Examkin

Question

Difficulty: MediumAnti-Money Laundering (AML), KYC, and Sanctions Compliance

A customer attempts to wire $6,000 out of a newly opened brokerage account to an offshore entity located in a high-risk jurisdiction. When requested by the registered representative to provide basic details regarding the recipient and purpose of the transfer, the customer refuses to disclose any information and immediately demands to cancel the transaction and withdraw all remaining funds. Under Bank Secrecy Act and FINRA anti-money laundering (AML) guidelines, which regulatory filing and timeline are required for the broker-dealer?

  1. A Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) must be filed with FinCEN within 30 calendar days of initial detection.Answer
  2. B
    A Currency Transaction Report (CTR) must be filed with FinCEN within 15 calendar days of the attempted transaction.
  3. C
    A Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) must be filed with FinCEN within 15 calendar days of initial detection.
  4. D
    A Currency Transaction Report (CTR) must be filed with FinCEN within 30 calendar days of the customer's account closure request.

Answer

A Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) must be filed with FinCEN within 30 calendar days of initial detection.
Under Bank Secrecy Act regulations and FINRA AML guidelines, broker-dealers must file a Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) for any transaction involving $5,000 or more if the firm knows, suspects, or has reason to suspect that the transaction lacks a clear business purpose, involves evasive customer behavior, or violates federal laws. The SAR must be filed with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) within 30 calendar days of initial detection.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the nature of the transaction and customer behavior.
The customer attempted a $6,000 wire transfer to a high-risk jurisdiction and refused to disclose basic business purpose details upon inquiry.
Customer evasiveness and lack of legitimate business rationale for transactions of $5,000 or more trigger suspicious activity reporting requirements under FinCEN and FINRA rules.
2
Determine the appropriate regulatory report (SAR vs. CTR).
A Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) is required because the transaction involves suspicious behavior and meets or exceeds the $5,000 threshold for broker-dealers. A CTR is not applicable as no physical currency was deposited or withdrawn.
CTRs only apply to physical cash transactions exceeding $10,000 in a single business day.
3
Determine the mandatory filing timeline.
The firm must file the SAR with FinCEN within 30 calendar days of detecting the suspicious activity.
Federal law mandates a 30-day reporting window for SAR filings.

Key Concept

Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) Filing Thresholds and Timelines
Rate this question

Topics

Anti-Money Laundering (AML), KYC, and Sanctions Compliance