Archive

Yesterday, The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) issued a cease and desist order against TD Bank, N.A. and TD Bank USA, N.A., and imposed a substantial $450 million civil money penalty due to significant deficiencies in the bank’s compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) and anti-money laundering (AML) regulations. In addition to the monetary penalty, the OCC has restricted the bank’s growth and mandated that it allocate resources to rectify its […]

Last week FinCEN held it’s annual Law Enforcement Awards Program ,which recognizes cases that have been successfully prosecuted using reports provided financial institutions, and emphasized how BSA reporting really does make a difference. The stories are always interesting but I think they also serve as a reminder to our teams that the work they do is important and has a real impact. And for many, this might be a much-needed reminder. Often, there is no […]

On Tuesday November 21, 2023, FinCEN announced the largest settlement in U.S. Treasury Department History with virtual currency exchanger Binance Holdings Ltd. Binance, the largest virtual currency exchanger in the world, must pay approximately $4.3 billion in total to resolve violations of the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), failing to register as a money transmitter, and sanctions violations. The settlement with FinCEN is part of a coordinated effort with OFAC, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission […]

On December 1, 2021, the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) released one new section and updates to three sections of the Bank Secrecy Act/Anti-Money Laundering (BSA/AML) Examination Manual. Today’s updates affect the following sections: Introduction – Customers (new) Charities and Nonprofit Organizations Independent Automated Teller Machine Owners or Operators Politically Exposed Persons The updates should not be interpreted as new requirements or as a new or increased focus on certain areas. Rather, these sections provide […]