Title 12 › Chapter 6A— EXPORT-IMPORT BANK OF THE UNITED STATES › Subchapter I— GENERAL PROVISIONS › § 635a
Makes the Export‑Import Bank an independent U.S. agency and sets up how it is run. The President of the United States, with Senate approval, picks the Bank’s President (the CEO) and the First Vice President (who steps in if the President is absent). The Board of Directors has five members: the President (chair), the First Vice President (vice chair), and three other presidential appointees approved by the Senate. No more than three board members can be from the same political party. A quorum is three members. If there are fewer than three members for 120 straight days, a temporary board made up of the U.S. Trade Representative, the Treasury Secretary, the Commerce Secretary, and any sitting directors acts instead, with limits on changing policies and special rules for transactions of $100,000,000 or more. Directors serve four‑year terms (with some start‑date and staggered term rules) and at least one presidential appointee must represent small business. Two board members can force an item onto the agenda and the chair must hold a meeting within 30 days. For long‑term deals over $100,000,000 the Bank must publish a notice, give at least 25 days for public comment, notify congressional committees and seek Commerce and OMB input, describe the deal in non‑confidential terms, update notices if there is a major change (such as a 25% or greater increase in the requested amount), give the Board commenters’ views before final action, and provide a non‑confidential summary to any commenter who asks within 30 days after the final decision. Creates advisory and oversight offices and special units for ethics, risk, and small business. An Advisory Committee of 17 members from many sectors (including at least three small business reps, two labor reps from different unions, and two environmental reps from different groups) meets at least quarterly and advises the Bank and Congress, with special attention to textiles. Bank staff must avoid conflicts of interest, and the General Counsel must appoint an Assistant General Counsel for administrative law and personnel issues. A Small Business Division, led by a senior vice president, must do outreach, improve products, work with the Small Business Administration, and run related technology projects. Small business specialists must work across divisions on small‑business applications, be involved in approvals or recommendations, and may approve certain working‑capital deals under Board rules (Congress says specialists should be allowed to approve deals under $25,000,000 when appropriate). The Bank must name these specialists publicly, involve the Small Business Division in staff evaluations, and send certain denial recommendations to the Division officer at least 2 business days before a final decision. An office to help socially and economically disadvantaged and women‑owned small businesses must be established and staffed with attention to minority and women applicants. For fiscal years 2015–2019, up to 1.25% of the Bank’s surplus may be used for IT and data improvements, but total spending cannot exceed $20,000,000 and only if Congress funds it. An Office of Ethics and a Chief Ethics Officer, and a Chief Risk Officer, must be appointed and Board‑approved within 180 days after December 4, 2015; the Ethics Office handles conduct and enforcement issues and the Risk Officer manages all risk policies and programs. The Board also forms a Risk Management Committee to oversee stress tests, monitor exposures, and review default‑rate reports to Congress.
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Banks and Banking — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Legislative History
Reference
Citation
12 U.S.C. § 635a
Title 12 — Banks and Banking
Last Updated
Apr 3, 2026
Release point: 119-73not60