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Interview: Fred Hochberg, US Ex-Im

22 October 2009

Financial year 2009 has proven record-breaking forThe Export-Import Bank of the United States (US Ex-Im).As the bank kicks off a series of eight nationwide seminars under the Exports Live! banner, Oliver O’Connell met with chairman Fred Hochberg.

Read more: [US Ex-Im Hochberg] [Exports US] [Chairman US Ex-Im] [Interview Fred Hochberg] [Obama US jobs] [Obama exports]

It is ironic that as US Ex-Im celebrates 75 years of supporting US exports, the many of the reasons for its founding in 1934 – as a response to the Great Depression – have again reared their heads. As with other major economies, the United States (US) is lumbered with a recession, high unemployment, and depressed consumer demand. The focus falls on government agencies to provide direction. As an export credit agency, US Ex-Im has, over the years, had to adapt to the needs of US manufacturers and exporters, and the financial institutions that service them. As with the wider trade finance sector, the bank’s fortunes are countercyclical and now more than ever the market requires innovation and a renewed sense of purpose.

The chairman’s position at the bank is a presidential appointment, and the Obama administration named name Fred Hochberg, formerly of the Small Business Administration under President Clinton, who...


Poll

Will Russia’s recent ban on grain exports result in a significant rise in private risk insurance claims from grain traders unable to fulfil their contracts?

Yes – there will be more claims. The government’s actions allow traders, with PRI cover, to make claims through contract frustration.
8%
No - the majority of Russia’s wheat production, some 70%-80%, is used for domestic consumption so the contracts represent only a small portion of the total wheat market, limiting the amount of potential claims.
23%
No - traders had a week’s notice before the ban allowing them to secure alternative supplies to fulfil contracts stated as optional origin.
23%
Maybe - but claims are likely to be limited to traders dealing in soft wheat whose contracts demand they source wheat only from Russia.
46%