The Pittsburgh Chapter of the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists (ACAMS) is rounding out the first quarter of the year. During this time, the chapter held two events and will soon hold their third. In addition to continuing to engage the community, the chapter has begun several new initiatives in 2019. This is exciting and has the chapter smiling like an Eat’n Park Cookie.

Learn more about what has been going on and what is new this year!

Events So Far in 2019

The 2018 AML Professional of the Year  winner, Jason Chorlins from Kaufman Rossin presented to the chapter at BNY Mellon Center on A “Look-Back” at AML in 2018 and What to Expect in 2019  on February 21, 2019. Chorlins discussed what made 2018 a year to remember in the world of anti-money laundering (AML) and what to expect in the world of AML in 2019.

The second event was held on May 16, 2019, at the PNC Firstside Center. At the event, a panel comprised of Sarah Purcell and Lesley Park from Thomson Reuters and Joel Borsh from FinScan presented on 2019 AML and BSA Automation & Technology. During the event, the speakers discussed key trends happening in AML and Bank Secrecy Act departments of all sizes. The speakers covered the topics of automation, artificial intelligence and technology. This event was sponsored by Thomson Reuters.

Lastly, the chapter’s upcoming Opioid Epidemic  event will feature Supervisory Special Agent Shawn Brokos from the Pittsburgh FBI as a speaker and will be held at the PNC Firstside Center. For the presentation, Brokos will give an overview of the opioid epidemic that the U.S and the region are currently facing. In addition, Brokos will discuss how financial institutions and law enforcement can work together to combat this problem.

Currently the chapter is working to finish their schedule of events for 2019.

Sponsorship

The Pittsburgh Chapter of ACAMS was excited to retain all chapter sponsors from 2018. Thank you PNC, WesBanco, Oxford Solutions Inc and Gannon University for continuing to support the chapter. In 2019, the chapter was excited to add Thomson Reuters as a sponsor. The chapter is grateful for everyone’s support and hopes to continue to work together in the future.

If your company is interested in becoming a chapter sponsor or sponsoring an event, send an email and one of the chapter board members will contact you for further discussion.

Newsletter

This year, the Pittsburgh Chapter of ACAMS published their first annual newsletter and posted it on their ACAMS webpage. In the newsletter, one can find information on the chapter and a recap of 2018’s events. They hope to continue this newsletter going forward. Click here to view the 2018 Annual Newsletter.

Social Media

In 2018, the Pittsburgh Chapter of ACAMS launched a LinkedIn page and Twitter account as additional platforms to share information about events with the Pittsburgh community and the greater ACAMS community. In 2019, the chapter wants to expand the ways they provide value to both communities. In an effort toward this, they launched a showcase page apart from the main LinkedIn page called AML Super Sleuth Club. On this showcase, the chapter provides articles on AML, fraud, cybercrime and sanctions. The chapter wanted to separate this information from our main page in case individuals did not want these updates.

If you are interested in seeing what the chapter is up to, follow them at: #PghACAMS

Pittsburgh Chapter of ACAMS Professional of the Year

The Pittsburgh Chapter of ACAMS is excited to announce the first annual Pittsburgh Chapter of ACAMS Professional of Year  award. The Pittsburgh Chapter of ACAMS is proud to recognize members who have displayed exceptional achievements in preventing, detecting and investigating money laundering with this award.

The nomination deadline is August 1, 2019. When writing your nomination, use the following questions as a guide. Please email the nomination form to pghacams@gmail.com.

• What specific achievements over the past year qualify the nominee for Pittsburgh Chapter of ACAMS Professional of the Year?
• Please provide a detailed description of the role the nominee has played in the prevention, detection or investigation of money laundering investigations over the past year.
• Please provide a detailed description of the role the nominee has played in an investigation of money laundering over the past year.
• Please provide a detailed description of the role the nominee has played in the design and installation of money laundering controls over the past year.
• In what ways has the nominee made significant contributions to the discipline of money laundering investigations examination in the past year?
• List any involvement in the ACAMS community, such as chapter participation and ACAMS committee participation.
• List any other professional accomplishments or honors that support the nomination for the Pittsburgh Chapter of ACAMS Professional of the Year  award.
• List any publications, presentations or talks authored by the nominee in the past year.
• Please add any additional comments you believe will assist the committee in the selection process.

These events would not have been possible without the support and enthusiasm of sponsors PNC, WesBanco, Oxford Solutions Inc, Gannon University and Thomson Reuters. The chapter would like to thank them for their continued support moving forward.

This event would not have been possible without the support and enthusiasm of sponsors PNC, WesBanco, Oxford Solutions Inc, Gannon University and Thomson Reuters. The chapters would like to thank them for their continued support moving forward.

For a more in-depth overview of Pittsburgh Chapter events and membership details, as well as information about upcoming events, please visit the chapter’s ACAMS webpage, LinkedIn or Twitter. Questions for the chapter can be sent via email to pghacams@gmail.com.