Eximbank Small Business Support

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO commented on the U.S. Export-Import Bank's (Eximbank) compliance with the small business set-aside provision of the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 which requires Eximbank to set aside 10 percent of its aggregate loan, guarantee, and insurance budget authority to finance small business exports. GAO noted that: (1) Eximbank reported in its 1986-1990 annual reports that it exceeded its 10-percent set-aside requirement; (2) excluding indirect financing and estimates of bank-administered insurance provided to small businesses, calculations showed that Eximbank would not have met the 10-percent requirement in fiscal years 1986 and 1987; (3) Eximbank does not verify the exporters' estimates of small business content; and (4) Eximbank has not formally addressed whether it meets the small business set-aside provision.