• THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE & LAW REVIEW
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• v.13
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• pp.495-513
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• 2000

In this paper, I examined the terms of letter of credit and standard for examination of documents. In connection with the test of standard, I reviewed the bank's reasonable care, inconsistence and linkage between documents, non-documentary conditions and the treatment of discrepant documents. Traditionally credit law is founded on two principles such as the standards of strict of compliance and substantial compliance, but these standards are not consistency. Moreover although the Uniform Customs and Practice for Documentary Credits(UCP) introduces a new standard for examination of documents by incorporating international banking practice, the standards for documentary compliance have created ambiguity. Accordingly, I suggest that the standard requires strict compliance between party concerned in letter of credit transactions but only requires international standard banking practice in customer relationship. Therefore the standard and the specific guideline should be prescribed in the next version of the UCP.

• THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE & LAW REVIEW
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• v.49
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• pp.111-137
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• 2011

UCP 600 Article 14(b), providing rules for the period of the examination of documents, is a radical reorganization of UCP Article 13(b). The provision changes the period of time to a maximum of five banking days instead of reasonable time. One of the critical problems giving rise to the difficulty in interpretation and application is the question of fact that there may be two possible conflicting options in determining the time of checking documents presented. The one doctrine is fixed time(safe harbor) standard, and the other is hidden reasonableness standard. This study analyzes which option should be adopted for the optimal application standard by welfare effect methodology using consumer surplus approach and suggests that safe harbor standard should be optimal solution to the determination of period of examination of documents presented in letter of credit regime.

• THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE & LAW REVIEW
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• v.22
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• pp.49-70
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• 2004

UCP 500 has introduced new words "International Standard Banking Practice" as the basis of the examination of documents under documentary credits. However, the words have caused confusion among parties concerned with letter of credits. So, at its May 2000 meeting, ICC Banking Commission established a task force to document international standard banking practice for the examination of documents presented under documentary credits(ISBP). The publication is the product of two and a half years of work by a task force of the ICC Banking Commission. It was approved by the full Commission at its meeting in Rome in October 2002. The ISBP is a practical complement to UCP 500. It explains how the rules are to be applied on a day-to-day basis. As such, it fills a needed gap between the general principles announced in the rules and the daily work of the documentary credit practitioner. But, ISBP have two problems. First, ISBP impose more responsibilities than before the ISBP existed on banks. Second, ISBP have some problematic articles like the problem of maturity, letter of credit language, term. Consequently, all parties concerned with documentary credits need to armour themselves with knowledge for ISBP. Also, it should be noted that any term in a documentary credit which modifies or affects the applicability of a provision of the UCP may also have an impact on international standard banking practice. Therefore, in considering the practices described in this publication, parties must take into account any term in a documentary credit that expressly excludes or modifies a provision in an article of the UCP.

• International Commerce and Information Review
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.241-265
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• 2013

The purpose of this paper is to examine the Banks's Examination of Documents in the L/C Transactions. Most of all, this article deals with one of most important aspects of the law on documentary credits, namely, the compliance of documents presented with the terms and conditions of a letter of credit. In addition, the general principles of strict compliance will be considered and in the next, the requirements of specific documents such as invoices, transport documents and insurance policies. This area of letter of credit law is shaped not only by judge-made decisions but also the articles of Uniform Customs and Practice for Documentary Credits, the International Standard Banking Practice(ISBP Publication No.745) prepared by the Banking Committee of the International Chamber of Commerce as well as the position papers and opinions of the latter. Whether a document complies with the terms of a letter of credit is essentially a matter of examination and construction of the document in question against the terms of the letter of credit under which it is presented, articles of the UCP, ISBP as well as the opinions and statements of the Banking Committee. Most of all this article was focused on provisions of UCP600. Comparison with provisions of UCP500 have been drawn where appropriate.

• THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE & LAW REVIEW
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• v.49
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• pp.139-164
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• 2011

Traditionally courts have been adopted over the years two standards of dealing with compliance of documents such as strict compliance and substantial compliance and the substantial compliance, which was somewhat less demanding than the strict compliance. However the new guidelines of ICC's international standard banking practice for the examination of documents under documentary credits set up how the UCP is to be applied in practice. The payment obligations of an issuing bank to a beneficiary are independence of the performance or the nonperformance of any contract underlying the letter of credit. However, strictly applying the principle of independence and abstraction could produce unfair results by operating unjustly enrich an unscrupulous beneficiary in case of fraud. Accordingly, when a beneficiary presents complying documents, the issuing bank is bound to honour the presentation unless the fraud rule applies on the facts of the case such as forged or material fraud. If it does, the issuing bank(issuer) needs not pay despite the complying presentation of documents by the beneficiary under the Uniform Commercial Code Article 5-109 and case law in America. However the fraud rule was not addressed in UCP 600. In conclusion, view in terms of legal principle and the court cases is variable and difficult to honour or dishonour the presentation in case of application of the independence principle and fraud rule such as the problems on burden of proof timely, possibility of granting injunction in order to protect against victim for bona fide applicant.

• International Commerce and Information Review
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.219-243
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• 2005

The Purpose of this Article is to analyze the examination criteria on the compliance of multimodal transport document in the ISBP. When the goods are taken in charge by the multimodal transport operator, he shall issue a multimodal transport document which, at the option of the consignor, shall be in either negotiable or non-negotiable form. The multimodal transport document shall be signed by the multimodal transport operator or by a person having authority from him. When the multimodal transport document is presented by the beneficiary to the bank in the letter of credit operations, the bank should examinate the bill of exchange and/or shipping documents, including multimodal transport document. There are two rules in connection with examination of the documents in the letter of credit operations. One is the "Uniform Customs and Practice for Documentary Credits(UCP 500)" approved by the Banking Commission in March 10, 1993, the other is the "International Standard Banking Practice for the Examination of Documents under Documentary Letters of Credits(ISBP)" approved by the ICC Banking Commission in October 2002. Therefore, this Article has studied the multimodal transport document presented under documentary credits on the basis of the UCP 500 and the ISBP it reflects.

• THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE & LAW REVIEW
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• v.13
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• pp.631-655
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• 2000

This article is focused on the review of the judgement standard for compliance of the documents in international standard banking practice. Since the establishment of Uniform Customs and Practice for Documentary Credits, The practices of the Credit transactions has been formed and developed with the rapidly changing progress of the international trade environment. but though the international standard banking practice have meaning to suggest a new examination standard, in practice, there are some problems on the judgement of the compliance of the documents. Therefore, for the useful judgement standard for compliance of the documents, the range of the standard should become concrete and simple so that all the related parties can forecast. and the opinions and interpretations published by ICC Banking Committee are recommended to be used, systematized and activated. and also with the change of the trade environment, the changed standard practice could be published annually for the useful use. and it will be necessary to consider to publish the publications in the form of the "White Book" Last, it is necessary to accept the changes by the needs of the times as the international standard banking practice promptly and analysis accurately its problems for the times of the electronic commerce, so that Credit systems should be settled and developed continuously as the useful means of the settlement of the proceeds conquering of the characteristics originated from the international transactions between the parties concerned.

• Journal of Korea Port Economic Association
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.255-275
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• 2013

The purpose of the study is to examine compliance criteria for documents of the Letter of Credit(L/C) by the Korean Supreme Court in practical use. The judgement criteria of the court in documents' examination is supported by the doctrine of strict compliance. And, in examination of documents by the Supreme Court, the difference between documents presented and the credit should be followed by the allowance of international standard banking practices. In this case, the Supreme Court makes a reference for ICC's opinion or decision proposed as the international standard banking practices, or otherwise admit by exploring the practices. However, when documents reviewing by the bankers' auditors, it is very difficult for them to judge in a short time due to the lack of high level of knowledges and insights. As shown the cases of this study, the doctrine of strict compliance of an L/C be relaxed, and most of the recent precedents be ruled by the exception of the doctrine. Because, therefore, it is difficult for to documents reviewers of bank to judge these consistencies, conducting arbitrary document review will be inevitable. As a result, it will be difficult for banks and applicants to ensure the strictness of the documents, and free use of L/Cs in international transactions will be avoided. Finally, the expanded usage of the electronic negotiation system that simplifies the highly difficult compliance criteria to ensure the strictness of documents will be needed, and not only be eradicated the acts of arbitrary documents examination practices, but also be promoted the freely usage of L/Cs.

• THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE & LAW REVIEW
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• v.22
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• pp.3-48
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• 2004

Many presentations of documents are rejected because credits have been incorrectly issued. One reason of rejecting the documents is related with error in application stage of L/C. Errors may take the form of mismatches between the terms of the sales contract and the provisions stipulated in the credit. Thus, Article 5 encourages applicants to make their contribution to the smooth running of the letter of credit process by being unambiguous and brief. Another reason that the banks reject the documents relates to the ambiguity of the term "International Standard Banking Practice" That is to say, UCP500 Art.13 introduced the term "International Standard Banking Practice"(ISBP) without the definition so that one wonder what ISBP is or how ISBP apply in daily work of bankers, examination of documents. From hence, International Chamber of Commerce(ICC) started the work to document ISBP at May 2000, finally approved the result last year and published the publication titled "International Standard Banking Practice for the examination of documents under documentary credits." By applying ISBP in document examination stage, I expect that the freqency of rejecting the documents grow less and bankers' work of examination become easy. On the other hand, ISBP is supplement to UCP500 so that the interpretation of ISBP is made on the basis of understanding of UCP and its underlying principles. So, I reviewed each paragraphs of ISBP on this basis and tried to indicate contradiction between ISBP and UCP500. But because of reading not enough, I failed to search the connotative sense many paragraphs have.

• THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE & LAW REVIEW
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• v.12
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• pp.429-460
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• 1999

The letter of credit is quintessentially international. In the absence of international legal system, a private system based on banking practices has evolved, commanding the adherence of the international letter of credit community and providing the foundation of th reputation of this instrument. To maintain this international system, it is vital that international standard banking practice should not be subject to local interpretations that misconstrue or distort it. The UCP is a formulation of international standard banking practice. It is neither positive law nor a "contract term" in any traditional sense and its interpretation must be consonant with its character as a living repositary of international understanding in this field. As a result, the interpretation and application of specific articles of the UCP must be consistent with its evolving character and history and with the principles upon which sound letter of credit practice is predicated. This study, especially, focuses on article 13 and article 14 of the UCP500. Article 13(b) of UCP500 stipulates that banks will have a reasonable time, not to exceed seven days, to examine documents to determine whether they comply facially with the terms of the credit. The seven-day provision is not designed as a safe harbor, because the rule requires the issuer to act within a reasonable time. But, by virtue of the deletion of the preclusion rule in the document examination article in UCP500, however, seven days may evolve as something of a safe harbor, especially for banks that engage in strategic behavior. True, under UCP500 banks are supposed to examine documents within a reasonable time, but there are no consequences in UCP500 for a bank's violation of that duty. It is only in the next provision. Courts might read the preclusion more broadly than the literal reading mentioned here or might fashion a common-law preclusion rule that does not require a showing of detriment. Absent that kind of development, the change in the preclusion rule could have adverse effects on the beneficiary. The penalty, strict estoppel or strict preclusion, under UCP500 and 95UCC differs from the classic estoppel. The classic estoppel rule requires a beneficiary to show three elements. 1. conduct on the part of the issuer that leads the beneficiary to believe that nonconforming documents do conform; 2. reasonable reliance by the beneficiary; and 3. detriment from that reliance. But stict preclusion rule needs not detrimental reliance. This strict estoppel rule is quite strict, and some see it as a fitting pro-beneficiary rule to counterbalance the usually pro-issuer rule of strict compliance.