News
Banks That Buy Companies with Troubled Compliance Should Scrutinize Employees, Work with Regulators
By Brian Monroe
printIf March's record penalty against Wells Fargo & Co. has reminded compliance departments of the bite of anti-money laundering regulatory fines, it has also been a reminder of something else. With acquisitions and mergers come problems. Since January 2008, nearly a dozen large financial institutions have merged in response to the recession, at times linking depository institutions, such as Bank of America, with investment firms, like Merrill Lynch. Some mergers, including Wells Fargo's December 2008 acquisition of Wachovia Bank, have progressed at a relatively rapid pace. But because acquiring banks are typically "so focused on the financials, such as credit...
TO READ THE FULL STORY
Related News
An expected rise in mergers between financial institutions in the near future promises to test the ability of anti-money laundering compliance departments to ensure the integrity of their datasets, sources told ACAMS moneylaundering.com.
For an example of how corrupt management and poor internal controls can undo a financial institution, look to West Virginia's now-defunct First National Bank of Keystone.
Large banks need to clearly delineate which senior executives are responsible for Bank Secrecy Act compliance violations, the U.S. Comptroller of the Currency said in a speech Monday.
An influential Senate subcommittee will hear testimony on tax evasion through offshore banks, Switzerland agrees to follow automatic data exchange standards and more, in this week's news roundup.
Last year, I told you not to believe any of that "best of years, worst of years" stuff à la Charles Dickens with regard to 2012. But if 2013 was less eventful than the prior year, every indication is that 2014 will be "challenging" for financial institutions and regulators.
The U.S. Justice Department seizes digital funds tied to an Internet black market, Republicans line up behind effort to fight FATCA and more, in this week's news roundup.
Ahead of expected anti-money laundering regulations for investment advisers, some private equity firms may find themselves subject to such oversight for a reason few would have guessed: their fee structures.
Lawmakers should expand financial safe harbor protections to allow banks to better share their suspicions about money laundering and its predicate crimes, a top U.S. regulatory official said Sunday.
Amid all of the political rhetoric and bombast that accompanied television coverage of the 16-day government shutdown last month, one question never seemed to get any airtime: what did it all mean for the financial compliance industry?
JPMorgan Chase launches AML SWAT team as the bank's legal costs mount, Turkey blacklists over 350 entities in an effort to comply with United Nations sanctions, and more, in this week's news roundup.
The United States has done little to address gaps identified in 2006 by an international anti-money laundering watchdog, despite a follow-up national review expected within the next two years, say consultants.
U.S. lawmakers threaten to impose sanctions on Russia for harboring Edward Snowden, Switzerland transfers $962 million for backdated taxes, and more, in this week's news roundup.
As the compliance expectations of European regulators grow, banks should proactively move to adopt future changes outlined in proposals for the EU's Fourth Money Laundering Directive, according to the former global head of compliance at ABN Amro.
Canada's primary financial regulator is looking into whether Bank of Montreal violated anti-money laundering rules following the issuance of two enforcement actions Friday by federal U.S. agencies, a spokesperson confirmed.
The median salaries of compliance officers tasked with identifying money laundering and other financial crimes rose nearly six percent from 2011 to 2012, according to an industry survey released Thursday.
Federal bank examiners failed for at least four years to identify widespread signs of money laundering at Wachovia Bank, frustrating officials who helped levy a $160 million penalty against the institution last week.
Wells Fargo & Co., the parent company of Wachovia Bank, will pay $160 million to settle anti-money laundering compliance problems tied to accounts with Mexican currency exchange companies, the company said Wednesday.
A New York grand jury Wednesday indicted alleged Russian arms trafficker Viktor Bout for using shell companies and New York banks to buy planes in violation of U.S. sanctions.
The mergers of some of the nation's largest banks, brokerages and mortgage lenders will mean turmoil in compliance departments due to employee redundancy and culture clashes, say bank officials.
Banks seeking to acquire other financial institutions must carefully absorb, analyze and monitor the customer information and transaction history of its target not only to ensure it is paying a fair price but also to protect itself against possible regulatory trouble down the road.