Clarifying Quantity Requirements When an LC Covers Multiple Lots In practice, letters of credit covering multiple lots of goods often give rise to misunderstandings about whether each lot may be shipped separately — and how the limit on the number of shipments should be interpreted.  On this occasion, let’s take a look at an interesting scenario raised by our colleague …

INTRODUCTION With Technical Advisor Opinion TA.958 now on the table—specifically the question of whether a bill of lading showing both “freight prepaid” and “freight payable at D” should be considered conflicting under a credit that explicitly requires the document to be marked “freight prepaid”—the trade finance community is once again paying close attention. As we all know, the ICC Banking …

Intro In practice, banks and beneficiaries often face uncertainty when a credit requires a CIF or CIP term but does not state how freight or insurance should be shown. Must the invoice break them down? What if the actual freight or insurance charges are unknown at the time of issuing documents? Mr. Old Man shares some guidance based on ISBP …

Introduction In export financing, the terms with recourse and without recourse often cause confusion, especially when applied to negotiation under LCs or discounting of drafts under collections. Although both methods provide early funding to exporters, the underlying risk allocation—and therefore the pricing and discounting ratios—are very different.  Below is Mr. Old Man’s explanation to a reader who asked why banks …

A Practical Q&A with Mr. Old Man In documentary credit work, applicants, consignees, and importers often end up being the same party, yet the terminology on document templates is rarely consistent. A common question is: If the LC asks for the “Applicant,” but the COO form only provides space for the “Consignee,” will banks treat that as a discrepancy? Let’s …

Introduction Sanctions clauses continue to create operational challenges in documentary credit practice, especially when multiple banks apply different compliance standards. A common problem arises when the confirming bank adds its own sanctions requirement, even though the issuing bank has already inserted a sanctions clause in the LC.  In this Q&A, we look at a real case involving an LC issued …

In today’s LC practice, two issues appear repeatedly and often cause confusion for both exporters and bankers. The first is whether an invoice under CIF or CFR must show a cost breakdown, especially the insurance premium. Many presentations include partial breakdowns—or even show freight as zero—raising the question of whether such invoices are compliant when the LC itself is silent. …

Intro: A practitioner raised a practical question regarding the appropriate method for computing issuance commission on a cumulative revolving LC, especially when the bank’s exposure changes over time. Below is the refined question and Mr. Old Man’s response. Question  Dear Mr. Old Man, I would appreciate your guidance on the following: We have a cumulative revolving LC issued for USD …

A Q&A with Mr. Old Man When dealing with documentary collections, many bankers assume that an aval—once issued—is as solid as steel. But what happens when an avaling bank suddenly cancels its commitment, cites problems with the underlying goods, and even goes to court? In this Q&A, Mr. Old Man breaks down how avalization really works, which rules govern it, …

Introduction In trade finance practice, many beneficiaries issue invoices showing deductions — such as discounts, credit notes, or advance payment adjustments — even when the LC does not expressly authorise such deductions. This often raises the question: Is the presentation still acceptable under the LC? Below is today’s question from Rohini. QUESTION Dear Mr. Old Man, The LC does not …