender that provides the 15% down-payment financing
for medium-term loans, even for small loans
- A lender in Mexico that provides import financing to local
businesses under Ex-Im Bank short-term and medium-term programs
- A lender that views southern Mexico as unexplored territory
for US exporters
- A lender doing business in sub-Sahara Africa
The Council is also a resource for small lenders
not able to provide export finance support themselves,
such as community banks and asset-based lenders. Council members
work with lenders on a non-competitor basis always respectful
of the originating lender's relationship with its client (with
the possibility of an income-sharing component for the originating
lender).
Council members can also offer other services such as advising
on loan operations management, documentation review and compliance
with Ex-Im Bank procedures.
Council membership
The Council is a PEFCO endeavor. Membership is by invitation
only and is open only to lenders. To be eligible for membership,
a lender must satisfy several criteria. The lender must
- advocate support for small exporters
as a marketing goal,
- agree to participate with Ex-Im Bank
in at least one small exporter outreach activity each year,
- attend at least one joint Ex-Im Bank/Small
Business Lender Council meeting each year, and
- have an established relationship with
PEFCO.
Associated with the Council ex officio are companies
and individuals that provide consultation and other support
to exporters and lenders. Their services include advising
on loan structure, preparing applications to Ex-Im Bank, acting
as the exporter's representative with its lender, locating
a willing lender, improving loan operations management, documentation
review, compliance with Ex-Im Bank procedures, and preparation
of claims.
Lenders
For information about the Council members and the services
they offer, please contact PEFCO directly.
The "Lenders" section of this website has introductory
information about the following Council members.
Other Resources
For information about the associated non-lenders and the
services they offer, please contact PEFCO.
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