Considerations for FinCEN 314(a) Policies and Procedures

Considerations for FinCEN 314(a) Policies and Procedures

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) is a program under Rule 31 CFR Part 1010.520 that requires certain financial institutions to search their records and identify if they have responsive information with respect to the particular investigative subject. This provides a service to law enforcement by providing an additional layer to help locate financial assets and recent transactions of individuals, entities, and organizations engaged in or reasonably suspected, based on credible evidence, of engaging in terrorist acts or money laundering activities. Who is required to perform FinCEN reviews? Currently, only broker-dealers are subject to FinCEN program 314(a) requirements. Registered investment Read more about Considerations for FinCEN 314(a) Policies and Procedures[…]

Filing A Suspicious Activity Report ("SAR")

Filing A Suspicious Activity Report (“SAR”)

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network requires certain financial institutions to file a Suspicious Activities Reports (β€œSAR”) to report suspicious transactions, as detailed in their FinCEN SAR Electronic Filing Instructions. This blog will go over some of the important aspects of filing a Suspicious Activity Report.

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AML and Branch Audits

AML and Branch Audits in the Time of COVID-19

At the beginning of the year, FINRA released important updates related to supervision requirements for broker-dealers. As broker-dealers and their employees started experiencing various work-from-home, virtual meeting, and operations challenges, FINRA provided valuable guidance for the transition in a FAQ related to the coronavirus pandemic. Below are a few items where FINRA has provided areas of relief related to AML and Branch audits. AML Independent Testing FINRA Rule 3310, Anti-Money Laundering (“AML”) Compliance Program, requires firms to perform independent testing of their AML program every calendar year. If a member firm neither executes transactions for customers, holds customer accounts, nor Read more about AML and Branch Audits in the Time of COVID-19[…]

FinCEN 314(a)

FinCEN 314(a) Program FAQs

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) is a service driven by law enforcement agencies to coordinate with covered financial institutions to help locate financial assets and transactions by subjects of criminal investigations, such as tax fraud or money laundering investigations. FinCEN is also a bureau of the U.S. Treasury Department. But did you know that FinCEN has multiple programs and broker-dealers are required to participate in the 314(a) program? Read More…