Community Banking Corner is a new ACAMS Today section that
will provide useful tips for Bank Secrecy Act/anti-money laundering (BSA/AML)
professionals in community banks to help them in their day-to-day jobs. The
Community Banking Corner will focus on all aspects of BSA/AML from de-risking
and its effects on smaller banks to efficiencies that can help BSA/AML
professionals in community banks. We plan to cover many topics in the ACAMS
Today magazine and on ACAMSToday.org.
So, if you are a community banker with topic ideas you would
like to have discussed, please send them to robert.soniat@bankatunion.com.
Community Bankers and Working with Law Enforcement
In this inaugural article, on behalf of community bankers
everywhere, I want to send a special thank you to the entire law enforcement
community for all their hard work and sacrifice to help make the world a safer
place.
As a community banker, it is important to make connections
with the law enforcement community. From local to federal law enforcement it is
essential to be able to reach out to those individuals. Whether it is asking
“what if” questions, running scenarios by them or having law enforcement come
to the bank to give training, it is an important part of being in a BSA/AML
community bank.
In some cases, the communication with law enforcement can
lead to better documentation for bankers and better intelligence for law
enforcement. It is important to remember as bankers to play within the banking
rules while helping law enforcement catch the bad guys.
Making those connections and keeping the communication
constant helps both law enforcement and bankers work together to fight
financial crimes.
