On October 23, 2024, FinCEN issued an alert to assist financial institutions in identifying and reporting suspicious activity supporting Lebanese Hizballah (Hizballah), a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization. The alert builds upon the agency’s May 2024 advisory on Iran-backed terrorist organizations and offers a comprehensive overview of Hizballah’s global criminal financial networks.

On October 15, 2024, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) renewed its Geographic Targeting Orders (GTOs) that require US title insurance companies to identify natural persons behind shell companies used in non-financed purchases of residential real estate. The terms of the GTOs are effective beginning October 16, 2024, and ending on April 14, 2025.

On October 10, 2024, the OCC announced a cease and desist order and a $450 million civil money penalty against TD Bank, N.A. and TD Bank USA, N.A., for deficiencies in the bank’s BSA and AML compliance program. The OCC determined that the bank failed to develop and maintain a BSA/AML program reasonably designed to assure and monitor compliance with the BSA and its implementing regulations.

On September 26, 2024, FinCEN submitted a notice to the Federal Register withdrawing its finding that ABLV Bank, AS (ABLV) is a financial institution of primary money laundering concern. FinCEN also rescinded the related notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) seeking to impose special measure five pursuant to section 311 of the USA PATRIOT Act (section 311).

On September 26, 2024, the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced that it is undertaking actions as part of a coordinated international effort to disrupt Russian cybercrime services. In line with this, FinCEN has issued an order that identifies PM2BTC as being of “primary money laundering concern” in connection with Russian illicit finance.

On September 19, 2024, FinCEN issued another resource to familiarize small business owners with beneficial ownership reporting requirements. The toolkit includes general background on the reporting requirements, as well as templates for newsletters, websites, and emails; sample social media posts and images; and information on how to contact FinCEN.

On September 17, 2024, FinCEN issued a notice and request for comments on the proposed renewal, without change, of existing information collection requirements found in BSA regulations that require financial institutions to maintain records related to the issuance or sale of bank checks and drafts, cashier's checks, money orders, and traveler's checks when the issuance or sale involves the use of currency in an amount between $3,000 and $10,000, inclusive.

On September 12, 2024, the OCC entered into a Formal Agreement with Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. The agreement requires the bank to take comprehensive corrective actions to enhance its Bank Secrecy Act/anti-money laundering and U.S. sanctions compliance programs.

On September 10, 2024, FinCEN updated its Beneficial Ownership Information Frequently Asked Questions anew. The FAQs are issued in response to inquiries received relating to the BOI Reporting Rule and BOI Access and Safeguards Rule.