On August 2, 2024, OFAC announced changes to its Compliance Hotline. TCA recommends that financial institutions review their policies and procedures related to OFAC to remove references to OFAC’s retired contact methods. On August 16, 2024, OFAC retired the Compliance Hotline email of [email protected] On December 31, 2024, the Compliance Hotline telephone numbers of (800) […]
Last year’s news headlines screamed about financial crimes: the riveting cryptocurrency saga of Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), Binance’s landmark $4.3 billion settlement with the Department of Treasury, and Deutsche Bank’s additional fines for anti-money laundering and sanctions failings. Other noteworthy stories entailed a parade of cybercrimes like ransomware and email scams. For those working in the
AML Programs and Recent Consent Orders: What Questions Should you be Asking? Read More »
Your AMS plays a crucial role in helping financial institutions detect and prevent illicit activities. However, to ensure the effectiveness and compliance of these solutions, regular model validations are necessary and prescribed by Guidance on Model Risk Management from the prudential regulators. During validations, common findings often emerge and highlight opportunities for improvement. Here, TCA
Build A Solid Foundation That Will Help You Detect and Combat Financial Crimes Prospective homebuyers want properties with “good bones,” whether buying new construction loaded with smart technology or a 200-year-old historic farmhouse that needs tender loving care. Good bones assure buyers that a property is structurally sound, provides a safe environment, and will be
Your Dream AML/CFT Home Starts with Good Bones Read More »
Regulators expect compliance with the standards established in the model risk management guidance (MRMG) (Federal Reserve SR Letter 11-7, OCC Bulletin 2011-12; FDIC FIL 22-2017) as well as the April 9, 2021, Interagency Statement on Model Risk Management for Bank Systems Supporting Bank Secrecy Act/Anti-Money Laundering Compliance. This guidance relates to systems or models used
AML/CFT Transaction Monitoring – Importance of Tuning Your AMS Model Read More »
The Bank Secrecy Act/Anti-Money Laundering area of compliance is always evolving. As an example, we are currently transitioning the name of this specialized area of compliance from Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) to Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) to coincide with the term’s examiners are now using within their documents and reports.
TCA’s Top 5 BSA/AML Concerns Read More »
On September 29, 2022, FinCEN issued a final rule for Beneficial Ownership Reporting to support law enforcement efforts. The rule establishes timeframes for legal entities to report beneficial ownership information FinCEN as required by the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA). According to the publication, FinCEN will have rulemakings to: Establish rules for who may access the
FinCEN Issues Final Rule for Beneficial Ownership Reporting Read More »
Answer: The date field in Part II should only cover the date range of activity determined to be suspicious, not the investigation range. If transaction occurred on a single date, the “To” field is left blank. Describe the time period of the investigation in the narrative.
Answer: TCA continues to see examiner scrutiny on alert resolution. When documenting a response to an alert, it does not need to be as in-depth as an investigation narrative; however, it must explain the who, what, where, when, why, and how. This creates continuity for other BSA staff, examiners, and auditors to understand how you
On June 29, 2020, FinCEN published FIN-2020-G001 providing guidance for obtaining due diligence information for hemp-related businesses. The BSA industry has wrestled with cannabis and its derivative rules since FinCEN’s initial 2014 guidance for banking marijuana-related businesses. Between 2014 and 2018, hemp was equated with marijuana since both are derived from the same plant. However,
New Hemp-related Business Guidance Read More »
We’re here to review your current compliance strategy and help you find A Better Way to manage risk.
