Law.com Subscribers SAVE 30%

Call 855-808-4530 or email [email protected] to receive your discount on a new subscription.

Loud and Clear: FinCEN Demands a Culture of Compliance

By Daniel R. Alonso
October 02, 2014

The onslaught of civil and criminal enforcement actions against financial institutions for violating anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing (AML/CTF) laws has continued its brisk pace in the past few months, with enforcement of the AML provisions of the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) and the sanctions regulations administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) showing no signs of slowing down. From the recent convictions of a major French bank for conspiring to violate OFAC sanctions, to the deferred prosecution agreement with one of the largest U.S.-based banks for substantive BSA violations in connection with the Bernie Madoff fraud, money laundering and sanctions violations are clearly at the front of the government's collective mind.

In that vein, the Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), which implements the BSA, recently and pointedly reminded U.S. financial institutions that fulfilling their AML compliance obligations is not just about policies, procedures, and compliance personnel, but implicates the very culture of an organization. In a regulatory advisory issued on Aug. 11, 2014, FinCEN sets forth “general lessons” gleaned from its enforcement of the BSA, and flatly states that “a financial institution with a poor culture of compliance is likely to have shortcomings in its BSA/AML models.” FinCEN Advisory FIN-2014-A007 (Aug. 11, 2014) (the “Advisory”).

This premium content is locked for Entertainment Law & Finance subscribers only

  • Stay current on the latest information, rulings, regulations, and trends
  • Includes practical, must-have information on copyrights, royalties, AI, and more
  • Tap into expert guidance from top entertainment lawyers and experts

For enterprise-wide or corporate acess, please contact Customer Service at [email protected] or 877-256-2473

Read These Next
Bankruptcy Sales: Finding a Diamond In the Rough Image

There is no efficient market for the sale of bankruptcy assets. Inefficient markets yield a transactional drag, potentially dampening the ability of debtors and trustees to maximize value for creditors. This article identifies ways in which investors may more easily discover bankruptcy asset sales.

Judge Rules Shaquille O'Neal Will Face Securities Lawsuit for Promotion, Sale of NFTs Image

A federal district court in Miami, FL, has ruled that former National Basketball Association star Shaquille O'Neal will have to face a lawsuit over his promotion of unregistered securities in the form of cryptocurrency tokens and that he was a "seller" of these unregistered securities.

Blockchain Domains: New Developments for Brand Owners Image

Blockchain domain names offer decentralized alternatives to traditional DNS-based domain names, promising enhanced security, privacy and censorship resistance. However, these benefits come with significant challenges, particularly for brand owners seeking to protect their trademarks in these new digital spaces.

Why So Many Great Lawyers Stink at Business Development and What Law Firms Are Doing About It Image

Why is it that those who are best skilled at advocating for others are ill-equipped at advocating for their own skills and what to do about it?

Coverage Issues Stemming from Dry Cleaner Contamination Suits Image

In recent years, there has been a growing number of dry cleaners claiming to be "organic," "green," or "eco-friendly." While that may be true with respect to some, many dry cleaners continue to use a cleaning method involving the use of a solvent called perchloroethylene, commonly known as perc. And, there seems to be an increasing number of lawsuits stemming from environmental problems associated with historic dry cleaning operations utilizing this chemical.