Common Banking and Business Abbreviations

It's common in banking and business to use abbreviations for a wide range of specific business expressions. You'll find each expression followed by the appropriate abbreviations below. Remember that abbreviations and acronyms are used differently in English. Abbreviations are used to replace words or expressions while acronyms simply take the first letter of each word. It's true that some abbreviations are acronyms, but not all.

Common Banking and Business Abbreviations

Against all risks = a.a.r. Account = a/c Account current = A/C Accommodation = ACC/ACCOM Account = acct. Actual cash value = a.c.v. After date = a.d. Addition/Additional = add. Advise = adv. Air freight bill = a.f.b. Agency = agcy. Agent = agt. Air mail transfer = a.m.t. Account of = a/o Accounts payable = A.P. Authority to pay = A/P Accounts receivable = A.R. All risks = a/r Arrive/Arriving = arr. Arrange/Arrangement/Arranging = arr/arrng. Approximate/Approximately = approx. Account sales = A/S, A.S. At sight = a/s As soon as possible = asap Attention = attn. Atomic weight = at. wt. Average = av. Actual weight = a/w Air waybill = a.w.b. Balance = bal. Barrel = bar. Barrel = bbl. Brought down = b/d Bill of exchange = B/E, b/e Brought forward = b/f Before = bfor. Bill of health = B.H. Bank = bk. Brokerage = bkge. Bill of lading = B/L Brought over = b/o Bills payable = B.P. By procuration = b.p. Bills receivable = B.R. Balance sheet = B/S Berth terms = b.t. Bushel = bu. Book value = B/V Circa: centaire = ca. Chartered accountant = C.A.

Current account = c.a. Cash against documents = C.A.D. Cash book = C.B. Cash before delivery = C.B.D. Carbon copy = c.c. Carried down = c/d Cum dividend = c.d. Carried forward = c/f Compare = cf Cost and freight = c & f Clearing house = C/H Custom house = C.H. Charges forward = ch. fwd. Charges paid = ch. pd. Charges prepaid = ch. ppd. Cheque, check = chq. Cost, insurance, freight = c. i. f. Cost, insurance, freight and commission = c.i.f. & c. Cost, insurance, freight, and interest = c.i.f. & i. Car load = c.l. Call of more = C/m Credit note = C/N Care of = c/o Company = co. Cash on delivery = C.O.D. Commission = comm. Corporation = corp. Cash on shipment = C.O.S. Carriage paid = C.P. Charter party = C/P Charters pay duties = c.p.d. Corporation = cpn. Credit; creditor = cr. Cable transfer = C/T Constructive total loss = c.t.l. Constructive total loss only = c.t.l.o. Cumulative = cum. Cum dividend = cum div. Cumulative preference = cum. pref. Commercial weight = c/w Cash with order = C.W.O. Hundredweight = cwt. Documents against acceptance; deposit account = D/A Documents against payment = DAP Debenture = db.

Deferred = def. Department = dept. Dead freight = d.f. Draft = dft. Draft attached = dtf/a. Clean draft = dft/c. Discount = disc. Dividend = div. Dayletter = DL Daily letter telegram = DLT Debit note = D/N Delivery order = D/O Ditto = do. Dozen = doz. Documents against payment = D/P Debtor = dr. Doctor = Dr. Days after sight = d/s, d.s. Deadweight = d.w. Dock warrant = D/W Pennyweight = dwt. Dozen = dz. European Currency Unit = ECU East European Time = E.E.T. For example = e.g. Enclosure = encl. Endorsement = end. Errors and omissions excepted = E. & O.E. End of month = e.o.m. Except otherwise herein provided = e.o.h.p. Especially = esp. Esquire = Esq. Established = est. Out = ex ex coupon = ex cp. Ex dividend = ex div. ex interest = ex. int. ex new (shares) = ex h. ex store = ex stre. ex wharf = ex whf. Free of all average = f.a.a. Fast as can = f.a.c. Freight all kinds = f.a.k. Fair average quality; free alongside quay = f.a.q. Frequently asked questions = F.a.q. Free alongside ship = f.a.s. For cash = f/c Free of capture and seizure = f.c.

& s. Free of capture, seizure, riots, and civil commotion = f.c.s.r. & c.c. Free delivery to dock = F.D. Free discharge = f.d. Following; folios = ff. Free of general average = f.g.a. Free in bunker = f.i.b. Free in and out = f.i.o. Free in truck = f.i.t. Free on board = f.o.b. Free of charge = f.o.c. Free of damage = f.o.d. Following; folio = fol. Free on quay = f.o.q. Free on rail = f.o.r. Free on streamer = f.o.s. Free on truck(s) = f.o.t. Free on wagons; free on wharf = f.o.w. Floating policy = F.P. Fully paid = f.p. Free of particular average = f.p.a. Freight = frt. Freight paid = frt. pd. Freight prepaid = frt. ppd. Freight forward = frt. fwd. Foot = ft. Forward = fwd. Foreign exchange = f.x. General average = g.a. Goods in bad order = g.b.o. Good merchantable brand = g.m.b. Good merchantable quality = g.m.q. Greenwich Mean Time = G.M.T. Gross national product = GNP Good ordinary brand = g.o.b. Gross = gr. Gross register ton = GRT Gross weight = gr. wt. Gross tonnage = GT Home consumption = h.c. Height = hgt. Hogshead = hhd.

Head office = H.O. Hire purchase = H.P. Horsepower = HP Height = ht. Integrated data processing = IDP That is = i.e. Insufficient funds = I/F Indicated horsepower = i.h.p. Import = imp. Incorporated = Inc. Inclusive = incl. Interest = int. Invoice = inv. I owe you = I.O.U. Joint account = J/A, j.a. Junior = Jr. Kilovolt = KV Kilowat = KW Kilowatt hour = KWh Letter of credit = L/C, l.c. Telegram in the language of the country of destination = LCD Telegram in the language of the country of origin = LCO Landing; loading = ldg. Long ton = l.t. Limited = Ltd. Long ton = l. tn. Month = m. My account = m/a Maximum = max. Memorandum of deposit = M.D. Months after date = M/D, m.d. Memorandum = memo. Plural of Mr. = Messrs. Manufacturer = mfr. Minimum = min. Minimum lending rate = MLR Money order = M.O. My order = m.o. Mortgage = mortg. Months after payment = M/P, m.p. Mate's receipt = M/R Months' sight = M/S, m.s. Mail transfer = M.T. Making-up price = M/U Name; noiminal = n. No account = n/a No advice = N/A No commercial value = n.c.v. No date = n.d.

Not elsewhere specified = n.e.s. No funds = N/F Night letter = NL No noting = N/N No orders = N/O Number = no. Not otherwise enumerated = n.o.e. Numbers = nos. No par value = NPV Number = nr. Net register ton = n.r.t. Not sufficient funds = N/S Not sufficient funds = NSF Net weight = n. wt. On account = o/a Overseas common point = OCP On demand; overdraft = O/D, o/d Omissions excepted = o.e. Overhead = o/h Or nearest offer = ono. Order of = O/o Open policy = O.P. Out of print; overproof = o.p. Owner's risk = O/R, o.r. Order, ordinary = ord. Out of stock = O.S., o/s Overtime = OT Page; per: premium = p. Particular average: per annum = P.A., p.a. Power of attorney; private account = P/A Phase alternation line = PAL Patent pending = pat. pend. Pay as you earn = PAYE Petty cash = p/c Pecent; price current = p.c. Parcel = pcl. Paid = pd. Preferred = pf. Package = pkg. Profit and loss = P/L Partial loss = p.l. Promissory note = P/N Post office; postal order = P.O. Post office box = P.O.B. Post office order = P.O.O. Pay on return = p.o.r.

Pages = pp. Postage and packing = p & p Per procuration = p. pro Prepaid = ppd. Prompt = ppt. Preference = pref. Proximo = prox. Postscript = P.S. Payment = pt. Please turn over = P.T.O., p.t.o. Partly paid = ptly. pd. Par value = p.v. Quality = qulty. Quantity = qty. Riot and civil commotions = r. & c.c. Refer to drawer = R/D Running down clause = R.D.C. In regard to = re Received; receipt = rec. Received = recd. Redeemable = red. Reference = ref. Registered = reg. Returned = retd. Revenue = rev. Refused on delivery = R.O.D. Reply paid = R.P. Revolutions per second = r.p.s. Please reply = RSVP Right side up with care = R.S.W.C. Railway = Ry Stamped addressed envelope = s.a.e. Stock at valuation = S.A.V. Sea damaged = S/D Sight draft = S/D, s.d. Without date = s.d. Special drawing rights = SDR Signed = sgd. Sundays and holidays excepted = s. & h. ex Shipment = shipt. Signature = sig. Sue and labor clause = S/LC, s & l.c. Shiping note = S/N Seller's option = s.o. Standard operating procedure = s.o.p. Spot = spt. Senior = Sr. Steamship = S.S., s.s.

Short ton = s.t. Sterling = ster. Stock exchange = St. Ex. Sterling = stg. Sub voce = s.v. Telegraphic address = T.A. Trial balance = T.B. Telephone = tel. Temporary secretary = temp. Total loss = T.L., t.l. Total loss only = T.L.O. Multiple telegram = TM Turn over = T.O. Transfer = tr. Telegram to be called for = TR Trust receipt = TR, T/R Telegraphic transfer (cable) = TT, T.T. Telex = TX Urgent = UGT Under separate cover = u.s.c. Underwriters = U/ws Volt = v. Value = val. Value-added tax = v.a.t. Very good = vg. Very high frequency = VHF Very highly recommended = v.h.r. Wat = w. With average = WA Way bill = W.B. Without charge = w.c. West European Time = W.E.T. Weight guaranteed = wg. Warehouse = whse. With other goods = w.o.g. Weather permitting; without prejudice = W.P. With particular average = w.p.a. War risk = W.R. Warehouse receipt = W/R, wr. Weather working day = W.W.D. Weight = wt. ex coupon = x.c. ex dividend = x.d. ex interest = x.i. ex new shares = x.n. Year = y. Yard = yd. Year = yr. Yearly = yrly.