News & Analysis as of

Enforcement Actions Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs)

Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani

Recent SEC AML Enforcement Against Securities Firms Engaged in Cannabis Sector

The evolving regulatory landscape for marijuana-related businesses poses unique compliance challenges for firms in the securities industry. The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) continues to enforce its 2014...more

White & Case LLP

“Unsubstantiated” suspicious transaction reports

White & Case LLP on

While financial institutions, on the one hand, are in the process of implementing and preparing to apply the fundamental amendments and changes that will take place in upcoming years by the EU AML Package—entering into force...more

Mayer Brown

IRS-CI Announces a New Initiative to Enhance BSA Information-Sharing with Financial Institutions

Mayer Brown on

On March 28, 2025, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”)’s criminal investigative arm, IRS Criminal Investigation (“IRS-CI”), announced that it would be implementing a new program called CI-FIRST (Feedback in Response to...more

A&O Shearman

UK Financial Intelligence Unit SARS report published

A&O Shearman on

The UK Financial Intelligence Unit (UKFIU) has published its annual report on suspicious activity reports (SARs) for the period between April 2023 and March 2024. The annual report structure has been updated due to a number...more

Troutman Pepper Locke

Strengthening Compliance: Lessons From the OCC's Consent Order With Patriot Bank — Payments Pros – The Payments Law Podcast

Troutman Pepper Locke on

In this episode of Payments Pros, host Carlin McCrory discusses a recent consent order between Patriot Bank and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) following a $27 million loss. The order addresses unsafe...more

WilmerHale

SEC Shouldn't Complicate Broker-Dealers' AML Compliance

WilmerHale on

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent anti-money laundering enforcement actions reflect a number of trends and developments, but one positive and one negative trend stand out. Originally published in Law360...more

Buchalter

FinCEN Lowers Reporting Threshold for MSBs Near U.S.-Mexico Border to Combat Money Laundering

Buchalter on

On March 11, 2025, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued a Geographic Targeting Order (GTO) requiring all money services businesses (MSBs) operating within 30 specified ZIP codes near the U.S.-Mexico border...more

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

Europol Published Practical Guide for Cooperation Between Financial Institutions and Investigative Authorities

Public-private partnerships across the world between financial institutions, financial intelligence units and investigative authorities have laid the foundation to advance criminal investigations. However, there is further...more

K&L Gates LLP

Lessons From 2024 Anti-Money Laundering Enforcement Actions

K&L Gates LLP on

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

Ballard Spahr LLP

Brink’s Global Services Faces Major Fines: The DOJ and FinCEN Crackdown on AML Violations

Ballard Spahr LLP on

Brinks Global Services USA (“BGS USA”), a global leader in secure logistics, found itself at the center of a significant regulatory investigation due to its failure to meet anti-money laundering (“AML”) obligations....more

McDermott Will & Emery

The High Cost of Noncompliance: Making Sense of BitMEX’s $100 Million AML Penalty

McDermott Will & Emery on

On January 15, 2025, BitMEX, a Seychelles-registered crypto exchange, was fined $100 million in connection with a previously entered guilty plea to criminal violations of US anti-money laundering (AML) laws. The penalty...more

Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP

FDIC Enforcement Spotlights Deficiencies in Kansas Bank’s Anti-Money Laundering Program

On December 27, 2024, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) announced a notice of assessment of a civil money penalty against a Kansas-based bank. The action, originally brought in November, imposed a $20.4 million...more

DLA Piper

SEC Enforcement Actions Highlight Anti-Money Laundering Reporting Focus for Financial Gatekeepers

DLA Piper on

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced on November 22, 2024, that three broker-dealers have agreed to settle charges for filing suspicious activity reports (SARs) that failed to include important, required...more

Morgan Lewis

Securities Enforcement Roundup – November 2024

Morgan Lewis on

IIn this issue of our monthly Securities Enforcement Roundup, we highlight top securities enforcement developments and cases from November 2024. In November 2024: The US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit issued a decision...more

Ballard Spahr LLP

FinCEN Issues Consent Order Against Card Club for “Fundamentally Unsound” AML Program

Ballard Spahr LLP on

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) has entered into a Consent Order with the Sahara Dunes Casino, doing business as the Lake Elsinore Hotel and Casino (“Lake Elsinore”).  The Consent Order describes Lake...more

K2 Integrity

First Ever Targeted Guidance On Financial Institutions’ Compliance With Export Administration Regulations

K2 Integrity on

On 9 October 2024, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) published its first ever unilateral guidance specifically addressed to financial institutions (FIs). The Guidance to Financial...more

SEC Compliance Consultants, Inc. (SEC³)

Regulatory Roundup for September 2024

Advisers Drafted by FinCEN for AML Duty, More Fines for E-Comm Retention Failures and a September Miracle, SEC Falls Back on Broken Windows Strategy, and a Refusal to Give Up on Private Fund Rules - FinCEN added to advisers’...more

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP

Broker-dealer to pay $1.19M for suspicious activity reporting violations

On August 12, the SEC issued published a settled enforcement action order against a broker-dealer for failing to monitor, investigate, and file Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) between March 2020 and May 2023, violating...more

Ballard Spahr LLP

KuCoin and Founders Charged with Operating Illegally as Money Transmitter and Futures Commission Merchant

Ballard Spahr LLP on

Last week, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York unsealed an indictment against global cryptocurrency exchange KuCoin and two of its founders, Chun Gan and Ke Tang, for allegedly conspiring...more

Ballard Spahr LLP

Criminal Case Round-Up: Recent Prosecutions Involving Casinos

Ballard Spahr LLP on

The Department of Justice (“DOJ”) has been very active in the Bank Secrecy Act (“BSA”) / Anti-Money Laundering (“AML”) space, as reflected by a recent series of individual prosecutions and corporate non-prosecution agreements...more

Ballard Spahr LLP

Binance Settles Criminal and Civil AML and Sanctions Enforcement Actions for Multiple Billions – While its Founder, Owner and...

Ballard Spahr LLP on

As the world now knows, Binance Holdings Limited, doing business as Binance.com (“Binance” or the “Company”), has entered into a plea agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”)....more

Ballard Spahr LLP

SDNY Court Finds Broad Fed Powers Over Master Accounts in Puerto Rican Bank Case Involving AML Concerns

Ballard Spahr LLP on

The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (the “Court”) has issued a detailed and complicated Order in the case Banco San Juan Internacional, Inc. v. Fed. Reserve Bank of New York, denying a...more

Holland & Knight LLP

Twinkle-Twinkle Little SAR: SEC & FINRA Settle with Broker-Dealers and Registered Rep

Holland & Knight LLP on

In a series of settlements announced this year, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) penalized several broker-dealers for allegedly failing to file...more

Ballard Spahr LLP

FinCEN Issues $15 Million Dollar Civil Penalty Against Shinhan Bank America for Alleged Failure to Implement and Maintain...

Ballard Spahr LLP on

On September 29, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) entered into a consent order with Shinhan Bank America (“SHBA”), which imposed a $15 million dollar civil penalty against SHBA for allegedly willfully...more

WilmerHale

SEC Enforcement Actions Reflect Expansion of SEC’s AML Compliance Focus: Broker-Dealers, Investment Advisers, Registered...

WilmerHale on

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently announced anti-money laundering (AML)-related charges against an individual registered representative for failing to escalate red flags of potentially suspicious activity,...more

96 Results
 / 
View per page
Page: of 4

"My best business intelligence, in one easy email…"

Your first step to building a free, personalized, morning email brief covering pertinent authors and topics on JD Supra:
*By using the service, you signify your acceptance of JD Supra's Privacy Policy.
- hide
- hide