Some questions from a bottom dweller. The last paragraph of the Security Deposit FCIC raises questions, cautions and red flags for me.

FedEx deals in US dollars, we the crew member assigned to Paris/Hong Kong live off a foreign currency. FedEx gives us a security deposit in US dollars, we convert to the foreign exchange and the landlord keeps it for 2-3-4 years. Come time to move back to the US, the process should reverse (I assume, a detail to be worked out later).

What are the chances the exchange rate will be the same? $10K of US dollars can produce a tidy difference with even a small shift in the exchange rate. What happens to the difference if the exchange rate improves? Will the crew member get to keep anything over the original $10K?

Now flip the coin, what happens if the exchange rate works against the crew member and his original $10K security deposit only converts to $9K? According to the FCIF, the crew member has signed an agreement to return $10K. Did the crew member just incur another out-of-pocket expense associated with living in an FDA?

Finally, does anybody know the laws in the FDA locations concerning security deposits and their return? Many US states have enacted consumer protection laws concerning the return of security deposits, annotation of and collection for damages etc. Many of these measures were enacted to protect tenants from dishonest landlords. What similar protections exist for crew members living in the proposed FDAs? I imagine it would be tough to dispute damages from half way round the world. I don’t imagine FedEx would wait for damage resolution before seeking return of its US $$$.

Just a few questions from the bottom, now when does the final bid close??