All Bank Secrecy Act articles
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News BriefFinCEN warns of fake U.S. passport cards used to commit fraud
The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network is warning financial institutions of counterfeit U.S. passport cards used to commit fraud and identity theft.
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PremiumChapter 4: Investigations into misconduct: What banks can do
Both JPMorgan Chase and Deutsche Bank retained their respective Jeffrey Epstein relationships for too long. Yet, there is a case to be made for why exiting a high-risk relationship too soon can become an inverse form of recklessness.
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PremiumChapter 3: Egregious failures: Customer due diligence and transaction monitoring
Why did JPMorgan Chase retain Jeffrey Epstein for more than a dozen years? How did the relationship persist despite glaring red flags? The “why” is straightforward; the “how” is more complicated.
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News BriefMetropolitan Commercial Bank adds risk chief, AML officer
Metropolitan Commercial Bank announced the appointments of a chief risk officer and Bank Secrecy Act/anti-money laundering officer to bolster its reporting lines following a $30 million enforcement action from federal and state authorities last year.
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PremiumFinCEN head touts compliance through enforcement approach
Andrea Gacki, head of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, said recent enforcement actions by the agency have addressed significant gaps in the U.S. anti-money laundering/countering the financing of terrorism regime and exposed specific risk factors, trends, and typologies.
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News BriefEx-Sterling Bank GC cited by OCC over BSA-related failures
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency issued a cease-and-desist order against the former general counsel at Sterling Bank and Trust for not ensuring the institution’s Bank Secrecy Act compliance and failing to timely file suspicious activity reports.
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News BriefFinCEN: BSA data shows spike in crypto-financed human trafficking
Bank Secrecy Act reporting data disclosed by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network revealed a significant spike in the use of cryptocurrency to finance human trafficking.
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PremiumFinCEN to propose applying BSA requirements to investment advisers
The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network will propose categorizing investment advisers as financial institutions that must comply with the Bank Secrecy Act, including having an anti-money laundering program.
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News BriefCity National Bank ordered to pay $65M over deficient risk, internal controls
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency levied a $65 million civil penalty against Los Angeles-based City National Bank over alleged risk management and internal control failures.
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News BriefCompliance officer BSA case a cautionary tale for small banks
A New York-based Bank Secrecy Act compliance officer facilitated more than $1 billion in high-risk international financial business through an “unsophisticated” institution, according to the Department of Justice and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network.
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News BriefTD Bank reportedly facing fine for faulty AML controls
The Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada is reportedly preparing to issue its largest fine to date against TD Bank for faulty anti-money laundering controls.
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News BriefMGM Grand, Cosmopolitan fined $7.5M total over BSA violations
Two Las Vegas casinos agreed to pay penalties of nearly $7.5 million as part of separate non-prosecution agreements with the Department of Justice addressing violations of the Bank Secrecy Act over alleged anti-money laundering compliance failings.
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News BriefFinCEN analysis: Most common identity-related suspicious activities
Fraud remains the leading form of identity-related suspicious activity cited in Bank Secrecy Act reports by a large margin, while technologies enable greater overall risks around exploitation, according to new research from the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network.
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PremiumBinance’s compliance past, future detailed
There are a slew of compliance lessons to be learned from the $4.3 billion settlement that Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, reached with the U.S. government.
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News BriefBinance pleads guilty, fined $4.3B over widespread U.S. law violations
Federal agencies hit Binance with more than $4.3 billion in penalties and imposed multiple compliance monitorships on the virtual currency exchange as punishment for its repeated and intentional violations of U.S. anti-money laundering laws, sanctions, and other regulations.
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News BriefMetropolitan Commercial Bank fined $30M for third-party oversight failings
New York-based Metropolitan Commercial Bank was assessed nearly $30 million in penalties by federal and state banking regulators for failing to properly oversee a third-party program manager whose prepaid cards were a popular target of fraud during the Covid-19 pandemic.
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News BriefCybersecurity, AML risks among SEC 2024 exam priorities
SEC examiners will be asking tough questions of registered firms regarding how they handle risks related to operational security, interact with financial technology companies and crypto assets, and the maturity of their anti-money laundering programs.
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PremiumShinhan Bank enforcements a lesson in not prioritizing compliance
The recent $25 million in combined penalties levied against South Korean-based Shinhan Bank by three U.S. regulators was the culmination of the bank’s failure over an eight-year period to timely correct deficiencies with its anti-money laundering and Bank Secrecy Act processes.
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PremiumFinCEN crafting rule proposal for AML and sanctions whistleblower program
Andrea Gacki, the new director at the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, said the agency is working to issue a notice of proposed rulemaking regarding the establishment of an anti-money laundering and sanctions whistleblower program.
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News BriefShinhan Bank America fined $25M for repeat AML compliance failures
The American branch of South Korea-based Shinhan Bank agreed to pay $25 million across settlements with three separate regulators for admitted violations of the Bank Secrecy Act and anti-money laundering requirements.