Description

Learn how to write strong SAR narratives that meet examiner scrutiny and provide necessary detail for law enforcement.

Course Overview

According to the FFIEC Exam Manual: “Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR) forms the cornerstone of the BSA reporting system.”

“It is critical to U.S’s ability to utilize financial information to combat terrorism, terrorist financing, money laundering & other financial crimes.” A thorough and complete narrative makes the difference in determining whether the described conduct and its possible criminal nature are clearly understood by law enforcement.

One of the most misunderstood areas of the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) is when and why you should file a SAR. Having the proper narrative will answer both of those concerns. By fitting the pieces together you can have a complete SAR narrative.

This 90-minute webinar will be a comprehensive course on how to prepare strong SAR narratives. It will break the report down by the introduction, the body, and the conclusion with examples. There are several key steps and reminders for doing it right every time and this session will cover all of it.

Why should you attend?

The narrative portion of a SAR is critical to understanding the nature and circumstances of the suspicious activity. The care with which a narrative is completed can determine if the described activity and its possible criminal nature are clearly understood by investigators. Hence, the staff responsible for reporting suspicious activity must provide a clear, complete, and concise description, including what was unusual or irregular that caused suspicion.

This session will explain what information should be included in the narrative, the level of information needed, and how the information should be structured and presented.

Areas Covered

• Thresholds for filing SARs
• The 4 C’s: Clear, Concise, Chronological and Complete
• The 5 W’s: Who, What, When, Where and Why
• How did the activity occur?
• How do you fit the pieces together and tell the complete story?
• Step-by-step process for writing the narrative
• Common rookie mistakes to avoid
• Tips from a law enforcement perspective
• Real-life case studies and examples

Who will benefit

• Financial Officers
• Bank Secrecy Act Officers
• Front Line Staff
• Risk Officers
• Compliance Officers
• Branch Operations Managers
• Deposit Operations

About the Instructor

Doug Keipper, MBA, CAMS, CACTS

• Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS) since 2005
• Former Vice President and Bank Secrecy Act Officer for a billion-dollar bank
• Former Special Teams Senior BSA/AML Investigator at a $220 billion bank.
• Sold BSA software for eight years
• Teaching anti-money laundering classes since 2008
• Has talked with over 500 BSA officers throughout the USA and Caribbean
• Spent over 20 years in retail banking, wholesale mortgages, and financial services

View other webinars from Doug Keipper:

Beneficial Ownership, Customer Due Diligence and The New Rules

How to Write SAR Narratives for Elder Financial Exploitation