A small wording difference between article 20 and article 23 of UCP 600 often raises an interesting technical question among trade finance practitioners. For bills of lading, UCP 600 does not expressly require the document to indicate a date of issuance. However, article 23 clearly states that an air transport document must indicate the date of issuance. Why the difference? …

In documentary credits, it is not uncommon to see a presentation period that appears longer than the time remaining before the expiry date of the credit. At first glance, this may seem contradictory and sometimes leads to confusion between applicants, beneficiaries, and even junior trade finance staff. The key point, however, is that under UCP 600, documents must comply with …

In LC practice, UCP 600 Article 12(b) clearly permits a nominated bank that has accepted a draft or incurred a deferred payment undertaking to prepay or purchase its own undertaking. But what about the issuing bank itself? Can the issuing bank also prepay or purchase its own accepted draft or deferred payment undertaking before maturity? This is an interesting question …

In trade finance, the “shortest route” is not always the fastest one. When a nominated bank chooses not to act, beneficiaries often look for ways to move things along—sometimes by going directly to the confirming bank. Sounds simple enough… but is it really that straightforward?  Let’s walk through a practical case raised by Arun. Question Dear Mr. Old Man, Hope …

In documentary credit practice, what looks obvious on paper can become surprisingly tricky in real life — especially when documents are presented at the “wrong” branch of the “right” bank. This case raises two classic questions under UCP 600 Article 3 and Article 14: Are branches in the same country the same bank? If documents are presented at a different …

Intro Every now and then, a case comes along that reminds us how easily three separate worlds—documents, goods, and fraud—can become entangled in letter of credit practice. At first glance, this looks like a fraud case. In truth, the confirming bank’s difficulty began much earlier, with something far more basic: a non-complying presentation. Let’s walk through it carefully. Question Dear …

Questions on confirmed usance LCs are often less about whether they can be issued, and more about how they operate in practice. In particular, the roles of the nominated bank and the confirming bank—and their respective obligations—can give rise to uncertainty. The following Q&A looks at two practical points: the possibility of issuing a confirmed usance LC, and, more importantly, …

In today’s case, we look at a question about standby letters of credit (SBLCs)—a legitimate instrument in trade finance, but one that is often misused in questionable transactions, especially in commodity deals involving intermediaries. When an SBLC appears early in a deal, supported by “professional-looking” templates, it sometimes deserves a second, more careful look. QUESTION Dear Mr. Old Man, Sincere …

In documentary credit practice, banks sometimes raise discrepancies based on expectations that are not expressly required under UCP 600 or ISBP 821. Two common issues are the numbering of original bills of lading and the indication of total weight. A reader recently asked: ✅ Question Dear Mr. Old Man, A credit requires presentation of 3/3 original bills of lading plus …

In day-to-day LC work, not every presentation arrives with confidence and clean lines. Sometimes, the nominated bank steps back a little and sends the documents forward “on approval basis”—a small phrase, but one that shifts the practical dynamics quite a bit. What exactly does it mean, and how should the issuing bank respond? Question Dear Mr. Old Man, Hope you …