Letters of Credit & Trade Finance

Get Paid on Every International Shipment

A letter of credit is only as good as the documents that support it. Under UCP 600, banks are required to refuse payment on any document set that contains even a minor discrepancy from the LC terms — a misspelled port name, a mismatched quantity, a missing endorsement. Studies by the International Chamber of Commerce consistently show that over 70% of first-presentation LC documents contain discrepancies that delay or block payment.

MyExpressFreight's trade finance team works alongside your logistics operation to prepare every required document with the precision that banks demand. We review the LC terms before your shipment loads, prepare documents that match those terms exactly, and deliver a complete, bank-ready document package on time — every time.

• • LC term review before shipment — catch problems before they become discrepancies
• • Commercial invoice prepared to match LC wording exactly
• • Full set of original ocean bills of lading with correct endorsements
• • Packing list prepared per LC specifications
• • Marine cargo insurance certificate issued same-day
• • Certificate of origin — standard, preferential, and legalized
• • Shipper's letter of instruction (SLI) and AES filing
• • Documentary collection (D/P and D/A) coordination

Why LC Discrepancies Happen — and How We Prevent Them

The most common letter of credit discrepancies are entirely preventable with the right process. Our team has seen every type of discrepancy and builds our document preparation workflow specifically to eliminate them.

Invoice description mismatch:

Commercial invoice description doesn't match LC wording verbatim. We extract and match exact LC language on every invoice.

Late shipment or presentation:

Cargo shipped after LC expiry or documents presented after the presentation deadline. We track all LC dates against your sailing schedule.

Short shipment:

Quantity or value on documents falls outside LC tolerances. We confirm cargo details against LC tolerances before loading.

Port name errors:

Bill of lading shows a port abbreviation the bank doesn't recognize. We ensure port names match the LC exactly.

Missing insurance clauses:

Insurance certificate omits required coverage terms or minimum value. We issue certificates with all LC-specified clauses included.

Incorrect B/L endorsement:

Bill of lading not endorsed to the correct party or in the correct order. Our B/L team handles all endorsement requirements per LC instructions.

How the LC Document Process Works

Our trade finance team is involved from the moment you receive your LC — not just at document preparation time. Early involvement is the single most effective way to prevent discrepancies.

Step 1 — LC Review:

Send us your LC as soon as it's issued. We review all terms — document requirements, expiry dates, shipment deadlines, port restrictions, and special conditions — and flag anything that creates risk.

Step 2 — Pre-Shipment Check:

Before your cargo loads, we confirm the shipment details against the LC: quantity tolerances, partial shipment permissions, latest ship date, and port of loading/discharge.

Step 3 — Document Preparation:

Once the vessel sails, we prepare the complete document set — commercial invoice, B/L, packing list, insurance certificate, certificate of origin, and all specialty certificates — matching every detail to the LC terms.

Step 4 — Internal Review:

A second team member reviews every document against the LC before presentation — our internal discrepancy check catches errors before the bank does.

Step 5 — Bank Presentation:

Documents are courier-dispatched or electronically presented to the nominated bank within the LC presentation period. We track acknowledgment and follow up on any bank queries immediately.

Step 6 — Payment Follow-Up:

We monitor payment status and communicate with you and your bank through to final settlement — so you always know where your money is.

International Payment Terms We Support

Beyond letters of credit, MyExpressFreight provides trade finance document support for every major international payment method.

Documentary Letter of Credit (DC/LC):

Irrevocable, confirmed, transferable, and back-to-back LCs under UCP 600. Full document preparation and presentation.

Standby Letter of Credit (SBLC):

Document support for standby LCs used as performance guarantees or payment security instruments in international contracts.

Documents against Payment (D/P):

Export document preparation and bank collection coordination for sight payment documentary collections.

Documents against Acceptance (D/A):

Time draft documentary collections where the buyer accepts a bill of exchange in exchange for shipping documents.

Open Account:

Full trade document preparation — invoice, packing list, B/L, certificate of origin — for open account shipments where no bank collection is involved but accurate documentation is still required for customs and delivery.

Advance Payment:

Export documentation for prepaid transactions ensuring compliance with US export regulations and destination country import requirements.