standby letters of credit

1. A standby letter of credit – What is it and how is it used in international trade? If you’re into international trading, you must have come across a standby letter of credit which is a financial instrument that is utilized mainly in domestic and international trade or other construction projects. The standby letter of credit is usually given by a bank and the bank gives a guarantee of making payments to the seller or the beneficiary if the buyer is not able to pay in terms of the contract and provided all the necessary documents are shown. The standby letters of credit are most commonly used by the buyers to ensure sellers about their creditworthiness and their ability to pay by guaranteeing payment. Just as the bank guarantee works, the standby letter of credit also works without the bank having to commit any of its assets during the transaction. The bank however is liable for payment on presenting the supporting documents. The standby letter of credit – How does it work? The buyer has to apply for a standby letter of credit at any commercial bank and he has to show either the credit substantiation or the collateral to justify issuance of the standby letter of credit and then pay the fees charged by the bank. As a part and parcel of this process, the buyer offers information on the beneficiary, the shipping documents that are required for payment, the information on that bank that is working on behalf of the beneficiary and the stipulated time period through which the standby letter of credit is valid. In an event where the buyer is not able to pay off the seller, the seller presents all the aforementioned documents listed on the LC within the specific time period. Later the issuing bank pays off the due amount to the advising bank. Standby letter of credit supporting documents for international trade The standby letter of credit pays in case the buyer falls back on the payments only when the supporting documents are shown. The documents that are required are just a matter of arbitration and it may include anything that has been agreed by the seller and the buyer. Few of the most common documents are packing and invoice list, shipping docs like bill of lading, insurance certificates and transport documents. There are other official documents too like inspections certificates ad certificates for custom clearance. Hence, you can well understand that it is a never-ending list of supporting documents. Standby letter of credit – What are the requirements? Just as the normal letters of credit, the standby letters of credit are associated with different requirements besides the fact that the buyer pays on presentation of the supported documents. The buyer also has to consult with a shipping (international) specialist on the ‘requirement’ language to include into the standby letter of credit to make sure that all the interests of the buyer are protected and safeguarded. Letters of Credit and Standby letter of credit – What are the differences? The LOC is a method of paying for your goods and the standby letter of credit is a performance guarantee that will ensure that the payment for the goods will be definitely paid in case the buyer defaults. Since it offers a guarantee of payment, the main advantage of a standby letter of credit

2. is that it involves less hassle and cost as compared with other forms of guarantees. Nevertheless, it can’t be denied that a standby letter of credit is a rather new instrument that doesn’t have too much of history associated with it. Funding bigger purchases like real estate with standby letter of credit A standby letter of credit can even be used to finance bigger purchases of facilities or machineries. Do you have a bad credit rating? If answered a standby letter of credit could improve your rating and automatically lower the interest rate on the loans. As the bank is guaranteeing the payments, the risk is much lower on loans. This is especially useful for a contractor who predicts buying a house, renovating it and selling it to a buyer within 60-90 days. There are few standby letters of credit that have longer terms and hence such transactions are easier. Therefore, if you wish to expand your business and also enhance your risk profile, you should seek help of a standby letter of credit to reap the above listed benefits.