Financial documents

Chapter

XV

ФИНАНСОВЫЕ ДОКУМЕНТЫ

The main types of financial documents are: Bills of Exchange (drafts),¹ cheques, telegraphic and mail transfers², letters of credit,³ invoices,⁴ and certificates.⁵

The Bill of Exchange, or draft (often abbreviated as B/E) is defined in English and American law as "an unconditional⁶ order in writing addressed by one person to another, signed by the person giving it (the drawer)⁷ and requiring the person to whom it is addressed (the drawee)⁸ to pay on demand⁹ or at a fixed or determinable¹⁰ future time a certain sum of money to, or to the order¹¹ of, a specified person¹² (the payee) or to bearer".¹³

To put it simply, a Bill of Exchange is an order addressed by one person to another obliging¹⁴ the latter to pay a specified sum of money.

To illustrate how the Bills of Exchange work, an example is given below. Let us suppose that a company called "Sellers", of London, has sold to another company, called "Buyers", of Manchester, some goods, and it is stipulated by the contract that the payment should be effected by a four months' Bill of Exchange.¹⁵ Let us further suppose that the amount to be paid to the "Sellers" in four months' time is 5,000 Pound Sterling.

Then the "Sellers" will draw the following bill upon the "Buyers":

£ 5,000 Due 13th December 2... London, 10th August 2...

Four months after date pay to our order the sum of five " thousand Pound Sterling only for value received.

To Messers. "Buyers" For and on behalf of the

Manchester "Sellers" Signatures

The "Sellers" are the drawer, the "Buyers", on whom the bill is drawn and who will have to pay, are the drawee.

One should note that the bill is due three days later than the four months' time stipulated in the contract — these three extra days according to an old English tradition are called days of grace.¹⁶

The draft is then sent to the "Buyers" to be signed, that is accepted¹⁷. Upon receiving the draft the "Buyers" write on the paper, usually across the face of it, the word "accepted", together with their name and, usually, the name of their bank, where the amount will be paid. The draft (which is now also called "acceptance") is then returned to the "Sellers" (i.e. to the drawer). Besides "acceptance", this operation is also known as "endorsement".¹⁸ The person by whom the bill is endorsed, is called the endorser,¹⁹ the person, to whom it is transferred, is the endorsee.²⁰

It should be noted that endorsement is only necessary when the bill is payable to order. In this case the person to whose order it is drawn, must have endorsed his name upon it. If the bill is payable to bearer, no endorsement is necessary.

If the holder²¹ of the B/E wants to obtain money for it before the date on which it falls due,²² he can do so by taking it to a banker who will cash²³ it for him, giving him the amount stated on the bill less the charge for cashing it. This is called discounting²⁴ the bill, and the amount charged by the banker is called discount. Discount is the interest²⁵ from the date of presenting the remittance²⁶ up to the date of maturity²⁷ at the official rate of discount plus a certain amount of commission.

Bills may be drawn at a stated time after date as above, at sight (on demand)²⁸ or at a stated time after sight.²⁹

NOTES

1. Bill of Exchange (draft) — переводной вексель (тратта)

2. telegraphic and mail transfers — телеграфный и почтовый

переводы

3. letters of credit — аккредитивы

4. invoice n — счет, счет-фактура

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5. EXPRESSIONS USED IN LETTERS CONCERNING DRAFTS

   certificate n

6. unconditional adj

7. drawer n

8. drawee n

9. on demand

10. determinable adj

11. to the order

12. specified person

13. bearer n

14. to oblige v

15. a four mouths' Bill of Exchange

16. days of grace

17. to accept v

18. endorsement n

19. endorser n

20. endorsee n

21. holder n

22. to fall due

23. to cash v

24. to discount и

25. interest n

26. remittance n

27. date of maturity

28. at sight = on demand

29. at a stated time after sight

• сертификат

• безусловный

• трассант (лицо, выставившее тратту)

• трассат (лицо, на которое выс­тавлена тратта)

• по требованию

• который может быть определен

• приказу

• обозначенное лицо

• податель, предъявитель

• обязывать

• тратта со сроком платежа через четыре месяца

• льготные дни

• акцептовать

• индоссирование

• индоссатор (лицо, совершающее передаточную надпись)

• индоссат

• держатель, владелец

• наступать сроку

• платить (по чеку, векселю)

• зд. учитывать, дисконтировать (вексель)

• проценты

• зд. переводной вексель; перевод

• срок уплаты (по векселю)

• по предъявлении

• через определенное время после предъявления

I have today drawn on you for USD ...

payable to our order

payable at sight (on presentation)

payable on demand

due on (5th January)

at 2 m/d (at two months' date) at 30 d/d (at thirty days' date)

We enclose our draft at 2 m/d for USD ... drawn against goods to that amount as per invoice No.

Please honour the draft at maturity (in due course).

We are sending you draft No

Please return it to our address when accepted.

We are returning your draft for USD 150 duly accepted.

Should acceptance be refused, please, protest same.

In settlement of our account we have pleasure in sending you enclosed a draft.

Сегодня я выставил на Ваше имя тратту со сроком платежа ... на... долларов

с уплатой нашему приказу

с уплатой по предъявлении

с уплатой по требованию

со сроком платежа (5 января), срочный (5 января)

с уплатой через два месяца

с уплатой через тридцать дней

Прилагаем нашу тратту

со сроком платежа через два месяца на сумму... долларов с уплатой за товары на эту сумму согласно счету № ....

Пожалуйста, оплатите тратту при наступлении срока платежа (погашения)

Высылаем Вам тратту №....

Пожалуйста, верните ее по нашему адресу после акцептования.

Возвращаем Вам акцептованную тратту на 150 долларов.

В случае отказа от акцепто­вания, пожалуйста, опротес­туйте.

В качестве уплаты для

урегулирования задолженно­сти посылаем Вам тратту.

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EXAMPLES OF LETTERS CONCERNING DRAFTS

1. Drawer to a drawee concerning draft to order.

Dear Sir,

I am advising you that I have drawn on you this day for £ 220.45 at 2 m/d o/o¹ Messrs Mitchell Beer & Bros in your city.

I shall be glad if you would note this and honour it on presentation.²

Yours faithfully,

2. Reply to the above — acknowledgement by the drawee.

Dear Sir,

We have received your letter of ... in which you advise us of your draft for £ 220.45 at 2 m/d, o/o Messrs Mitchell Beer & Bros in this city.

Your draft shall find due protection³ when presented.

Yours faithfully.

WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS

1. o/o = order of — приказу кого-л.

2. honour it on presentation — уплатите по предъявлении

3. draft shall find due protection — вексель будет оплачен

The next type of financial documents is the cheque. Cheques (USA: "checks") are subdivided into:

• cheques to bearer or bearer cheques¹ ]

• cheques to order or order cheques² > open cheques

• crossed cheques³ I

A cheque is an order in writing issued by the drawer (account-holder) to the drawee—who is usually a banker—for the payment on demand of money deposited with him to the bearer or to a named person (payee).

For example:

No. 535 5th June Charles Milligan $ 85.10	No. 535	5th June 2...
	The Union Bank of New York Ltd		stamp
	Pay (to) Charles Milligan or order Eighty-five United States dollars and ten cents.
		$85.10
	Michael Abrahams

Every depositor⁴ receives on request a cheque-book with forms consecutively⁵ numbered. The two parts of a cheque are the counterfoil⁶ and the cheque proper. By cheque we may withdraw sums or they are used for transfers.

The bearer cheque may be passed on from firm to firm without any further remarks.

The order cheque is handed on to a new payee by way of endorsement.

An endorsement in blank⁷ consists merely of the name of the party transferring the paper. Its effect is to order the paper to be paid to bearer. The endorser becomes responsible for it to whom he transfers it that is, he agrees to redeem⁸ it if the drawer does not.

An endorsement in full⁹ runs as follows:

Pay to the order of the Merchants' Exchange Bank.

D. B. Jones.

There are also restrictive endorsements,¹⁰ conditional endorsements¹¹ and endorsements without recourse.¹² (Pay to Mr. Martin without recourse to me.)

A cheque is usually payable at sight, so that there is of course no date of maturity mentioned.

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By crossing¹³ a cheque one makes it payable to a bank only. If somebody gives a bank his cheque, he has to endorse it to the bank who will collect¹⁴ it for him. There are two forms of crossing: the general crossed cheque and the specially crossed cheque.

General crossing consists in drawing two parallel lines across the face of the cheque with the words "and Company" or "not negotiable"¹⁵ between them. Two parallel lines without these words also constitute a crossing:

>>				St
§				3
a,		о		.2
£		и		о
о		ТЗ		ад
U		1		93 а
с				о
<				Z

When the name of a bank is written across the face of a cheque either with or without the words "not negotiable", this constitutes a special crossing which directs the bank on which the cheque is drawn to pay the amount of the cheque to the payee's account at the bank indicated in the crossing.

NOTES

• чек на предъявителя

• ордерный чек

• кроссированный чек

• вкладчик

• последовательно

• корешок чека

• бланковый индоссамент

• зд. выкупать, оплачивать

• полный (именной) индосса­мент

• ограниченный индоссамент

• обусловленный индоссамент

1. bearer cheque

2. order cheque

3. crossed cheque

4. depositor n

5. consecutively adv

6. counterfoil n

7. endorsement in blank (blank endorsement)

8. to redeem v

9. endorsement in full

10. restrictive endorsement

11. conditional endorsement

12. endorsement without recourse — индоссамент "без обращения"

к кому-л.

13. to cross v — зд. кроссировать чек

14. to collect v — зд. инкассировать

15. not negotiable — не подлежит передаче

EXAMPLES OF LETTERS CONCERNING CHEQUES

1. Seller to buyer concerning the cheque of the latter for the sum less than expected.

Dear Sirs,

Re: Hurricane Lanterns¹ Shipped from Hamburg to Tilbury,

Order No. 23865 — 62 Cartons

Many thanks for your information that you have received the above goods and for the cheque for the sum of Pound Sterling 825.00 which you have sent us by way of settling our account.² However, we must draw your attention to the fact that the sum stated in our invoice³ was Pound Sterling 1,025.00, less 10% your commission⁴, which finally makes Pound Sterling 922.5. The sum of Pound Sterling 825.00 probably was stated by you as a result of a confusion⁵ with some of the previous orders placed with us.

We would appreciate it if you would kindly clarify the matter.⁶

Yours faithfully,

2. Reply to the above — sending additional cheque to cover outstanding amount.

Dear Sirs,

Re: Hurricane Lanterns, Order No. 23 865

We must apologize for sending you the cheque for the wrong amount of money, which, through a clerical error, was indeed written out as a result of confusion with another order.

Hastening to correct this error, we are sending enclosed the cheque for the outstanding⁷ amount of Pound Sterling 97.5. As is usual in our dealings, this is a crossed cheque.

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Please rest assured that⁸ we shall make every effort not to repeat such mistakes in the future.

Faithfully yours,

3. Seller to buyer concerning mistake in payment by cheque.

Gentlemen,

We are in receipt of your letter of 17th Nov. containing check for USD 1,224.60 in payment of our invoice dated 15th Oct after deduction of 2.5 % discount.⁹

On looking up your account¹⁰ we find however, that you have already had the full limit of one month upon the said invoice so that we are unable to allow a discount at this date.

Please remit the deficiency¹¹ of USD 31.40 at your convenience to us at the above address.

Yours truly,

4. Specimen of a printed form¹² of remittance letter often sent with cheque.

Dear sir (s), Date

We have pleasure in enclosing cheque in settlement of the invoices listed overleaf.¹³

If this statement omits¹⁴ any invoices for goods supplied during the period covered please send copies to the merchandise accounts department.¹⁵

Yours faithfully, Goods....

Net...

WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS

1. hurricane lantern — штормовой фонарь

2. sent us by way of settling our — послали для расчета с нами account

3. sum stated in our invoice — сумма, указанная в нашем

счете

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4.	less 10 % your commission	— за вычетом десяти процентов Ваших комиссионных
5.	confusion n	— путаница, недоразумение
6.	We would appreciate it if you	— Мы будем признательны, если
	would kindly clarify the matter.	Вы разъясните, в чем дело.
7.	outstanding amount	— невыплаченная сумма
8.	Please rest assured that...	— Вы можете быть уверены в том, что...
9.	after deduction of... discount	— за вычетом... скидки
10.	on looking up your account	— проверив Ваши счета
11.	deficiency n	— зд. недостающая сумма
12.	printed form	— типовой бланк (письма)
13.	listed overleaf	— перечисленные на обороте листа
14.	to omit v	— упускать из виду, забывать
15.	merchandise accounts department	— зд. бухгалтерский отдел