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Financial Services Law Insights and Observations

NYDFS Fines German Bank $425 Million for Deficient Money Laundering Controls

Banking State Issues Anti-Money Laundering Financial Crimes NYDFS

Consumer Finance

On January 30, the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) announced that it had assessed a $425 million fine against a German bank as part of a consent order addressing allegations that the bank allowed $10 billion in “mirror trades” involving Russian investors by failing to properly enforce protections against money laundering. According to the press release, the bank and several of its senior managers allegedly “missed key opportunities to detect, intercept and investigate a long-running mirror-trading scheme facilitated by its Moscow branch and involving New York and London branches.” Specifically, the consent order claims the bank (i) conducted its business in an unsafe and unsound matter; (ii) implemented weak “Know Your Customer” processes; (iii) failed to accurately rate its country and client risks for money laundering throughout the relevant time period and lacked a global policy benchmarking its risk appetite; (iv) maintained ineffective, understaffed anti-financial crime, AML, and compliance units; and (v) had a flawed corporate structure and organization.

In addition to the $425 million monetary penalty, the bank must, within 60 days of the consent order, engage an independent monitor to “conduct a comprehensive review of the [b]ank’s existing BSA/AML compliance programs, policies and procedures.” Furthermore, the bank must submit in writing for NYDFS review an action plan outlining enhancements to its current BSA/AML compliance programs.