FinCEN Looks to Financial Institutions to File SARs Regarding Cyber-Events

By Mark A. Rush, Stanley V. Ragalevsky, Rebecca H. Laird, and Samuel P. Reger

On October 25, 2016, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) issued an advisory (the “Advisory”) explaining the obligations a “financial institution” might have under the Bank Secrecy Act (“BSA”) regarding “cyber-events and cyber-enabled crime.” The Advisory states that even if an actual financial transaction did not take place as result of a cyber-event, a financial institution may still be required to file a Suspicious Activity Report (“SAR”) in certain circumstances. Because of this, a covered financial institution should reconsider its obligations under the BSA after a cyber-event.

To read the full alert, click here.