News

Banks Should Report Suspicions to Foreign Counterparts Too, Say Consultants

By Colby Adams

In the course of screening incoming wires against sanctions lists, a compliance officer notices a series of foreign-originating transfers sent in increments of $9,900 to a customer's U.S. checking account. Because each wire is more than $5,000, the compliance officer is required under U.S. regulations to file a suspicious activity report on the transfers. But should the compliance officer also report the wires to the financial institution in the originating country, where the transfers may violate anti-structuring laws? Yes, according to Bob Pasley, a former assistant director of enforcement and compliance at the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of the Comptroller...

TO READ THE FULL STORY