Dec ’13 – Feb ’14 Issue

Issue 13.1

Issue: Vol. 13 No. 1

Featured
The Winners List

The Winners List

Ed Beemer, Cathy Scharf, Elizabeth Slim and Joe Soniat are the ACAMS Award winners for 2013. ACAMS Today and the entire ACAMS community would like to congratulate them for collectively achieving a standard…

Reining in Tax Evasion

Reining in Tax Evasion

Offshore tax evasion is widely recognized as a global issue requiring global solutions. Some of the regulation emerging from ongoing discussions on an international level will impact directly upon financial institutions…


From the Executive Vice President
Honoring Law Enforcement

2014: What Does the Future Hold?

It is extremely rewarding to acknowledge ACAMS members who have contributed to the success of the organization and, more importantly, to the mission of AML…

From the Editor
From the Editor

From the Editor

Dedicated, willful, involved, hard-working, consummate professional, knowledgeable, and an integral person: these are all adjectives that describe the character of a winner. One of the key points of every…


Inside this Edition
ACAMS Awards Featuring: The Winners List

ACAMS Awards Featuring: The Winners List

Ed Beemer, Cathy Scharf, Elizabeth Slim and Joe Soniat are the ACAMS Award winners for 2013. ACAMS Today and the entire ACAMS community would like to congratulate them for…

The Sounds of Silence

The Sounds of Silence

In the 1950s, ships searching for submarines only had to listen for the sound of a sub’s diesel engine chugging through the water. The deployment of nuclear subs in the 1960s changed the world of…


The Challenges of Terrorist Financing in 2014 and Beyond

The Challenges of Terrorist Financing in 2014 and Beyond

In testimony before the House Financial Services Committee on October 3, 2001, I stated that “funding is the life blood of terrorist organizations.” Many factors regarding terrorism have changed…


AML Reflections and Projections: No Laughing Matter

AML Reflections and Projections: No Laughing Matter

Knock knock. Who’s there? Enforcement Action For…Enforcement Action For who? …we likely won’t have to wait long for the punch line. As financial institutions and regulators…


A Compliance Officer Ends Up in a Red Light District

A Compliance Officer Ends Up in a Red Light District

I vividly recall my reaction to hearing about human trafficking several years ago. It was a combination of disbelief, anger and disgust. The sheer reach of this crime made the problem seem…

Pour Some Sugar…

Pour Some Sugar…

In Canada, the producer prices of maple syrup are regulated by a cartel; however, American buyers with cash can usually find producers willing to circumvent those prices or restrictions. As…

John Cassara: Author of Demons of Gadara

John Cassara: Author of Demons of Gadara

John Cassara is a former covert intelligence officer and a Treasury Special Agent. Much of his career was spent overseas where he developed expertise in anti-money laundering and counter…


Anna Rentschler Joins the ACAMS Advisory Board

Anna Rentschler Joins the ACAMS Advisory Board

ACAMS Today had the opportunity to speak with Anna McDonald Rentschler about her AML experience and what compliance professionals will be facing in 2014. Rentschler is vice president…

Yokel Yeung

Yokel Yeung

ACAMS Today had the opportunity to chat with Yokel Yeung, the associate director of association development in the Asia region. ACAMS Today: How did you first become involved with…

Anuradha Shaw Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain

Anuradha Shaw Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain

Anuradha Shaw is a senior lecturer and business development manager in the Centre for Banking at BIBF. She joined BIBF in September 2009. Shaw has over 35 years of work and…


Peter Neilson, CAMS, New York, NY, USA

Peter Neilson, CAMS, New York, NY, USA

Peter Neilson joined JPMC in 2013 and serves as executive director in the firms AML office. Previous to joining JPMC, from 2006 he worked at Capital One serving as managing vice…


Donna Davidek, Marco Island, Florida, USA

Donna Davidek, Marco Island, Florida, USA

Donna Davidek is SVP/BSA/AML/OFAC officer at IBERIABANK, a large commercial bank headquartered in Lafayette, Louisiana, where she oversees a team of BSA managers and investigators…


Marianne Schmitt, CAMS, CCEP, CFCS, CFCA, Tampa, FL, USA

Marianne Schmitt, CAMS, CCEP, CFCS, CFCA, Tampa, FL, USA

Marianne Schmitt works for J.W. Cole Financial, a Broker Dealer in Tampa, Florida as a compliance officer. Along with her other responsibilities, she is responsible for all AML related tasks. In…

Syria Sanctions Revisited

Syria Sanctions Revisited

With recent international news surrounding extensive political instability, civil unrest, and domestic military confrontations in the Middle East — particularly concerning long-running conflicts in…


Preventing AML Pillar Violations

Preventing AML Pillar Violations

AML program violations seem to have increased significantly over the past several years. Programs have been cited for deficient internal control systems, ineffective audits, insufficient training…


10 Tips for Creating or Updating a Good AML Policy Manual

10 Tips for Creating or Updating a Good AML Policy Manual

While it may not be as interesting a read as a good novel or insightful history, your AML Policy Manual needs to be as well written, comprehensively researched, accurately organized…

Reining in Tax Evasion

Reining in Tax Evasion

The road to FATCA and the Fourth EU Directive – Customer Due Diligence requirements revisited Offshore tax evasion is widely recognized as a global issue requiring global solutions. Some of…