A U.S. Treasury Department official told banking representatives at a recent roundtable meeting not to expect safe harbor protections for providing accounts to money services businesses, according to multiple sources.
San Francisco-based AirBnB isn't exactly what springs to mind when thinking of money services businesses, but the 6-year-old company deemed itself just that last year by registering with the U.S. Treasury Department.
If you aren't certain that the Bank Secrecy Act job market is unusually active these days, ask anyone who has recently taken an executive position in a compliance department facing regulatory scrutiny. The message they're hearing: move quickly or move out of the way.
Looking for entrée into a financial market that has been reluctant to bank them, multiple Argentine money services businesses have applied for American accounts under false pretenses, say industry advisors.
Money services businesses in Quebec are struggling to deal with the impact of unprecedented provincial registration and anti-money laundering requirements that took effect this year, say analysts.
A U.S. Treasury Department rule finalized in 2011 has prompted foreign money services businesses to incorporate affiliates in the United States in an effort to retain access to American banks.
Thousands of small money services businesses have lost some federal anti-money laundering oversight and guidance due to budget cuts involving two U.S. Treasury agencies, according to current and former government officials.
A U.S. Treasury Department budget proposal to shift Bank Secrecy Act oversight duties from the IRS to state examiners could run into funding troubles from state agencies, say officials.
Whether the economy improves or stays flat in 2012, the coming year will pose a number of new challenges for the compliance professionals charged with implementing sanctions and anti-money laundering controls, say industry leaders.
American sanctions, terrorist financing prosecutions and rising related compliance costs have made it increasingly difficult for Somalia's U.S.-based community to move money to the African nation.
When Robert Frimet arrived last summer at a small check cashing business in California to audit its compliance with financial crime and sanctions rules, one problem immediately stood out: the business had never heard of the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control.
A new U.S. Treasury Department plan to shift all regulatory reporting to electronic media will push some small money remitters along the U.S.-Mexico border to join the computer age, perhaps reluctantly.
The U.S. Justice Department is investigating possible anti-money laundering compliance infractions related to how MoneyGram oversees agents working near Mexico's border, say current and former government sources.