Ex-Im Bank Signs Partnership with World Trade Center Charleston, Enhances Access to Financing

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Export-Import Bank of the United States

Apr 04, 2014, 01:41 ET

WASHINGTON, April 4, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) today announced its working partnership with Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce and World Trade Center Charleston (WTCC) in South Carolina. The City/State Partnership program gives exporters enhanced access to information about financing that supports export sales and jobs.

"Ex-Im Bank has much to offer Charleston's businesses that want to reach customers overseas and grow their export sales. This partnership will put Ex-Im's financing tools within easy reach," said Ex-Im Bank Chairman and President Fred P. Hochberg. "Together we show more exporters and lenders how private financing and U.S.-backed insurance enable them to compete effectively, and that means more jobs for South Carolina at no cost to taxpayers."

"The Ex-Im Bank partnership represents the importance of our region in the international marketplace," said Pennie Bingham, Executive Director of WTCC. "Charleston region's global presence is growing rapidly. Businesses are eager to learn how to bring visibility of their products and services to new customers around the world."

With more than 1,700 member organizations representing 100,000 professionals, the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce acts as catalyst for advancing the region's economy. World Trade Center Charleston, a member of the World Trade Centers Association, was initiated by the Chamber. WTCC posts information online on its own website, wtccharleston.com.

As an Ex-Im Bank partner, WTCC can provide additional resources in trade finance expertise to businesses interested in exporting their products and services. In WTCC, entrepreneurs will find a one-stop resource for both technical information about international trade and advice on solving challenges in financing and risk-management.

ABOUT EX-IM BANK:
Ex-Im Bank is an independent federal agency that creates and maintains U.S. jobs by filling gaps in private export financing at no cost to American taxpayers. The Bank provides a variety of financing mechanisms, including working capital guarantees, export-credit insurance, and financing to help foreign buyers purchase U.S. goods and services. In the past fiscal year alone, Ex-Im Bank earned for U.S. taxpayers more than $1 billion above the cost of its operations.

In FY 2013, Ex-Im Bank approved more than $27 billion in total authorizations to support an estimated $37.4 billion in U.S. export sales and approximately 205,000 U.S. jobs in communities across the country. For the year, the Bank approved a record 3,413 transactions, 89 percent of them for small businesses. Small-business exporters can learn about how Ex-Im Bank products can help them increase foreign sales at http://go.usa.gov/ZVTd. For other information about Ex-Im, visit www.exim.gov.

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SOURCE Export-Import Bank of the United States