INTERNATIONAL TRADE

Community Bank’s comprehensive range of International Trade services allows businesses to meet all of their import and export financing needs in one place. Community Bank provides businesses with direct access to international trade expertise to develop business solutions specifically tailored to your company’s needs and to assist with structuring both import and export trade transactions. Our competitively-priced services are designed to accommodate your international requirements while safeguarding your interests.

For those times when you are called upon to provide security for open account purchases or bid or performance bonds for domestic or international contracts or other obligations, our specialists stand ready to provide the consultative expertise you need to structure standby letters of credit that will facilitate transactions while protecting your interests.

Import Services

Import Letters of Credit

Community Bank will provide import letters of credit in U.S. dollars and all major currencies. We provide prompt delivery of your letters of credit to the seller and make sure the documents comply with the terms of your letter of credit. Both sight (immediate payment) and usance (extended terms) letters of credit are offered.

Import Documentary Collections

For established supplier relationships, import collections provide an added dimension to your payment options which may decrease costs while controlling risks to acceptable levels. Community Bank’s service covers sight payments (Documents Against Payment – D/Ps) and term payments (Documents Against Acceptance – D/As).

Shipside Bonds/Air Releases

In cases when your goods arrive before the shipping documents you do not need to wait to claim your goods. Community Bank can help by issuing a shipside bond or air release on your behalf against which the goods will be released to you.

Import Lines of Credit

Our lending specialists will work with you to develop financing arrangements based on a thorough understanding of your company’s unique trade cycle and vendor relationships.

EXPORT SERVICES

Export Letters of Credit

When you use export letters of credit to receive payment for your goods, Community Bank can help you comply with the terms and conditions and ensure that you receive payment as soon as possible. We will assist you in designing your letter of credit issuance instructions and evaluate terms before the letter of credit is issued. We can also help you accelerate the preparations for shipment by notifying you as soon as your letter of credit has arrived.

Transferable Letters of Credit

You can avail yourself of Community Bank’s long experience with transferable letters of credit allowing you to utilize your buyer’s bank credit facility to your advantage. You can negotiate purchases from your supplier under transferred letter of credit terms and the transfer does not even require you to establish a credit facility with Community Bank.

Instruction to Pay Proceeds

As an alternative, when letters of credit issued in your favor are not transferable, you may be able to arrange for your supplier(s) to accept a designated amount of the proceeds drawn and paid under your letters of credit through Community Bank’s Instruction to Pay Proceeds.

Export Documentary Collections

For established buyer relationships, documentary collections represent a payment alternative that may decrease costs while keeping risk of non-payment within acceptable levels. Community Bank provides prompt delivery of documents to the collecting bank and fast receipt of payment. Our services ensure that your documents are presented to the overseas buyer quickly and accurately. We expedite receipt of payment by tracing documents promptly and regularly to ensure that funds are credited to you as soon as possible. We will also help you with special handling arrangements, allowing you to retain control of title documents while protecting your interest in the transaction. Community Bank’s service covers sight payments (Documents Against Payment – D/Ps) and term payments (Documents Against Acceptance – D/As).

Export Financing

• Foreign Accounts Receivable Financing
  Offering open account terms to your foreign buyers can help your company gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace and increase international sales. Foreign credit insurance allows you to offer more competitive extended payment terms to your foreign customers while shielding those receivables against foreign political and commercial risks which may qualify them as collateral for borrowing purposes if needed. Community Bank can assist you to make suitable arrangements.
• Export Working Capital Guarantee Facilities
  Community Bank can also help you obtain a pre-shipment export working capital guarantee facility from the Export-Import Bank of the U.S., or the U.S. Small Business Administration. With the use of export guarantee programs, we can help you finance your working capital needs from small amounts to multimillion dollar transactions and projects.

Standby Letters of Credit

When the use of a standby letter of credit (domestic or international) may facilitate your business transaction, Community Bank can help you structure terms that meet your needs. We can issue standby letters of credit in all major currencies and structure drawing procedures to satisfy your objectives. Community Bank will arrange for your standby letters of credit to be delivered throughout the world accurately and in a timely manner.

Counter Guaranties

In those situations when your foreign projects require a bank guaranty issued by a bank in the foreign country, Community Bank can facilitate the transaction by arranging for the issuance of your standby letter of credit to back a counter-guaranty issued by an acceptable foreign correspondent bank.

Foreign Exchange

Community Bank offers foreign exchange services for your international trade requirements. We can assist you with both spot and forward contract requirements to hedge against currency exposure in most major currencies. We understand the risks associated with foreign-denominated trade transactions and can advise you on alternatives to protect you against currency fluctuations.

International Money Transfers

Community Bank can help you remit funds to a foreign country for either business or personal reasons. By means of international money transfers, we remit funds internationally in U.S. dollars or in foreign currencies. We help you select the service that will meet your requirements, while ensuring that the beneficiary in the foreign country receives payment as soon as possible.

Find Out More

If you would like to learn more about Community Bank’s International Trade Services, call any of our Banking Center locations at (800) 788-9999 or our International Trade group at (626) 568-2105.