Correspondent Bank Records in Chinese Supplier Wire Fraud

When a supplier payment passes through U.S. correspondent banks, those records may help connect a wire transfer to the actual beneficiary, fraud path, defendant identity, and recovery strategy.

Map the payment chain

Separate sender confirmation, intermediary bank, correspondent bank, recipient bank, and beneficiary-account evidence.

Support subpoenas and discovery

Precise bank names, routing references, SWIFT fields, and recall documents make subpoenas narrower and more useful.

Connect payment to service strategy

Bank evidence can affect who is named, which Chinese entity is served, and whether asset-preservation relief is realistic.

Why correspondent-bank records matter

International wires often touch banks that are not the sending or beneficiary bank. A U.S. correspondent bank may hold transaction messages, compliance notes, routing references, and recall communications that help identify the real payment path.

What to organize before attorney review

Gather SWIFT MT103 records, Fedwire or CHIPS references, recall requests, bank-fraud reports, beneficiary names, revised invoices, email-header evidence, WeChat messages, purchase orders, and shipping records. The goal is to connect the money trail to the contract party, invoice issuer, factory, agent, or suspicious third-party payee.

How this strengthens Hague service and recovery

If the bank trail points to a Hong Kong entity, personal account, marketplace seller, affiliate, or different Mainland company, the complaint, defendant list, Chinese-name verification, Hague service package, and recovery plan may need to change before filing.

Attorney review point

This page is general information, not legal advice. Cross-border payment evidence, defendant selection, Hague service, judgment enforcement, and recovery strategy should be reviewed against the actual documents before filing or collection action.

Common Questions

Can a correspondent bank identify the Chinese supplier?

It may not prove the full case by itself, but transaction messages, recall communications, and routing records can help connect a wire to a beneficiary, account, intermediary, or fraud pattern.

Should I request an MT103 first?

Yes, an MT103 or equivalent wire trace is often the starting point because it gives counsel and banks the references needed to request narrower records.

Does this change who should be sued?

Sometimes. If payment records point to a different payee, affiliate, personal account, or Hong Kong entity, defendant selection and Hague service planning should be reviewed before filing.