On January 27, the Federal Reserve Board (FRB) announced that it unanimously voted to deny a crypto firm’s application to become a member of the Federal Reserve System. This denial ends the crypto firm’s 27-month effort to obtain a “master account,” which allows companies to move money through the Federal Reserve System without having to use a federally insured bank.

Continue Reading Fed Board Denies Crypto Firm’s Bid to Join Federal Reserve System

On December 16, 2021, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (“OCC”) and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) issued civil monetary penalties against a Texas community bank for violations of the Bank Secrecy Act (“BSA”).  The consent orders read like a veritable “how not to” for reviewing anti-money laundering alerts.

Continue Reading OCC and FinCEN Issue $9 Million in Penalties for BSA-AML Violations