(a) General. Ex-Im Bank shall respond to requests within twenty working days of the date of receipt of the request unless unusual circumstances exist. Ex-Im Bank shall provide written notice to the requester whenever such unusual circumstances necessitate an extension. If the extension is expected to exceed ten working days, then Ex-Im Bank shall offer the requester the opportunity to:

(1) Alter the request so that it may be processed within the time limit; or

(2) Propose an alternative, feasible time frame for processing the request.

(b) Date of receipt. A request shall be deemed to have been received on the date that the request is received in the Freedom of Information and Privacy Office, provided that the requester has met all the requirements of §404.4. Ex-Im Bank shall notify the requester of the date on which a request was officially received.

(c) Order of processing. Ex-Im Bank ordinarily shall process requests according to their order of receipt.

(d) Expedited processing. A request for expedited processing must be included in the original request for records and may be granted at the discretion of Ex-Im Bank based upon the requester's demonstration of:

(1) An imminent threat to the life or physical safety of an individual; or

(2) In the case of a requester who is a representative of the news media, an urgency to inform the public concerning actual or alleged Federal Government activity. Ex-Im Bank shall provide notice of its determination on expedited processing to the requester. A requester may file an administrative appeal, as set forth at §404.11, based on a denial of a request for expedited processing. Ex-Im Bank shall grant expeditious consideration to any such appeal.