Money Laundering Risk in Residential Real Estate Lending

The focus of our September AML/CFT Membership Group, was AML/CFT risk implications related to residential real estate lending. When people think of money laundering, they often associate that with the teller line and large cash deposits but, in reality, the lending side of a financial institution can be just as susceptible.

Real estate lending can be used as a conduit for placement, layering, and integration by incorporating the following common money laundering schemes:

  1. Use of illicit funds to secure loans (e.g., cash-secured loans);
  2. Loans paid by third parties or for ambiguous purposes;
  3. Structuring to sever the paper trail between borrower and illicit funds; or,
  4. Loans involving foreign parties or collateral in high-risk jurisdictions.

Kevin explains more in the video:


Published
2025/10/22

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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