For decades, this remarkable book – now in its updated fourth edition – has served practitioners in international trade and banking law as a thorough ‘codification’ of the law and practice of bank guarantees. The new edition has been thoroughly revised, updated, and amended in the light of new developments in the law and changing patterns in practice. Bertrams uses case law, arbitral decisions, and legal writing from five European jurisdictions – The Netherlands, Germany, France, Belgium, and England – to build an analysis of how the practical applications of bank guarantees have established a pattern of law. The new edition takes into account all legal and arbitral decisions and relevant legal writing through 2012 from these countries, as well from other European countries and the United States. Written from a transnational perspective, Bank Guarantees in International Trade can be used in both civil and common law jurisdictions and it has been cited as an authoritative source of case law in several jurisdictions from each system. With reference throughout to the effect and significance of the Uniform Rules for Demand Guarantees (URDG) of the International Chamber of Commerce, International Standby Practices (ISP), and the UNCITRAL Convention on Independent Guarantees and Stand-by Letters of Credit, the author continuously elucidates the way guarantees function in actual practice and the numerous practical aspects and issues to which they give rise. The analysis covers the following subjects and much else: types of guarantee (tender, performance, maintenance, repayment, retention); payment mechanisms (first demand, third-party documents, arbitral or court decision); risks and negotiations, drafting and clauses; bank guarantees as a financial service, the bank’s perspective; direct and indirect guarantees, counter-guarantees; formation, enforceability of expiry dates, assignment and transfer; demand for payment and the rule of strict compliance; fraud and restraining orders; applicable law and jurisdiction; reference to URDG 2010 revision and ISP98 throughout the text. In addition to his thorough coverage of law and legal writing, the author has drawn on intensive contacts with the banking community, construction firms, export credit insurance companies, and local lawyers. His insight into ‘the daily life’ of the world of independent (first demand) guarantees and the practices, difficulties, and peculiarities in a great number of countries and regions, including the Middle East and North Africa, cannot be matched in any other source. Bank guarantees can present major difficulties, and this book is the lawyer’s best guide in any situation likely to arise. As a comprehensive study of the legal and practical aspects of bank guarantees and standby letters of credit, it offers practitioners in international trade law the most complete analysis of banking law in the field. In its wealth of practical detail, it is unlikely to be surpassed.

A number of practical implications and issues can arise in the daily functioning of independent (first demand) guarantees and standby letters of credit. Bank Guarantees in International Trade provides a comprehensive, highly readable study of the legal and practical aspects and implications of these instruments, broadening the reader's understanding of the law on the subject. This work comprises all reported case law from the Netherlands, Germany, France, The United Kingdom, and Belgium and also takes into account the law in certain other European countries And The United States. it examines the governing law of bank guarantees in numerous regions, particularly within the Middle East and North Africa. The Appendix includes, among other materials, The text of the 1992 ICC Uniform Rules for Demand Guarantees, The 1995 UNCITRAL Convention, and many sample texts. Its transnational perspective enhances the value of this work, making it useful in other jurisdictions. This second edition contains thoroughly revised, updated, and amended material which reflects new developments in the law and changing patterns in practice and accounts For The introduction of new techniques and problem areas. Bankers and lawyers in particular will find Bank Guarantees in International Trade an insightful and informative work.

The question of what constitutes ‘fraud in the transaction’ with respect to international letters of credit varies considerably among jurisdictions. In proving allegations of fraud, it is crucial for the practitioner to know the relevant jurisdiction’s case law, especially if wider defences such as inducement, unconscionable conduct or bad faith must be invoked. In this book, the author argues that, whereas ‘fraud in the documents’ is generally sufficient in cases involving commercial letters of credit, standby letters of credit demand a wider fraud exception. The central issue – how wide that fraud exception should be – is what this book explores in depth.This author compares and critically examines the application of the fraud exception in four major trade jurisdictions – the United States, England, Canada, and Australia. With an overall focus on how each jurisdiction’s fraud tests treat the autonomy of standby letters of credit, she builds her arguments on such relevant sources and concepts as the following: when it can be shown that the beneficiary has ‘no bona fide belief’ in the validity of its claim demand guarantees; international initiatives (ICC Rules and the UN Convention on Independent Guarantee and Standby Letters of Credit); the Sztejn Rule; parameters of the ‘fraud in the transaction’ defence ‘materiality’ standard; prerequisites for injunctive relief; arguing ‘fraud in the formation of the contract’; performance bond cases; applying the ‘breach of good faith’ defence; ‘negative stipulation’ in the underlying contract; and equitable versus statutory/broader notion of unconscionability. The presentation includes detailed summaries and analyses of leading cases in all four jurisdictions. Lawyers and corporate counsel responsible for arguing claims or defences in letter of credit transactions will welcome the way the author's research and insight define the range of options in each case they handle. Academics also will appreciate the systematic way the book frames a complex area of international trade law.

The Law Library presents the complete text of U.N. Convention on Independent Guarantees and Stand-By Letters of Credit (United States Treaty) Updated as of 12/20/18 This ebook contains: - The complete text of U.N. Convention on Independent Guarantees and Stand-By Letters of Credit (United States Treaty) - A dynamic table of content linking to each section - A table of contents in introduction presenting a general overview of the structure