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.
A hiring spate by some of the largest banks facing a variety of regulatory pressures has resulted in more than just a glut of compliance officers. It's been a training headache too.
A growing number of compliance professionals expect that someone at a bank, even a compliance officer, will be prosecuted for violating the Bank Secrecy Act in the not-too-distant future.
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.
The effect of a planned whistleblower program expected to have an impact on anti-money laundering compliance departments will likely be mitigated by low funding and other issues, say consultants.