Secrets to Writing an Effective SAR Narrative

This BSA compliance training on "Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR)" will provide details on how to prepare a SAR (Suspicious Activity Reporting) narrative that meets examiner scrutiny and provides the necessary detail for law enforcement. As a compliance and BSA officer, Doug Keipper was tasked with training his bank on all regulations. This course was developed from conversations with FBI, Department of Homeland Security, Banking Regulators and the Financial Task Force of the DEA.

According to the FFIEC Exam Manual: "Suspicious Activity Reporting forms the cornerstone of the BSA reporting system." "It is critical to the U.S’s ability to utilize financial information to combat terrorism, terrorist financing, money laundering & other financial crimes." A thorough and complete narrative makes the difference in determining whether described conduct and its possible criminal nature are clearly understood by law enforcement.

         One of the most misunderstood areas of Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) is when and why should you file a SAR. Having the proper narrative will answer both of those concerns. By fitting the pieces together you can have a complete SAR narrative. This webinar will provide a comprehensive review of how to prepare a SAR narrative. It will break it down by the introduction, the body and the conclusion with examples. There are several key steps and reminders for doing it right every time.

• The 4 C’s: Clear, Concise, Chronological and Complete
• The 5 W’s: Who, What, When, Where and Why
• How did the activity occur
• Tell the complete story by fitting the pieces togethers

This webcast will be of a valuable assistance to the below audience.

• Financial Officers
• Bank Secrecy Act Officers
• Front Line Staff
• Risk Officers
• Operational Managers
• BSA Analysts
• CFOs
• Bank or Credit Union Operations Officers