All Suspicious Activity Reports articles
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News BriefFinCEN annual report: How DOJ, IRS use SARs to aid probes
The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network’s year in review for fiscal year 2022 provides details on how other U.S. agencies use information derived from the millions of suspicious activity reports filed each year to support their enforcement efforts.
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News Brief
SEC fines broker-dealer $100K over SARs reporting failures
Cambria Capital agreed to pay $100,000, hire an independent anti-money laundering consultant, and be censured for failing to file suspicious activity reports on certain transactions over a two-year period, according to the Securities and Exchange Commission.
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News Brief
FINRA focuses on financial crime in annual exam report
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority’s annual report on examinations and risk monitoring indicated a new emphasis for the regulator on combating financial crime, particularly cybercrime.
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Article
FinCEN report identifies financial trends of Russian oligarchs
The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network published an analysis of financial trends involving Russian oligarchs and how U.S. financial institutions have aided in the identification of more than $30 billion worth of sanctioned Russians’ assets.
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Article
CHS Hedging AML controls criticized in $6.5M CFTC action
CHS Hedging, a Minnesota-based futures commission merchant, was fined $6.5 million by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission for AML program gaps and other risk management and recordkeeping failures regarding a ranch owner customer committing fraud.
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Article
SEC accuses J.H. Darbie of violating AML rules
New York-based brokerage firm J.H. Darbie & Co. was charged with violations of anti-money laundering provisions of federal securities laws by the Securities and Exchange Commission for failing to report suspicious activity regarding penny stock transactions.
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Article
FinCEN: U.S. banks paid $1.2B to ransomware criminals last year
Banks reported paying a record $1.2 billion to ransomware criminals in 2021, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network announced.
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Article
Automation can improve AML compliance but won’t replace human touch
While automation has the potential to transform anti-money laundering compliance, it will not replace the human practitioners relied upon to get investigations to the finish line, experts discussed at the ACAMS annual conference in Las Vegas.
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Article
Bittrex to pay $29M for BSA violations in landmark FinCEN, OFAC case
Virtual currency trading platform Bittrex agreed to pay more than $29 million for violations of the Bank Secrecy Act and other foreign asset restrictions by regularly allowing transactions with customers in Iran, Syria, and other U.S.-sanctioned nations.
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Article
Deutsche Bank confirms AML raid at German headquarters
Deutsche Bank confirmed its Frankfurt headquarters were raided by German prosecutors in relation to a money laundering probe regarding suspicious activity reports filed by the bank.
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FCA cracking down on challenger banks after review
Challenger banks must improve how they assess financial crime risk following a review by the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority that found some fail to carry out even basic customer checks.
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Article
Anchorage Digital Bank gets OCC consent order for AML compliance failures
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency announced a consent order against Anchorage Digital Bank, the first digital asset bank to be issued a charter by the regulator, for deficiencies in its Bank Secrecy Act/anti-money laundering compliance program.
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Article
USAA fined $140M for AML compliance failures
USAA Federal Savings Bank must pay $140 million as part of consent orders reached with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency for its failures maintaining its Bank Secrecy Act/anti-money laundering compliance program.
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Article
Lawsuit by BitMEX co-founder could test GDPR’s reach over SARs
Ben Delo, co-founder of cryptocurrency exchange BitMEX, filed a complaint against Wise Payments after the company allegedly refused his requests under the General Data Protection Regulation to provide him with personal information it submitted via suspicious activity reports.
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Article
FINRA sanctions compliance officer for AML failures
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority has ordered a compliance officer to pay $25,000 for failing to establish and implement a “reasonably designed” anti-money laundering compliance program at the brokerage firm where he worked.
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Article
FinCEN seeking input on SARs-sharing program with foreign branches
The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network is requesting comment on a pilot program that would allow financial institutions to share suspicious activity reports with foreign branches, subsidiaries, and affiliates.
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Article
Should lawyers, accountants be filing more SARs?
A study of suspicious activity reporting data in the United Kingdom suggests accountants, lawyers, estate agents, and other service-facing professionals could be doing more to contribute to the fight against financial crime.
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Article
FinCEN report highlights uptick in wildlife trafficking SARs
Suspicious activity reports flagging potential financial crime risks posed by wildlife trafficking are on the rise, according to a report published by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network.
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Article
Wedbush Securities to pay $1.2M for role in microcap fraud scheme
California-based broker-dealer Wedbush Securities agreed to pay $1.2 million as part of a settlement with the SEC for the unregistered sale of microcap securities and its failure to file suspicious activity reports associated with those transactions.
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Article
FinCEN report: Ransomware SARs surge past 2020 totals
A Financial Crimes Enforcement Network report on financial trends in Bank Secrecy Act data found a greater number of SARs related to ransomware filed between January and June 2021 than during all of 2020.
