QUESTION  Dear Mr. Old Man, We presented documents under an LC that were in full compliance, but the issuing bank still raised one or two discrepancies and deducted a discrepancy fee from the proceeds. We dispute the discrepancies and have asked the issuing bank to refund the fee that was wrongly deducted. However, the bank either insists the discrepancies are …

Two nights ago, just before midnight, a friend of mine—an in-house lawyer at a Korean bank (let’s call it Bank K)—sent me an email asking if I could recommend a Vietnamese lawyer to assist one of his clients. The client had fallen victim to a scam involving a fund transfer to a beneficiary account at a Vietnamese bank (let’s call …

 QUESTION Dear Sir, Greetings from Himalayan Bank!!! I am here to ask for your valuable suggestion on below. Bill of Lading mentions Shipper as Third party acting on behalf of the Beneficiary but there is no provision for third party in the credit. Does this mean the third party is an authorized agent acting for the beneficiary? Can this be …

QUESTION Hi Sir, Request your opinion on the below. LC F 44B: BANGKOK THAILAND PAT BL place of Delivery: Bangkok Thailand. We have received a refusal from the issuing bank stating Place of Delivery in BL not as per LC. Please advise if this is a valid refusal and whether this can be refuted. Regards, PSP ___ ANSWER Hi, Field …

Mr. Old Man’s Note: For exporters using Letters of Credit (L/Cs), document checking fees are a recurring cost—and often a point of frustration. What happens when your own bank says your documents are complying, but the issuing bank still finds discrepancies? In this piece, I share a real question from an exporter and a practical response from yours truly. Sometimes …

 QUESTION Dear Sir, Good day and hope you’re doing well! Today marks a rather special occasion as our country prepares to enter a new phase with significant changes ahead. On this occasion, I have an interesting question that I hope you could kindly take some time to help clarify. According to Resolution No. 1682/NQ-UBTVQH15 regarding the reorganization of administrative units, …

 QUESTION  Dear Mr. Old Man, Thank you so much for your swift response — your explanation has clarified the previous issue for us. We are now facing another matter and would greatly appreciate your guidance: As the Confirming Bank, we received a set of documents that appear to be compliant, including a CMR document printed on white paper with an …

QUESTION Dear Mr. Old Man, I’ve heard of your name for years and now would like to trouble you with a question, hoping you might spare a moment for some expert advice. Are documents required under fields 46A and 47A of an LC treated equally? For example: The issuing bank and applicant agree to state the requirement for a Phytosanitary …

QUESTION Hi, LC contains the following clause: “ARTICLES 7(c) AND 12(b) OF UCP 600 REVISION 2007 ARE EXCLUDED IN THIS L/C.” By simply excluding these articles without further elaboration, does it mean that the opposite is true? For instance, by excluding Article 7(c), does it mean that an issuing bank does not undertake to reimburse a nominated bank that has …

QUESTION Good afternoon, Sir. Could you please explain the differences between a Surrendered Bill of Lading, a Telex Release, and an Express Release? Regards, Priya ——- ANSWER Hi Priya, Thanks for your thoughtful question. These terms are often used interchangeably, but they refer to distinct practices in maritime logistics. Here’s a breakdown: Surrendered Bill of Lading A Surrendered Bill of …