Strengthening Compliance: Lessons From the OCC's Consent Order With Patriot Bank — Payments Pros – The Payments Law Podcast
Recent Developments in Anti-Money Laundering - The Consumer Finance Podcast
Investment Management Update – Exit Strategies
On March 14, 2025, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued a Geographic Targeting Order (GTO) in the Federal Register that will impose new obligations on many money services...more
In 2024, FinCEN and the federal bank regulators announced more than three dozen enforcement actions against banks and individuals arising from alleged Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), anti-money laundering (AML), and countering the...more
A recent OCC report identified key issues facing the federal banking system, including increasing credit risk due to higher interest rates, increasing risk in commercial real estate lending, prolonged inflation, declining...more
Summary of What Has Happened and What Is Yet to Come - On 19 October 2023, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) announced a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM), pursuant to...more
Human trafficking is a global crisis that has an impact on lives around the globe. Over time, there have been many initiatives taken by governments and nonprofits to identify and help victims while promoting enhanced...more
Six steps can take institutions beyond merely good. What makes for a great anti-money laundering compliance program? This is not a pie-in-the-sky idea. As financial institutions strive to keep up with evolving regulations...more
Anti-Money Laundering and Know Your Customer departments at financial institutions are on the front lines of human trafficking. Not only does enhanced transaction monitoring help law enforcement identify trafficking...more
AMA Details Components of a Strong AML/BSA Program - Earlier this month, the American Gaming Association (“AGA”) released an updated Best Practices for Anti-Money Laundering (“AML”) Compliance (“Best Practices Guidance”)...more
On December 3, 2019, in a rare public statement regarding the provision of banking services to cannabis- or hemp-related businesses, the Federal Banking Agencies, including the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve...more
On August 21, 2019, FinCEN issued an advisory (the “Advisory”) alerting financial institutions to various financial schemes and mechanisms employed by fentanyl and synthetic opioid traffickers to facilitate the illegal...more
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
The myriad—and conflicting—state, federal and international laws governing the burgeoning marijuana industry have created a complicated legal landscape for financial institutions. In the United States, most states have...more
According to the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) states that the main focus for Financial Institution ought to be on the reporting of suspicious activities....more
Fulfilling today’s requirements for anti-money laundering and counterterrorism financing/sanctions compliance is no easy task for financial institutions. ...more
Congress is considering a new draft bill, the Counter Terrorism and Illicit Finance Act (“CTIFA”), currently in committee in the Senate. The CTIFA proposes the most substantial overhaul to the Bank Secrecy Act (“BSA”) since...more
It is rare these days for Republicans and Democrats to agree on political priorities – another profound grasp of the obvious. Recently, on Capitol Hill there appears to be some common ground on the issue of reforming AML...more
The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) of the U.S. Department of the Treasury issued an advisory on September 20 warning U.S. financial institutions of “money laundering schemes used by corrupt Venezuelan...more
Today we are very pleased to welcome guest blogger Greg Baer, who will address a series of significant issues posed by a detailed paper published by The Clearing House, a banking association and payments company that is owned...more
The fourth quarter of 2016 has seen an uptick in regulatory activity respecting the financial services sector in the cybersecurity space, both at the state level as previously discussed (here) and on the federal level....more
The U.S. Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) imposed a civil money penalty of $12 million against a Nevada based casino, CG Technology, L.P. (CGT) for alleged violations of the Bank Secrecy Act...more
Bank Secrecy Act of 1970 - Requires U.S. financial institutions to assist U.S. government agencies to detect and prevent money laundering by keeping records of cash purchases of negotiable instruments, and file reports...more
On August 25, 2015, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) released proposed rules that would require investment advisers that are registered or required to be registered (RIAs)...more
FinCEN has many important responsibilities but one of its more interesting assignments is oversight of anti-money laundering compliance by casinos (and card clubs). Casinos are under increasing scrutiny these days for lax AML...more