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Financial Services Law Insights and Observations

Broker-dealer settles with SEC for failing to file SARs

Securities Enforcement SARs Financial Crimes Anti-Money Laundering Securities Exchange Act

Securities

On May 12, the SEC announced a settlement with a broker-dealer for allegedly violating the Securities and Exchange Act by failing to consistently implement its anti-money laundering (AML) program and file Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) despite knowing individuals were attempting to gain unauthorized access to retirement accounts. According to the SEC’s order, from September 2015 through October 2018, the broker-dealer allegedly knew that individuals were attempting to gain access, or had gained access, to plan participants’ retirement accounts through the use of improperly obtained personal identifying information. The SEC alleged that, despite this knowledge, the broker-dealer failed to file approximately 130 SARs in cases where it had detected the suspicious activity and, in the roughly 297 SARs that it did file, failed to include certain required information linked to the bad actors, such as URL addresses, IP addresses, and other electronic identifying information. The order requires the broker-dealer, who has neither admitted nor denied the SEC’s allegations, to cease and desist from future violations and pay a $1.5 million penalty. The SEC acknowledged the broker-dealer’s significant cooperation in the investigation and subsequent remedial efforts.