BSA/AML/CFT Programs & Customer Due Diligence

Financial institutions are required to develop and implement Customer Due Diligence (CDD) policies and procedures and CDD is one of the pillars of your overall BSA/AML/CFT program. When it comes down to it though, there isn’t a lot of guidance as to what that all entails. This is partly because every institution is different and has different risk. At a minimum, 31 CFR 1020.210(b)(5) states a bank must implement…risk-based procedures for conducting ongoing customer due diligence, to include, but not be limited to:

  1. Understanding the nature and purpose of customer relationships for the purpose of developing a customer risk profile; and,
  2. Conducting ongoing monitoring to identify and report suspicious transactions and, on a risk basis, to maintain and update customer information. …customer information shall include information regarding the beneficial owners of legal entity customers (as defined in § 1010.230 of this chapter)…

So, what might this look like in practice?

Kevin discussed this during the April meeting of our AML/CFT Membership Group. If you are looking to deep dive into complex BSA/AML/CFT topics and ensure ongoing compliance for your institution, this group is for you! We’d love to have you join us!

 

Published
2025/06/10

 

Kevin Edwards

Kevin brings years of experience and a unique perspective on regulatory matters to our clients. A self-proclaimed geek and accredited CRCM, Kevin is also a recovering attorney with experience as in-house counsel for a large regional bank and one of the leading national title insurance providers. For reasons unknown, Kevin decided to leave the safety and serenity of his desk job to seek fortune and glory as a wandering adventurer. Like a bank compliance version of Kwai Chang Caine, The Man with No Name or Don Quixote, he now travels the land seeking to help those in need and righting compliance wrongs, wherever he may find them. Kevin lives in Sioux Falls with his two children, who are surprisingly normal after having endured their father’s vivid imagination for their entire lives. He won’t admit to having any hobbies, because apparently “Regulations never sleep.” (While he does say this in his Batman voice, we’re pretty sure he’s joking.) From the looks of his Facebook page, he likes the outdoors and spending time with his large extended family (who seem like relatively normal people).

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