Wells Fargo to Strengthen Financial Crimes Risk Management Amid Regulatory Agreement
From the desk of Jim Eccleston at Eccleston Law
Wells Fargo has agreed with U.S. banking regulators to enhance its financial crime risk management practices, including tightening controls over suspicious activity and money laundering. According to the Wall Street Journal, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) stated that the bank needs to address weaknesses in its anti-money laundering and financial crimes oversight, including areas like suspicious activity monitoring, currency transaction reporting, and customer due diligence.
The agreement requires Wells Fargo to take “comprehensive corrective actions” to strengthen compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act and U.S. sanctions regulations. Under the terms, the bank’s board must form a compliance committee of at least three members, the majority of whom must be independent from the bank and its subsidiaries. The Wall Street Journal reports that this committee will report quarterly on the specific corrective actions taken, their effectiveness, and any additional steps required for compliance.
This regulatory focus follows Wells Fargo’s 2016 scandal involving unauthorized accounts and improper sales practices, which revealed significant internal control issues and led to a six-year consent order, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Eccleston Law LLC represents investors and financial advisors nationwide in securities, employment, transition, regulatory, and disciplinary matters.
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