The U.S. Treasury Department Friday revised compliance expectations and examination procedures for banking units that conduct limited operations from the United States on behalf of their foreign parent companies.
The U.S. Treasury Department can expedite civil monetary penalties against financial institutions that violate the Bank Secrecy Act and other rules tied to safety and soundness, under guidelines proposed Thursday.
Federal financial regulators have asked more than a dozen large and midsize banks to better ensure that validations of their anti-money laundering risk models are conducted independently, say officials.
A new U.S. Treasury Department strategy to improve bank oversight will entail more closely reviewing how consistently examiners evaluate risk modeling and transaction monitoring programs, say regulators.
The United States should more frequently blacklist foreign financial institutions that flout American sanctions barring Iranian oil sales, a lawmaker said Tuesday.
U.S. lawmakers called for testimony from federal investigators Thursday as part of an effort to push for more aggressive punishment of individuals and financial institutions that aid money launderers and sanctions dodgers.
High-profile sanctions cases are spurring large banks and third-party software vendors to improve how they identify when counterparts and clients secretly act on behalf of blacklisted entities, say compliance experts.
Criticism of the U.S. Justice Department's apparent decision to forego indictments of HSBC and its employees misses a larger point: the department probably couldn't have won convictions if it tried, say prosecutors.
Expected criminal and civil settlements over anti-money laundering lapses will likely cost HSBC Bank USA $1.5 billion or "significantly" more, the financial institution said in a regulatory filing Monday.
In the wake of a high-profile congressional hearing, more than a dozen large financial institutions have amended how they share information with affiliate institutions in bank secrecy havens, say compliance professionals.
The U.S. regulator of national banks has moved quickly to address congressional criticisms raised in July that it laxly enforces anti-money laundering rules, according to federal officials and compliance officers.
A newly implemented plan by HSBC Holdings Plc to export U.S. anti-money laundering standards to its global offices faces a difficult but common challenge for big banks: approximately half of its estimated 80 affiliates are located in bank secrecy jurisdictions.
Plans by the U.S. regulator of large banks to link anti-money laundering violations with federal insurance rates will likely translate into more resources and responsibilities for compliance staff, say Bank Secrecy Act officers.
The Netherlands is considering a number of measures to boost its confiscation of illicit proceeds, Bangladesh's central bank said that it has launched an investigation into two Islamic banks for alleged terrorist financing violations, and more, in this week's roundup.
Most news accounts of Tuesday's U.S. Senate inquiry into HSBC Holding Plc's compliance failings led with the bank's anti-money laundering compliance chief's announced resignation before lawmakers. But what he meant, it turns out, is that he is only taking another job inside the bank.
Poor anti-money laundering controls on affiliates and problematic oversight allowed a global bank to process tens of trillions of dollars with little to no compliance checks, according to a U.S. Senate subcommittee.
FinCEN will hold a public hearing on July 31 to discuss potential beneficial ownership-related due diligence rules, German tax authorities searched the homes of Credit Suisse clients over alleged tax evasion charges, and more, in the midweek roundup.
U.S. senators will question representatives from HSBC Holdings Plc and its financial regulator next Tuesday over the findings of an unreleased report outlining concerns about the bank's anti-money laundering compliance program.
The EU imposed sanctions on six individuals who are responsible for leading a recent coup d'état in Guinea-Bissau, Gaddafi's family members transferred approximately $1.97 million in stolen government funds to its embassy in Brussels last year, and more, in this week's roundup.
Even prior to the disclosure last month by HSBC Holdings Plc that it would "likely" be the subject of a formal enforcement action related to anti-money laundering (AML) and other violations, things did not look good for the bank, according to Saskia Rietbroek, a partner with nomoneylaundering.com.