For Benefit Of

• FBO is commonly-used banking shorthand for the phrase "for benefit of," and is used when funds are transferred to a primary account (often as a matter of convenience) but are ultimately intended for a secondary recipient.
  
  

Use of FBO in Wire Transfers

• FBO is commonly indicated on wire transfers (electronic transfers) of funds from one bank to another. If the receiving bank is not intended as the final recipient of the funds, the sender will provide FBO instructions to indicate the secondary recipient of the funds.
  
  For example, a wire transfer to a foreign country may be sent, initially, to a central bank, but may carry FBO instructions to transfer the money to an individual's account at another bank.
  
  

FBO on Third Party Checks

• FBO instructions may also be indicated on a third-party check. For example, if your broker issues a check from your account in the brokerage name, for payment to a mutual fund you are purchasing, the check is often marked FBO along with your name or account number or both. The notation tells the receiving firm that the funds are for the benefit of your account.
  
  

FFC

• The abbreviation FFC stands for "for further credit," and is also used to indicate a secondary beneficiary. The term is sometimes used interchangeably with FBO.