Is your OFAC program keeping pace with the current acceleration of changes and increased complexities within the latest sanctions programs enforced by OFAC?  The Venezuelan, Sectorial Sanction Identification List (SSI) is far more complex than any previous OFAC programs. The handling of Venezuelan, SSI matches requires extensive due diligence on the specific details related to the payments and accounts that are involved (Screening is the easy part of this process).  State Department and Treasury officials are talking about increasing the use of these new complex sanctions programs. This is the new generation of sanctions— “Smart Sanctions.” By all indications, sanctions program requirements will continue to be even more arduous.

This fast-paced 2-hour webinar will explain specifically what has changed in the OFAC Sanctions arena this year and how these changes can impact your OFAC program.  Tim will provide specific examples, details and due-diligence requirements for addressing “Hits” on the New SSI List, as well as the specific fundamentals for being in compliance with each of the new Sanctions programs and recent changes in the Iranian, Venezuelan, North Korean, Russian and Cuban programs.  Tim will provide detailed explanations of industry best practices and hands-on tips for reassessing all areas of your institution's OFAC compliance program, including new concepts for protecting your institution from regulatory criticism.  Tim will address how to respond with a “risk based” approach to several specific exam trends that can quickly create great inefficiency within your OFAC monitoring programs if left unchecked.

OFAC’s programs are more exacting, its influence is greater, penalties are higher and its reach continues to grow wider. 

Tim’s presentation will focus on best practices for updating and testing your OFAC program in this fast-changing compliance arena, and how to address the hot spots that hold the greatest risk for regulatory criticism and OFAC violations for financial institutions of all sizes.  These tips and best practices for reducing inherent OFAC risk will enable attendees to take immediate steps to determine what approaches might be the most efficient, economical and best suited for their institutions' OFAC programs.

Tim is an enthusiastic proponent of risk based BSA & OFAC regulatory compliance and understands that a knowledgeable risk-based program can be both efficient and economical.  The key is to thoroughly understand all the factors that affect each OFAC risk exposure and how each of these dynamics impact the IT environment and monitoring burdens of the OFAC compliance professional. 

Webinar Objectives 

· Understand why OFAC compliance is so challenging

· Understand how to communicate risk-based OFAC policies and monitoring practices to your examiner

· Understand the factors that influence and reduce your institution's inherent OFAC risk

· Understand regulatory risk and the risk of an actual OFAC violation and the difference between the two.

This webinar will also address:  

· Why OFAC’s sanctions are becoming a more important element in BSA exams

· Enforcement and penalty guidelines

· Lessons learned from both large and small enforcement actions

This webinar is designed for financial institutions of all sizes and will provide practical guidance for monitoring and help you understand many of the fundamentals that are often overlooked in OFAC presentations. 

You'll learn what's new, what's different, and what you now need to focus on. Considering all the new developments in the OFAC compliance arena, it's easy for something to slip through the cracks. This program will help provide the peace of mind you need by knowing you are one step ahead and prepared for anticipated changes within your next BSA-OFAC exam.

Who should attend? This session is designed for:

·  Compliance officers including OFAC/BSA/AML officers

·  Risk management and/or fraud officers

·  Senior management

·  Both new and experienced compliance auditors

·  ACH operations management

·  New and experienced regulators