A better way to manage risk without straining balance sheets. These days, when Joe Ketzner, executive vice president of credit insurer Euler Hermes ACI in Baltimore, talks about the outlook for his business, the upbeat mood is palpable. "This is the golden era of credit insurance, it's an exciting time for the industry." And he's in good company. Brett Halsey, who heads Atradius Trade Credit Insurance in Baltimore, is just as enthusiastic. He points to a credit industry group's research that finds growth of 18 percent in U.S. export credit insurance usage over the last several years. In New York, Michael Ferrante, president of COFACE USA, finds similar prospects: "We've seen consistent export coverage growth, at a double-digit rate, in recent years, and 2008 will bring more." It's not hard to find the causes of their buoyant mood. Some are current, immediate conditions; others are longer-term trends that have given export credit insurance a real boost.
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