DCW Letter of Credit Statistics

Did you know that Documentary Credit World publishes quarterly Letter of Credit statistics for the Top 600 US banks and the Top 170 US Branches of non-US banks?

These reports are extremely popular among DCW readers as they give precise figures for banks’ Letter of Credit activity and show how banks compare against others in the industry. From time to time, DCW is asked from where do these figures originate.  

The LC amounts outstanding for US Banks derive from Schedule RC-L Derivatives and Off-Balance Sheet Items (Line Nos. 2-4) of US Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Call Reports. On the FDIC website there are instructions for preparation by US banks of reporting this required data:

http://www.fdic.gov/regulations/resources/call/crinst/2012-06/612RC-L_062912.pdf

Within this 26-page PDF, pages 7-9 reference separate mention of financial standbys and performance standbys.

The LC figures for branches/agencies of Non-US Banks derive from US Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC). For instructions on preparation of data by branches/agencies of non-US banks. See:

http://www.ffiec.gov/PDF/FFIEC_forms/FFIEC002_201206_i.pdf

Within this 179-page PDF, treatment of Letters of Credit appears at pages 70-72 and within the glossary at 157-158. It does not call for separate reporting of financial and performance standby types.

Once these figures filed by the various banks are gathered, the amounts conveyed to others are subtracted out and the remaining figures are added up to yield total LC amounts for the banks.

A sampling of LC amounts outstanding* at Year-End 2014:

*All figures are net LC amounts. Numbers are in USD 1,000s.

Where Does Your Bank Rank? 

Sign up for a DCW subscription today to receive the latest LC analysis and information, including LC stats! 2Q15 data for US banks will appear in the October issue of DCW to be released later this month. 2Q15 figures for non-US banks were published in the Sept 2015 DCW edition.