May 2016

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network’s Annual Reports are listed below. New reports will be posted on this page as they are issued.

FEASIBILITY OF A
CROSS-BORDER ELECTRONIC FUNDS
TRANSFER REPORTING SYSTEM

[For quick download, right click here and select "Save Target As" to download complete study - 5.9 MB]

To access individual sections of the study, click on the title of the section below.

An Assessment Based Upon Suspicious Activity Report Filing Analysis

This index lists the topics covered in The SAR Activity Review, Volumes 1-23. Topics are listed alphabetically. Click on a topic for a link to the respective Review in which this topic is analyzed and discussed.

Advanced Fee Schemes-419

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network is engaged in a variety of initiatives to ensure that our mission as administrator of the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) is carried out in the most efficient and effective manner possible. This outreach assists in FinCEN's ongoing work with the financial industry as financial institutions strive to comply with their responsibility to report certain financial information and suspicious activities to FinCEN, as well as our responsibility to ensure this useful information is made available to law enforcement, as appropriate.

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) is committed to ensuring that current and accurate information about the bureau, its mission, policies, programs and systems are made available on its public website. We have developed the following inventory and publication schedule of its content on fincen.gov, in accordance with Section 207(f)(2) of the E-Government Act of 2002.

Cases Dealing with the Protection from Civil Discovery of SARs and Related Documents

• Whitney National Bank v. Karam (02/20/04) PDF Only
• The International Bank of Miami v. Shinitzky (11/23/03) PDF Only
• Sherman Cotton v. Privatebank and Trust Company (11/02/02) PDF Only

“FinCEN offers a unique analytical perspective on mortgage fraud because of our position at the intersection of law enforcement and the financial industry. This perspective will help both constituencies assess the risks to the financial system from their points of view. From this special vantage point, FinCEN has a line of sight into suspicious financial activities across the nation to identify trends and patterns that may not be visible to an individual financial institution or industry, or apparent at the local or even regional level.

• Bank Secrecy Act Records Assist in Mortgage Fraud Investigation Resulting in Guilty Plea
• Attorney General's Office Case Example (Mortgage Fraud)
• Local Municipality Case Example (Narcotics Trafficking, Money Laundering, and Mortgage Fraud)

FinCEN has published analytical reports to better inform the financial industry and law enforcement about the risks of fraud in the commercial real estate industry.

News Releases

The difficult economic environment and associated financial uncertainty has resulted in an increasing number of senior citizen homeowners accessing equity in their homes through reverse mortgage programs as a way to ease their financial situation. As a result, senior citizen homeowners who use equity conversion programs to meet their financial needs are increasingly becoming a target for scammers. FinCEN, law enforcement, and other government agencies are actively working with financial institutions to help reduce the incidence fraud and victimization through reverse mortgage programs.