All OFAC articles – Page 9
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BlogTreasury targets Russian shipping companies
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) today announced that it has targeted Russian shipping firms for violating North Korea-related United Nations Security Council Resolutions.
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OFAC eases sanctions on Sudan; terrorism concerns persist
The Trump administration has dropped most of the U.S. sanctions targeting Sudan, also removing it from the list of nations targeted by a controversial travel ban. The White House stopped short, however, of removing the war-torn country from its terrorism watch list.
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OFAC: Ericsson settlement agreement imparts sanctions compliance lessons
In its first enforcement action of 2018, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control on June 6 reached a $145,893 settlement agreement with Swedish telecom company Ericsson for violating Sudanese sanctions regulations.
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Compliance considerations of Iran sanctions
President Trump’s recent decision to withdraw the U.S. from the Iran nuclear deal will not only have severe sanctions implications for foreign subsidiaries of U.S. parent companies, but will also negatively impact EU firms.
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Compliance considerations for doing business in Sudan
The United States might have lifted sanctions against Sudan, but companies looking to do business there need to understand the many serious compliance hurdles that still exist.
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Exxon to challenge OFAC over Russia sanctions
The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control has slapped ExxonMobil with a $2 million civil penalty for violating Ukraine-related sanctions regulations, an action that Exxon is legally challenging.
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OFAC fines AIG for insuring Iran, Sudan, and Cuba shipments
American International Group last month agreed to pay the Office of Foreign Assets Control $148,698 to settle potential civil liability for 555 “apparent violations” of the OFAC sanctions program for insuring Iran, Sudan, and Cuba shipments.
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Mega Bank fined $180 million for AML violations
The New York Department of Financial Services has ordered Mega International Commercial Bank of Taiwan to pay a $180 million penalty and install an independent monitor for violating New York’s anti-money laundering laws. Jaclyn Jaeger reports.
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Treasury and Commerce Further Amend Cuba Sanctions Regulations
The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control and the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security recently published amendments to the Cuban Assets Control Regulations to further implement policy change amendments to the Cuban Assets Control Regulations laid out by the president in December 2014. These ...
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New OFAC Sanctions Rules Target Cyber-Attacks
The Treasury Department has implemented new rules that execute an executive order issued in April by President Barack Obama authorizing sanctions against countries and foreign nationals involved in cyber-attacks against U.S. citizens, companies, or government agencies. The rules formalize a strategy used to increase sanctions against North Korea in response ...
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Treasury Amends Russia and Ukraine Sanctions List
The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control yesterday designated and identified 34 new individuals and entities under four executive orders related to Russia and Ukraine. The updated sanctions list also provides several new lessons for compliance officers.
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Fed to Bank of Nova Scotia: Fix AML Controls
The U.S. Federal Reserve and the New York Department of Financial Services in an enforcement action this week ordered the Bank of Nova Scotia and its New York agency to significantly improve its anti-money laundering operations. The bank and the branch have 60 days to jointly submit a written enhanced ...
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Deutsche Bank to Pay $258 Million for Sanctions Violations
Deutsche Bank today reached a $258 million settlement with the New York State Department of Financial Services and the Federal Reserve regarding transactions with countries and entities subject to U.S. sanctions, including Iran, Libya, Syria, Burma, and Sudan. As part of the settlement, the bank also has agreed to install ...
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UBS to Pay $1.7 Million for Sanctions Violations
Swiss bank UBS yesterday reached a $1.7 million settlement with the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control to resolve allegations that it violated global terrorism sanctions regulations. Lessons learned from the bank’s compliance failures, as well as the mitigating factors that reduced the penalty amount, are inside.
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FAQs, but Few Answers, on Iran Deal Implications
Image: Questions abound on the U.S.-Iran nuclear deal. Assuming the agreement comes into force, what does that mean for compliance officers? Nothing easy, as your sanctions effort must shift to more complex due diligence efforts. “The sanctions world is moving from an entity-based inquiry to an entity- and activity-based inquiry. ...
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NY Regulator Blocks Promontory from Bank Consulting
New York’s Department of Financial Services Department will deny Promontory Financial Group access to confidential supervisory bank information, a move that prevents it from engaging in regulatory work with financial institutions the state regulator oversees. The action follows a report critical of work the consultant did for British bank ...
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$1.45B Commerzbank Settlement Hits AML Controls
Germany-based Commerzbank and its U.S. branch, Commerz New York, will pay a total of $1.45 billion in penalties to resolve criminal charges for violations of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the Bank Secrecy Act. The settlement provides a litany of lessons on the importance of implementing proper anti-money ...
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Cracking Open the Cuba Market
Image: U.S. companies eager to do business in Cuba face a long road in front of them, including a bewildering maze of compliance reviews and certifications before they can transact one dollar of trade. Revival of banking processes alone will be subject to a “blindingly deep amount of regulation and ...
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Treasury Issues Amendments to Cuba Sanctions
The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control and the Department of Commerce today published amendments to the Cuban Assets Control Regulations to implement policy changes announced by the President last month. The newly revised regulations, in part, allow a number of activities related to telecommunications, financial services, ...
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OFAC Introduces New Sanctions List Format
As part of an effort to better assist screening programs and create a global sanctions list, the Treasury Department has announced a new format for its Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List. The new format was developed with the United Nations and the Wolfsberg Group of International Banks and ...