Stakeholders want Ex-Im default rate cap raised amid calls for more lending flexibility

Curbs on U.S. Export-Import Bank financing activities designed to protect taxpayers from loan defaults are overly restrictive, advisers and stakeholders said last week, pushing for more flexibility in Ex-Im’s lending, particularly in the nuclear sector. Ex-Im is statutorily required to keep its loan default rate below 2 percent. The bank reports its default rate to Congress quarterly; if the default rate hits or exceeds 2 percent in a given quarter, its loan exposure is immediately frozen and it cannot continue...