Bryan Cave is hosting the quarterly CPE and general membership meeting for the Atlanta Chapter of the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists on Thursday, March 15, 2012, from 2:00pm to 4:00pm. The event’s presentation is “Best Practices for BSA/AML Software Testing,” featuring Allan Cuttle, Director of Risk Management for ICS Risk Advisors.
All AML/CTF professionals in the region are welcome to attend.
March 15, 2012
2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Fourteenth Floor
1201 W. Peachtree Street, NW
Atlanta, GA 30309
Parking is available at 14th Street and West Peachtree St.
$4 cash and cards accepted
Free for Chapter Members; $20 for Non-Chapter Members
RSVP Here
This event will include tips on pre and post software implementation issues, pitfalls, best practices, regulatory environment and expectations, along with testimonials on the value of this process to effective risk management.
Ten years ago, Bank Secrecy Act (BSA)/anti-money laundering (AML) compliance was one of the biggest areas of concern for banks and their regulators. Following September 11 and the heightened regulatory focus on BSA matters, most banks found it necessary to expend significant resources to enhance or even rebuild their BSA/AML programs.
In the past few years, bank regulators have had to focus on other matters, including residential and commercial loan concentrations, adequate capitalization, and even bank failures. Banks also wisely have focused on these matters during these difficult economic times.
It is important, however, that these other matters do not push BSA/AML compliance aside. This article summarizes some of the top BSA-related issues that the Board of Directors of every bank should keep in mind.
Best Practices for the Board
It is easy in difficult financial times for the Board and management to push aside compliance matters, including BSA/AML compliance. Compliance matters can seem less important when one is worried about the bank’s very survival.
Nevertheless, compliance continues to be important. It is critical that the Board stay informed, devote adequate resources to compliance, and set the proper tone for compliance within the organization.
The following are four best practices for Boards of Directors.
1. Require Periodic and Thorough BSA Reports
One of the most important things for the Board to understand about the BSA and AML requirements is that the Board is expected to stay abreast of the institution’s progress and what is working and not working. That means that the Board needs to receive at least annual BSA/AML training, and also needs to receive regular reports on BSA/AML compliance matters from its BSA officer, including on suspicious activity report (SAR) filings and trends.
Bryan Cave is hosting the quarterly CPE and general membership meeting for the Atlanta Chapter of the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists on Thursday, November 3, 2011, from 10:00am to 12:00pm. We are also very pleased to announce that our own Judie Rinearson will be the guest speaker.
All AML/CTF professionals in the region are welcome to attend.
November 3, 2011
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Fourteenth Floor
1201 W. Peachtree Street, NW
Atlanta, GA 30309
Free for Chapter Members; $5 for Non-Chapter Members
RSVP Here
Judith Rinearson leads the payments practice team for Bryan Cave LLP, where she is a partner in the firm’s New York City office. She also is chair of the Network Branded Prepaid Card Association’s Government Relations Working Group, the association’s representative to FinCEN’s Bank Secrecy Act Advisory Group and a Paybefore contributing editor.
Bryan Cave is hosting the kick-off event for the Atlanta Chapter of the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists on Monday, August 22nd, from 2:00pm to 4:00pm. All AML/CTF professionals in the region are welcome to attend, and the event is open and complimentary to all.
August 22, 2011 ׀ 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Fourteenth Floor
1201 W. Peachtree Street, NW
Atlanta, GA 30309