Export Finance: The Small Business Administration's Role in Meeting Small
Business Needs (Testimony, 09/07/95, GAO/T-GGD-95-235).

GAO discussed information on the Small Business Administration's (SBA)
Export Working Capital Program (EWCP), focusing on SBA role in meeting
the export finance needs of small-and medium-sized businesses. GAO noted
that SBA has: (1) worked with the U.S. Export-Import Bank to streamline
and standardize its working capital programs; (2) supported U.S. export
assistance centers by assigning 11 staff to the four pilot centers that
are to provide a single point of contact for potential U.S. exporters;
and (3) established cofinancing agreements with a few states, which has
given the states the added ability to grant more loan guarantees. In
addition, GAO noted that: (1) SBA will likely guarantee about 164
working capital loans, totalling almost $55 million, for fiscal year
1995; and (2) there are four possible options to help reduce the
potential impact of reduced EWCP funding, which include lowering the
guarantee coverage, increasing guarantee fees, using funding as an
incentive to create new state export financing opportunities, and
consolidating EWCP into the Working Capital Guarantee Program.

--------------------------- Indexing Terms -----------------------------

 REPORTNUM:  T-GGD-95-235
     TITLE:  Export Finance: The Small Business Administration's Role in 
             Meeting Small Business Needs
      DATE:  09/07/95
   SUBJECT:  Small business assistance
             Exporting
             Small business loans
             Off-budget federal entities
             Federal funds
             International trade
             Export regulation
             International economic relations
             Capital
IDENTIFIER:  SBA 7(a) Loan Program
             SBA Export Revolving Line of Credit Program
             SBA Preferred Lenders Program
             SBA Export Working Capital Program
             Eximbank Delegated Authority Program
             
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