Exim Bank Annual Report

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Supporting

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Sustaining

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Strengthening

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P R E S I D E N T and Chairman of the Export-Import Bank of the

United States (Ex-Im Bank), I am pleased to present the 1997 Annual Report to our “stockhold­ ers” — the taxpayers of the United States. The Ex-Im Bank is in a sound financial condition, with ample reserves and an excellent record of financial results. Furthermore, Congress has granted Ex-Im Bank a four-year reauthorization through the end of Fiscal Year 2001 to continue our work in support of U.S. exports and jobs.

James A. Harmon President & Chairman

Our dedicated and talented staff has achieved notable success in the past year, especially in implementing new ways to bring the Bank’s programs closer to our customers — U.S. compa­ nies, small and large, that seek to export their products and services to developing markets around the globe. “Jobs through Exports” is not just a slogan: it is a mission that we carry out every day. We help businesses across the country to enter new and rapidly growing markets, where private sources of financing are very limited or nonexistent. For many people, Ex-Im Bank’s daily work of leveling the playing field for U.S. companies may seem as remote as the countries to which U.S. goods and services are being shipped. However, American workers — whether they are building commercial aircraft, telecommunications equipment, power generation facilities, or water purification systems to provide safe drinking water in developing nations — have higher quality, better paying jobs, thanks to Ex-Im Bank’s financing.

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