Standard Chartered fined $24.9M for Ukraine sanctions breaches
The U.K. Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation hit Standard Chartered Bank for a record fine relating to loans the bank made to Russian financial institutions in violation of the EU’s sanction regime.
CECL delayed amid U.S. government’s coronavirus response
FASB’s controversial standard on credit losses was dealt two significant blows Friday as the U.S. government scrambles to respond to the financial impact of the escalating coronavirus pandemic.
Swedish regulator delays SEB money laundering probe
Sweden’s financial regulator announced it will wait until June to conclude its money laundering investigation into Scandinavian Enskilda Banken AB (SEB) due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Embracing the potential of tech in legal, compliance
The pace of technological change can be overwhelming, and in-house legal and compliance teams are yet to lead the charge. This needs to change if businesses are to secure the potential competitive advantages offered by new tech.
Swedbank cuts ex-CEO’s severance following AML probe
Swedbank has canceled the severance pay of its former CEO and accepted a record fine of 4 billion Swedish Krona (U.S. $390 million) in the wake of the findings of an independent investigation into its anti-money laundering deficiencies.
Swedish regulator fines Swedbank record $390M for AML deficiencies
Swedbank AB has been issued a record 4 billion Swedish Krona (U.S. $390 million) administrative fine for what Sweden’s financial watchdog called “serious deficiencies in its management of the risk of money laundering in its Baltic operations.”
Study: Fear of data breaches stifling bank innovation
Research by consultancy firm Accenture shows companies in financial services are more concerned with guarding themselves against the impact of a data breach than realizing any financial benefits of using the data.
Swedbank announces new risk chief as probe nears end
Swedbank announced the appointment of Rolf Marquardt as chief risk officer just over a week prior to the expected announcement of the findings of a probe into its AML shortcomings conducted by law firm Clifford Chance.
PwC survey: Finance leaders worried about global recession
The potential for the coronavirus outbreak to lead to a global recession topped the list of concerns among finance leaders based in the United States and Mexico, according to a new survey released by PwC.
Swedbank notifies OFAC of potential sanctions violations
Swedbank announced it has reported approximately $4.8 million worth of transactions that might be subject to U.S. sanctions to the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.
Wells Fargo ends wild week with new general counsel appointment
Wells Fargo capped a tumultuous week Friday when it announced the appointment of Ellen Patterson as its new senior executive vice president and general counsel.
Wells Fargo former board chairs hesitant to accept accountability
Elizabeth Duke and James Quigley remained unwavering about accepting any sort of accountability in their oversight roles as former board members of Wells Fargo at a tense Congressional hearing Wednesday.
Wells Fargo CEO says bank’s past behavior ‘deeply disturbing,’ vows change
Wells Fargo CEO Charlie Scharf, who has led the scandal-plagued megabank for four months, was upfront about the bank’s failure to stem abuses in its banking, lending, and auto insurance divisions when he testified at a Congressional hearing Tuesday.
CFPB lawsuit against Fifth Third mirrors Wells Fargo allegations
Fifth Third Bank, National Association could potentially be in as much legal and regulatory trouble as Wells Fargo if allegations of unauthorized account opening brought by the CFPB hold true.
Two Wells Fargo board members resign ahead of congressional hearing
Two Wells Fargo board members who were scheduled to testify at a congressional hearing this week in the aftermath of the financial institution’s fake account scandal have resigned.
Former NCUA ethics officer drank at strip clubs on job, report reveals
The long-serving ethics officer for the National Credit Union Administration retired late last year after admitting to visiting strip clubs and drinking on the job, according to an internal investigation.
Congressional report blasts ‘reckless megabank’ Wells Fargo, regulators
A scathing report on Wells Fargo published by the House Financial Services Committee majority tells the story of a recidivist megabank whose senior management and board of directors refuse to take compliance seriously and the unresponsive financial regulators who let it all slide.
Former U.S. Bank risk officer pays $450K for AML compliance failures
The former chief operational risk officer at U.S. Bank has agreed to pay a $450,000 penalty for his role in the bank failing to implement and maintain an effective anti-money laundering compliance program.
Three former Barclays execs acquitted of fraud charges
The Serious Fraud Office suffered another major setback in the U.K.’s first trial against bank executives for misconduct during the 2008 financial crisis, after three former executives of Barclays were acquitted of fraud charges.
Six compliance lessons from Wells Fargo’s really bad week
Two more settlements reached by Wells Fargo with regulators in the span of a week impart yet more “what not to do” ethics and compliance lessons.
SEC rips Wells Fargo’s ETF compliance efforts in $35M settlement
Already reeling from last week’s $3 billion penalty related to its fake accounts scandal, Wells Fargo took another hit Thursday in the form of a $35 million SEC settlement related to poor supervision of investment recommendation practices.
CCO Q&A: Managing compliance in the FinTech space
Compliance Week discusses with Shannon Duncan, CCO and director of operations at registered investment adviser Blooom, the many unique challenges of doing compliance in the complex, ever-evolving FinTech space.
What’s next for Wells Fargo? Bank, execs still in crosshairs
Wells Fargo will pay $3 billion to resolve civil and criminal penalties with the DOJ and SEC related to its long-running fake accounts scandal, but the embattled bank—and its former executives—are far from out of the woods.
Wells Fargo to pay $3B to resolve fake account scandal
The Department of Justice and Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday assessed total civil and criminal penalties of $3 billion against Wells Fargo & Co. and its subsidiary, Wells Fargo Bank, in the aftermath of its fake account scandal.
Powell: Legislation to address LIBOR transition unlikely
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell told Congress he does not expect federal legislation will be needed to address the demise of the London Interbank Offered Rate, which is set to expire in 2021.
Study: Post-financial crisis fines against financial institutions hit $36B
Global fines and penalties against financial institutions hit $36 billion last year, as ramifications from the financial crisis continue to reverberate throughout the financial services industry, according to a new report.
Experts weigh in on Brexit consequences for GDPR, AML, more
The wheels to the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union are finally in motion, but the hard work still remains as to what kind of future trading relationship the country has with the single market.
Treasury lists ‘compliance weaknesses’ as U.S. finance vulnerability
A new report published by the Department of the Treasury cites compliance weaknesses among the most significant illicit finance threats and vulnerabilities facing the U.S. financial system.
Proposed Volcker rule rollback gets pushback from agency leadership
Five federal agencies agreed that now would be a good time to ease restrictions on bank investments in hedge funds or private equity funds, triggering concern by some that the deregulation could be harmful. But is apprehension over the proposed Volcker rule relaxation overblown?
Study: Compliance officers in finance face ‘unnecessary risks’
Compliance officers in the financial services industry face “unnecessary risks” that undermine effectiveness and regulatory goals, according to a new report by the Compliance Committee of the New York City Bar Association.
Lessons from a CCO ‘in way over his head’
A recent court ruling tells the story of a former chief compliance officer that “literally had no idea what he was doing or what he was getting himself into” when he took the position at an investment advisory firm.
OCC fines former Wells Fargo CEO $17.5M, bans him from banking industry
Former Wells Fargo Bank CEO John Stumpf was disciplined by the OCC on Thursday, but is the ban of someone in his mid-60s with tens of millions of dollars in net worth really more than a wrist slap?
White paper: Enforcement Actions: Monitoring Trends, Regulatory Complexity, and Best Practices for Risk Management
Learn how financial compliance, risk, and crime professionals can efficiently track and monitor the growing number of enforcement actions and current trends in Compliance.ai’s latest eBook.
Six strategies for FinTech adoption in banking
Thomas Wan of the International Compliance Training Academy outlines strategies for navigating the dynamic terrain of FinTech adoption within the banking industry.
Fitch Ratings: ESG plays increasingly influential role on bank lending
Environmental, social, and governance factors are increasingly playing an influential role in the underwriting processes of global banks, according to a new report released by Fitch Ratings.
Wells Fargo adds enterprise risk chief
Financial services giant Wells Fargo announced Price Sloan will join the company as chief strategic enterprise risk officer.
UK Finance slams overregulation in financial services sector
UK Finance, the U.K. regulator responsible for the financial services sector, is offering recommendations to curb the abundance of intersecting rules in FS.
Top ethics and compliance failures of 2019
From antitrust and privacy concerns in the tech world to compliance officer liability in the pharmaceutical industry to unethical practices in the banking and accounting professions, more than a dozen companies made Compliance Week’s list of the biggest compliance fails in 2019.
AGCS report: Five biggest risks for senior managers in 2020
Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty’s latest report highlights five “megatrends” that will have significant risk implications for senior management in 2020 that should be of interest to compliance officers.
International banking regulator: Big Tech ‘may pose risks to financial stability’
Big technology firms like Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, and Google are a potential risk if they get more heavily involved in providing financial services, says the Financial Stability Board.
Morgan Stanley fined $22.2M for manipulating bond prices
France’s financial market regulator has fined Morgan Stanley €20 million (U.S. $22.2 million) for manipulating the price of French and Belgian government bonds in June 2015.
Swedbank announces governance overhaul, launches culture probe
Swedbank CEO Jens Henriksson announced the financial institution is making some major organizational changes “to create simpler and clearer decision-making structures to facilitate the realization of the bank’s strategy.”
White paper: File Sharing for Financial Services and Banking Industry
In this age of unprecedented growth in unstructured data, emerging global privacy regulations, and increased threat of cyberattacks, a heightened focus on data security is no longer optional.
Former Fed Chair Paul Volcker passes away
Paul Volcker, former chairman of the Federal Reserve and eponym to the controversial Volcker rule of the Dodd–Frank Act, died Sunday. He was 92.
Federal banking regs ease hemp reporting requirements
New interagency guidance issued this week brings good news for compliance officers of banking institutions with hemp-related customers.
Westpac accused of 23M violations of Australian AML rules
Australia’s financial crime regulator has accused Westpac Banking of committing over 23 million breaches of the country’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing rules.
Hearsay Systems launches consulting service
Hearsay Systems announced the launch of a new consulting practice to help financial services organizations adhere to industry regulations and implement modern technologies.
White paper: A Guide to Financial Close Management
Learn how to undergo a digital transformation (in 3 easy steps) that will help you to optimize your financial close process.
IBM, BoA collaborate on financial services-ready public cloud
IBM announced it has designed the world’s first financial services-ready public cloud and is welcoming financial services institutions and their suppliers to join. Bank of America is already on board.
Data protection compliance lessons from UniCredit breach
UniCredit announced its cyber-security team has identified a data breach that compromised the personal records of approximately three million clients in Italy, highlighting critical compliance lessons for those in the financial services industry.