On December 2, 2020, the ‘‘William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021’’ was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives. The Act includes DIVISION F (ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING). This...more
On September 15, 2020, FinCEN issued a Final Rule stating that Banks lacking a Federal Functional Regulator will be required to establish and implement AML programs including policies and procedures, a dedicated compliance...more
11/5/2020
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Bank Secrecy Act ,
Beneficial Owner ,
BSA/AML ,
CIP ,
Currency Transaction Reports (CTR) ,
Final Rules ,
Financial Crimes ,
Financial Institutions ,
FinCEN ,
Money Laundering ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs)
FinCEN has more than 400 data-access MOUs with federal, state, and local law enforcement regulatory agencies relating to BSA data. It consolidates the information that it receives and shares the consolidated reports with...more
FinCEN issues implementing regulations that “ensure” compliance with the BSA. FinCEN delegates its examination authority to federal agencies. These federal agencies are the “Federal Functional Regulators” who supervise...more
11/4/2020
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
BSA/AML ,
CFTC ,
Corporate Governance ,
FDIC ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Crimes ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Transactions ,
FinCEN ,
Information Sharing ,
IRS ,
Money Laundering ,
NCUA ,
OCC ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
Section 314 of the USA PATRIOT Act (Sec 314) was drafted by Congress in 2001 to allow financial institutions to work with law enforcement agencies and with each other to support the common goal of deterring money laundering...more
On October 1, 2020, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued an advisory to alert Financial Institutions (FI) relating to “predominant trends, typologies, and potential indicators of ransomware and associated...more
11/3/2020
/ Corporate Governance ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Cyber Crimes ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Financial Institutions ,
FinCEN ,
Hackers ,
Money Services Business ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Popular ,
Ransomware ,
Virtual Currency
FinCEN’s (a bureau of the U.S. Department of the Treasury) primary purpose is protecting the financial system from illicit use, combating money laundering, and promoting national security through the collection, analysis,...more
FinCEN es una oficina del Departamento del Tesoro de los EE. UU. Su propósito principal es proteger el sistema financiero del uso ilícito, combatir el lavado de dinero y promover la seguridad nacional a través de la...more
9/4/2020
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Bank Secrecy Act ,
BSA/AML ,
Data Collection ,
Data Management ,
Financial Crimes ,
FinCEN ,
IRS ,
Memorandum of Understanding ,
Money Laundering ,
Tax Planning
On August 13, 2020, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the National Credit Union Administration and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency issued a JOINT...more
On August 3, 2020, FinCEN issued responses to three frequently asked questions (FAQs) regarding Customer Due Diligence (CDD) requirements for covered financial institutions. FinCEN’s responses were done in consultation with...more
El 3 de agosto del 2020, FinCEN emitió respuestas a tres preguntas frecuentes (“FAQ”) para las Instituciones Financieras cubiertas sobre los requisitos de Diligencia Debida del Cliente (“CDD”). ...more
The Covid-19 Pandemic and the accompanying reduction in economic activity has been a rationale for Financial Institutions (FI) to re-analyze their budgets for compliance training and education. FIs, as well as businesses in...more
6/18/2020
/ BSA/AML ,
CARES Act ,
Compliance Management Systems ,
Employee Training ,
FATCA ,
Financial Institutions ,
FinCEN ,
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Regulatory Requirements
On March 16, 2020, FinCEN advised Financial Institutions to be on the alert about fraudulent transactions and potential illicit behavior connected to Covid-19. FinCEN encouraged Financial Institutions to contact their...more
On April 13, 2020, FinCEN, as the administrator of the BSA, re-published FAQs on how borrowers and lenders may rely on the guidance provided for the SBA’s interpretation of the CARES Act and of the PPP (Paycheck Protection...more
5/1/2020
/ Bank Secrecy Act ,
BSA/AML ,
CARES Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Federal Loans ,
FinCEN ,
Good Faith ,
Lenders ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
Relief Measures ,
Risk Management
U.S. Taxpayers (includes a citizen, permanent resident, corporation, partnership, limited liability company, trust and estate) are required to file a Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR) if they have...more
2/7/2020
/ FBAR ,
FinCEN ,
Foreign Bank Accounts ,
Income Taxes ,
IRS ,
Offshore Banks ,
Offshore Funds ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Tax Court ,
Tax Evasion ,
Tax Liability ,
Tax Penalties ,
Tax Planning ,
Tax Returns
FinCEN defines a Money Service Business (MSB) as any person DOING BUSINESS, whether or not on a regular basis or as an organized business concern, in one or more of the following capacities...more
7/22/2019
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Bank Secrecy Act ,
Bitcoin ,
Civil Monetary Penalty ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Financial Transactions ,
FinCEN ,
Money Laundering ,
Money Services Business ,
Money Transmitter ,
Peer-to-Peer ,
Risk Management ,
Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) ,
Tax Planning ,
Virtual Currency
On May 30, 2018, the AICPA (American Institute of Certified Public Accountants) wrote a letter to the IRS to obtain further definition and clarity regarding Virtual Currency (VC) FATCA and FBAR reporting requirements....more
6/10/2019
/ AICPA ,
Anti-Money Laundering ,
FATCA ,
FBAR ,
FinCEN ,
Foreign Financial Institutions (FFI) ,
Future Tax Treatment ,
IRS ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Required Forms ,
Tax Planning ,
Virtual Currency
The Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) was created by five federal financial agencies and the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN)....more
6/3/2019
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Bank Secrecy Act ,
BSA/AML ,
Financial Abuse ,
Financial Crimes ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Transactions ,
FinCEN ,
Money Laundering ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs)
On November 15, 2018, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) announced the issuance of a “Revised” Geographic Targeting Order (GTO) that requires U.S. title insurance companies (Covered Business) to identify the...more
3/25/2019
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Beneficial Owner ,
Currency Transaction Reports (CTR) ,
FinCEN ,
Geographic Targeting Order ,
Real Estate Investments ,
Real Estate Transactions ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Residential Real Estate Market ,
Shell Corporations ,
Tax Planning ,
Title Insurance ,
Virtual Currency
The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) provided the banking industry certain “permanent” relief from collecting beneficial ownership information regarding certain accounts (Covered Products) that automatically...more
El 8 de agosto de 2018, el Director de FinCEN, Kenneth A. Blanco, pronunció un discurso en la Conferencia Técnica (Legal) Chicago-Kent Block 2018. Los puntos más destacados de sus comentarios incluyen...more
12/6/2018
/ AML/CFT ,
Bitcoin ,
BSA/AML ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Currency ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Financial Transactions ,
FinCEN ,
Initial Coin Offering (ICOs) ,
Money Laundering ,
Money Transmitter ,
Token Sales ,
Virtual Currency
Hemos leído que la Moneda Virtual (MV) es un "activo especulativo" que, en determinadas circunstancias, puede utilizarse para pagar bienes o servicios o ser retenido para inversiones; y que su intercambio o uso de intercambio...more
11/5/2018
/ Bitcoin ,
CFTC ,
Commodities ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Digital Currency ,
FinCEN ,
Investment Opportunities ,
IRS ,
Money Services Business ,
Peer-to-Peer ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Tax Liability ,
Tax Planning ,
Virtual Currency
We have read that Virtual Currency (VC) is a “speculative asset” that under certain circumstances may be used to pay for goods or services or be held for investment; and that its sale, exchange or use has tax consequences...more
11/5/2018
/ Bitcoin ,
CFTC ,
Commodities ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Digital Currency ,
FinCEN ,
Investment Opportunities ,
Money Services Business ,
Peer-to-Peer ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Securities ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Tax Liability ,
Tax Planning ,
Virtual Currency
On August 8, 2018, FinCEN Director Kenneth A. Blanco, delivered a speech at the 2018 Chicago-Kent Block (Legal) Tech Conference. Highlights from the commentary include...more
9/10/2018
/ AML/CFT ,
Bitcoin ,
BSA/AML ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Currency ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Financial Transactions ,
FinCEN ,
Initial Coin Offering (ICOs) ,
Money Laundering ,
Money Transmitter ,
Token Sales ,
Virtual Currency
A GTO is a Geographic Targeting Order issued by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) under the Bank secrecy Act (BSA) for a specific geographic area. ...more
8/22/2018
/ Bank Secrecy Act ,
Banking Sector ,
Beneficial Owner ,
Covered Business Method Proceedings ,
Covered Transactions ,
Financial Transactions ,
FinCEN ,
GTO ,
Legal Entities ,
Money Laundering ,
Money Transfer ,
Real Estate Investments ,
Real Estate Market ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Tax Planning ,
Threshold Requirements ,
Title Insurance ,
Wire Transfers