What We Do
Financial Assistance is Our Primary Service
Financial assistance is the primary service provided by FEFC to small and medium-sized Florida export companies. These companies employ less than 250 people and have a net worth less than $6,000,000. Support is only provided for direct export transactions from the State of Florida and when the inability to obtain financing elsewhere is or has been demonstrated. The FEFC program is designed to assist the Florida’s smaller exporters by providing improved access to affordable working capital.
Financial Support
Financial Support is provided through the following methods.
Information and Technical Assistance
The FEFC will cooperate and work with other organizations to enhance the ability of Florida exporters to increase their sales and their access to programs designed to assist them.
Loan Guarantees
The FEFC will guarantee the lessor of either up to 90 percent or $500,000, of a loan (bank or lender) to a business conducting export sales. To qualify for an FEFC guarantee, a business must demonstrate that it is unable to qualify for a conventional bank loan.
Direct Loans
The FEFC will consider direct loans to exporters only when commercial lenders have turned down an exporter’s loan request even with the FEFC guarantee. This could occur when a transaction does not produce a profit for the lender. If the need of the exporter is post-shipment related (i.e., offering financing to the foreign buyer), FEFC will assist the exporter in applying for coverage under a foreign risk insurance policy, which mitigates the risk of an exporter loan default due to non-payment by a foreign buyer. However, many exporters needs will be for pre-shipment loans (e.g., purchasing the materials required to fill the order of a foreign buyer). Whenever possible, loan default coverage under an acceptable insurance policy or loan guarantee program will be obtained for pre-shipment loans.