This seminar assists financial institutions in meeting the annual training requirements imposed by the BSA regulations and provides attendees with the opportunity to network with other professionals interested in BSA compliance.

Seminar Information & Session Topics*

This two-day program is designed to encompass the broad range of topics included in the realm of the Bank Secrecy Act and Anti-Money Laundering.​

• BSA Updates
  In this session we will recap recent FinCEN advisories, guidance, and hot topics. We will also cover recent enforcement actions to analyze what went wrong and where we can expect examiners to focus in the upcoming exam cycle. This will be a great opportunity to catch up on what you should be considering in your Program and how AML/CFT continues to evolve.
• Corporate Transparency Act Update
  Three weeks prior to the mandatory compliance date for reporting entities to submit their beneficial ownership information to FinCEN, the US District Court of Eastern Texas issued declared the law unconstitutional and issued an injunction blocking the enforcement of the law. Meanwhile financial institutions have been waiting for revised customer due diligence rules. We’ll discuss the implications of this ruling and the status of FinCEN’s appeal while determining what this means for our AML Program.
• Quantifying AML/CFT Priorities Risk
  FinCEN’s proposed rulemaking for incorporating AML/CFT Priorities into the AML Risk Assessment leaves many bankers questioning how to comply with the requirements. Obtaining quantitative data for the number of customers or volume of transactions is relatively straightforward, but quantifying a type of financial crime is not so easy. In this session we will consider FinCEN advisories and guidance that relates to the AML/CFT Priorities and how we can leverage data that we already collect to better quantify risk to satisfy the new FinCEN requirements.
• AML Risk Assessment methodology
  Once we quantify the AML/CFT Priorities, we’re still faced with the task of integrating new risk factors into our existing risk assessment methodology. We will consider various methods for how this might look, and how the math works for incorporating new risk factors including the AML/CFT Priorities, distribution channels, and intermediaries. In addition, we will consider internal controls that mitigate the risks associated with the priorities.
• Suspicious Activity Referrals
  One of the challenges many AML Professionals face is the difficulty in obtaining suspicious activity referrals from business lines. Monitoring reports and software are great method for identifying suspicious activity, but no one knows your customers better than the front-line staff who works with them on a regular basis. Since the AML Officer can’t be everywhere, quality referrals are a critical component to a strong AML Program and organizational compliance culture. In this session we will discuss strategies for encouraging referrals and how to communicate with staff in a constructive way to solicit and encourage referrals.
• Third Party Risk Management for AML Risk Management
  The regulators issued joint interagency guidance for Third Party Risk Management. While it may seem that this primarily focuses on vendor management, recent consent orders and enforcement actions have shown that AML Exams are focusing on third parties that partner with the bank to provide products and services. The AML Officer should be involved in the third party risk management process to ensure that we consider the AML risks associated with the products, services, and customers involved in Banking as a Service products regardless of whether we provide a settlement account to the BaaS or their customers are also bank customers and there will be examiner scrutiny on how the AML risks are managed.
• Elder Financial Abuse
  Elder Financial Abuse continues to be on the rise. It can be challenging to protect our most vulnerable customers from fraud or exploitation. Concerns about the customer’s privacy and the limits of what we can and can’t say to family members or law enforcement can be challenging. FinCEN has published a number of advisories on this topic to help us with identifying red flags, and the steps we can take to satisfy our AML requirements and also help our customers.
• Breaking down the TD Bank Penalty
  $3 billion is a large enough number to get anybody’s attention. There were significant breakdowns in the compliance culture of this organization that resulted in millions of dollars in drug money being laundered through the institution. What are the lessons we can learn from these failures? How do we keep this from happening at our own institutions? We will review the civil and criminal complaints involved in the TD Bank case and evaluate the internal control issues and culture issues that plagued the organization.
• OFAC Sanctions Program: The Hidden Risks
  Most financial institutions have written OFAC Programs and feel confident that they are adequately protected from non-compliance penalties. However, we’ve seen several private companies, and some financial institutions receive OFAC penalties in the last year. Many of these entities had processes for scanning transactions. So what went wrong? We’ll evaluate these penalties and what key risks were overlooked in their Program and how gaps in monitoring led to OFAC violations
  • Breakout Sessions: Suspicious Activity Monitoring
    One of the benefits of an in-person conference is the opportunity to network. In this interactive session, we will divide into groups based on the monitoring software we use (or manual reports for those institutions who do not have manual software) so that we can discuss software and model risk management processes and learn about the various challenges each software presents. As someone who has validated the majority of the software available, the facilitator will visit each group to provide feedback and help spur the conversation.
  • To the Moon with BitCoin
    The price of virtual currency skyrocketed following the presidential election results and providers and traders anticipate relaxation of regulations of the virtual currency industry proposed by FinCEN and the Securities and Exchange Commission. However, this also makes virtual currency more attractive for money laundering and terrorist financing. This session will provide an update on the status of regulations and the potential impact this could have on our responsibilities and how it could influence customer behavior.
  • AI: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
    AI is here to stay. The question is how will it be used as improvements to its capabilities continue. It can assist an AML Professional in increasing efficiency as a strong tool can assist in monitoring and research, but AI could also be a source of suspicious activity if nefarious actors attempt to use it to circumvent security processes. In this session we will consider the uses of AI, policies and procedures to consider whether or not we choose to use AI, and the latest in technological advances.
  • The Integration between BSA and Fraud For some institutions, BSA and Fraud may work hand in hand, and even be managed by the same person, but in more complex institution these could be separate departments. Even in small banks, it’s possible that fraud could occur separate from the BSA function. Like any financial crime, identifying fraud, whether the institution or its customer is the target, requires a SAR filing if thresholds are met. Based on fraud trends FinCEN identifies in its recent advisories, we’ll consider some of the common red flags that could be indicative of reportable fraud, and the best way to make sure the AML Officer isn’t the last person to know that fraud occurred.

*Note: Topics are subject to change based on new guidance or regulation that is published.

Speaker Information

Brian J. Crow, CAMS Managing Partner/Co-President, TCA

Brian Crow is a nationally recognized Deposit Compliance and BSA/AML expert with a strong bank compliance management background and a welcome ability to provide focused educational support to TCA client banks. Mr. Crow most recently was BSA Administrator for a suburban Chicago bank, where his responsibilities included the bank’s annual assessment and audit documentation. Earlier, as Operations Officer at the same bank, Mr. Crow monitored AML activity and helped install automated AML software that allowed the bank to transition from paper to electronic CTRs. His activities were responsible for reducing debit card fraud by 95 percent at the bank. 

Mr. Crow has been, and continues to be, an education consultant for the Glia Group BOL Learning Connect program, conducting webinars that have covered VISA/MasterCard chargebacks, debit card compliance and fraud prevention for hundreds of banks. In this role, Mr. Crow was recognized as a Bankers Online Guru in 2011. Like many of us, Mr. Crow began his banking career as a teller, working his way up to head teller and then branch management responsibilities. He earned a B.A. degree from Concordia University, River Forest, Illinois. 

Registration Information

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Hotel Information

The VBA has negotiated a rate of $131/night, plus applicable taxes and fees for a limited number of rooms. The rate includes a daily complimentary hot breakfast and evening reception.

To take advantage of the negotiated rate, reservations must be made by February 7, 2025. Click here to make your reservation.

Drury Plaza Hotel Richmond
11049 West Broad Street
Glen Allen, VA 23060

Sponsorship Opportunities

Contact Amy Binns for more information.