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FinCEN Issues FAQs Regarding Customer Due Diligence Requirements
On July 19, FinCEN issued FAQs to clarify the scope of the May 2016 Customer Due Diligence (CDD) final rule. As previously covered by InfoBytes, and as outlined in Question 2 of the recently-released FAQs, the final rule imposes standardized CDD requirements for federally regulated banks and federally insured credit unions, mutual funds, brokers or dealers in securities, futures commission merchants, and introducing brokers in commodities (collectively, covered financial institutions). While the FAQs provide a detailed description of the CDD requirements, they state that, “[i]n short, covered financial institutions are now required to obtain, verify, and record the identities of the beneficial owners of legal entity customers.” Notably, Question 5 of the FAQs clarifies that the CDD rule amends the AML program requirements to explicitly require covered financial institutions to implement and maintain risk-based procedures for conducting ongoing customer due diligence, including, but not limited to, (i) understanding the nature and purpose of the customer relationship; and (ii) conducting ongoing monitoring to identify and report suspicious transactions, as well as maintain and update customer information on a risk basis. The FAQs also note that covered financial institutions must include CDD procedures in their AML compliance program. In addition to discussing definitions for certain terms within the CDD rule, such as “account” and “beneficial owner,” the FAQs outline, among other things, the type of beneficial ownership information that covered financial institutions must collect for legal entity customers. Finally, as reiterated in the FAQs, the CDD rule has an effective date of July 11, 2016 and an applicability date of May 11, 2018.
FinCEN Director Calvery Opines on Agency Efforts to Increase Financial Transparency
On May 24, FinCEN Director Calvery delivered remarks before the House Committee on Financial Services at a hearing entitled “Stopping Terror Finance: A Coordinated Government Effort.” Calvery noted FinCEN’s commitment to fostering an environment of financial transparency, and provided insight on the recent issuance of a final rule, issued on May 6, which clarified customer due diligence (CDD) requirements for financial institutions: “[w]e are confident that the CDD final rule will increase financial transparency and augment the ability of financial institutions and law enforcement to identify the assets and accounts of criminals and national security threats. We anticipate that the CDD rule will also facilitate compliance with sanctions programs and other measures that cut off financial flows to these actors.” Calvery further emphasized the significance of recently proposed beneficial ownership legislation, noting that it and the CDD rule “dovetail together.” Calvery opined that the level of transparency that the proposed legislation and the CDD rule offer would assist law enforcement in identifying who the “real people are that are involved in a transaction,” furthering its efforts to combat money laundering and terrorism, enforce sanctions, and prevent other unlawful abuses of the U.S. financial system. Finally, she noted that the beneficial ownership legislation, if enacted, would provide FinCEN with the ability to collect information on all funds transfers (instead of only monetary instruments, as currently authorized) through the use of geographic targeting orders.
FinCEN Deputy Director: Industry Collaboration Key to Finalizing Customer Due Diligence Rule
On May 16, FinCEN Deputy Director Jamal El-Hindi delivered remarks at the Institute of International Bankers (IIB) Annual Anti-Money Laundering Seminar in New York. The focal point of El-Hindi’s remarks were recent Treasury initiatives, including, (i) the final Customer Due Diligence (CDD) rule; (ii) draft beneficial ownership legislation; and (iii) FinCEN’s use of Geographical Targeting Orders, as addressed in the beneficial ownership draft legislation. The remarks provide an overarching summary of Treasury’s recent regulatory efforts and address the process by which Treasury developed the final CDD rule and the draft beneficial ownership legislation, specifically commenting on and emphasizing FinCEN’s collaborative rulemaking efforts with industry: “I encourage you to keep our conversation going—particularly with respect to support for the beneficial ownership legislation. . . .Please know that FinCEN depends on you, the institutions you represent, and the key feedback and financial intelligence they provide.”
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