September 2, 2002 News Archive

Register Now For DeNovo Banking Conference
The second annual De Novo Banking Conference will take place at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, 230 South LaSalle Street, Chicago, Illinois on Tuesday, September 24, 2002 from 8:15 a.m. until 3:15 p.m. The agenda is now available. E-mail your registration providing the following information: your name(s) and title(s), institution name, city and state, and number of attendees.

In addition, for participants who will need hotel accommodations, a limited number of rooms have been reserved at the Crowne Plaza Chicago-Allerton Hotel for a reduced rate of $139 per night. If you wish to take advantage of this rate, please contact travel specialist Marvin Chandler via phone at (312) 294-6273 or e-mail.

USA PATRIOT Act Information
The Treasury's USA PATRIOT Act web site provides information on the entire Act, including the most recent updates. Helpful information on this web site includes a form for Section 314(b) certification for purposes of information sharing, news releases/announcements, Federal Register notices for proposed rulemaking and final rules, and reports to Congress from the Treasury Secretary.

FinCEN Publishes 4th SAR Activity Review
The Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued its fourth report, which focused on post-September 11th Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) that referred to terrorism. The 97-page SAR Activity Review (PDF) updates the measures taken in the identification of suspicious activities and the preparation and filing of SARs, including the additional USA PATRIOT Act requirements. It also provides guidance on SAR disclosures as part of civil litigation, as well as insights on safe-harbor protection for employee references.

GAO Report on Money Laundering through Credit Cards
The 61-page report prepared by the General Accounting Office indicated that the extent of money laundering occurring through credit cards is unknown and that an analysis of Suspicious Activity Reports filed by U.S. institutions provided very little evidence of potential money laundering through the use of credit cards.