§ 1010.610 - Due diligence programs for correspondent accounts for foreign financial institutions.

§ 1010.610 Due diligence programs for correspondent accounts for foreign financial institutions.

(a) In general. A covered financial institution shall establish a due diligence program that includes appropriate, specific, risk-based, and, where necessary, enhanced policies, procedures, and controls that are reasonably designed to enable the covered financial institution to detect and report, on an ongoing basis, any known or suspected money laundering activity conducted through or involving any correspondent account established, maintained, administered, or managed by such covered financial institution in the United States for a foreign financial institution. The due diligence program required by this section shall be a part of the anti-money laundering program otherwise required by this chapter. Such policies, procedures, and controls shall include:

(1) Determining whether any such correspondent account is subject to paragraph (b) of this section;

(2) Assessing the money laundering risk presented by such correspondent account, based on a consideration of all relevant factors, which shall include, as appropriate:

(i) The nature of the foreign financial institution's business and the markets it serves;

(ii) The type, purpose, and anticipated activity of such correspondent account;

(iii) The nature and duration of the covered financial institution's relationship with the foreign financial institution (and any of its affiliates);

(iv) The anti-money laundering and supervisory regime of the jurisdiction that issued the charter or license to the foreign financial institution, and, to the extent that information regarding such jurisdiction is reasonably available, of the jurisdiction in which any company that is an owner of the foreign financial institution is incorporated or chartered; and

(v) Information known or reasonably available to the covered financial institution about the foreign financial institution's anti-money laundering record; and

(3) Applying risk-based procedures and controls to each such correspondent account reasonably designed to detect and report known or suspected money laundering activity, including a periodic review of the correspondent account activity sufficient to determine consistency with information obtained about the type, purpose, and anticipated activity of the account.

(b) Enhanced due diligence for certain foreign banks. In the case of a correspondent account established, maintained, administered, or managed in the United States for a foreign bank described in paragraph (c) of this section, the due diligence program required by paragraph (a) of this section shall include enhanced due diligence procedures designed to ensure that the covered financial institution, at a minimum, takes reasonable steps to:

(1) Conduct enhanced scrutiny of such correspondent account to guard against money laundering and to identify and report any suspicious transactions in accordance with applicable law and regulation. This enhanced scrutiny shall reflect the risk assessment of the account and shall include, as appropriate:

(i) Obtaining and considering information relating to the foreign bank's anti-money laundering program to assess the risk of money laundering presented by the foreign bank's correspondent account;

(ii) Monitoring transactions to, from, or through the correspondent account in a manner reasonably designed to detect money laundering and suspicious activity; and

(iii)

(A) Obtaining information from the foreign bank about the identity of any person with authority to direct transactions through any correspondent account that is a payable-through account, and the sources and beneficial owner of funds or other assets in the payable-through account.

(B) For purposes of paragraph (b)(1)(iii)(A) of this section, a payable-through account means a correspondent account maintained by a covered financial institution for a foreign bank by means of which the foreign bank permits its customers to engage, either directly or through a subaccount, in banking activities usual in connection with the business of banking in the United States.

(2) Determine whether the foreign bank for which the correspondent account is established or maintained in turn maintains correspondent accounts for other foreign banks that use the foreign correspondent account established or maintained by the covered financial institution and, if so, take reasonable steps to obtain information relevant to assess and mitigate money laundering risks associated with the foreign bank's correspondent accounts for other foreign banks, including, as appropriate, the identity of those foreign banks.

(3)

(i) Determine, for any correspondent account established or maintained for a foreign bank whose shares are not publicly traded, the identity of each owner of the foreign bank and the nature and extent of each owner's ownership interest.

(ii) For purposes of paragraph (b)(3)(i) of this section:

(A) Owner means any person who directly or indirectly owns, controls, or has the power to vote 10 percent or more of any class of securities of a foreign bank. For purposes of this paragraph (b)(3)(ii)(A):

(1) Members of the same family shall be considered to be one person; and

(2) Same family has the meaning provided in § 1010.605(j)(2)(ii).

(B) Publicly traded means shares that are traded on an exchange or an organized over-the-counter market that is regulated by a foreign securities authority as defined in section 3(a)(50) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(50)).

(c) Foreign banks to be accorded enhanced due diligence. The due diligence procedures described in paragraph (b) of this section are required for any correspondent account maintained for a foreign bank that operates under:

(1) An offshore banking license;

(2) A banking license issued by a foreign country that has been designated as non-cooperative with international anti-money laundering principles or procedures by an intergovernmental group or organization of which the United States is a member and with which designation the U.S. representative to the group or organization concurs; or

(3) A banking license issued by a foreign country that has been designated by the Secretary as warranting special measures due to money laundering concerns.

(d) Special procedures when due diligence or enhanced due diligence cannot be performed. The due diligence program required by paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section shall include procedures to be followed in circumstances in which a covered financial institution cannot perform appropriate due diligence or enhanced due diligence with respect to a correspondent account, including when the covered financial institution should refuse to open the account, suspend transaction activity, file a suspicious activity report, or close the account.

(e) Applicability rules for general due diligence. The provisions of paragraph (a) of this section apply to covered financial institutions as follows:

(1) General rules -

(i) Correspondent accounts established on or after July 5, 2006. Effective July 5, 2006, the requirements of paragraph (a) of this section shall apply to each correspondent account established on or after that date.

(ii) Correspondent accounts established before July 5, 2006. Effective October 2, 2006, the requirements of paragraph (a) of this section shall apply to each correspondent account established before July 5, 2006.

(2) Special rules for certain banks. Until the requirements of paragraph (a) of this section become applicable as set forth in paragraph (e)(1) of this section, the due diligence requirements of 31 U.S.C. 5318(i)(1) shall continue to apply to any covered financial institution listed in § 1010.605(e)(1)(i) through (vi).

(3) Special rules for all other covered financial institutions. The due diligence requirements of 31 U.S.C. 5318(i)(1) shall not apply to a covered financial institution listed in § 1010.605(e)(1)(vii) through (x) until the requirements of paragraph (a) of this section become applicable as set forth in paragraph (e)(1) of this section.

(f) Applicability rules for enhanced due diligence. The provisions of paragraph (b) of this section apply to covered financial institutions as follows:

(1) General rules -

(i) Correspondent accounts established on or after February 5, 2008. Effective February 5, 2008, the requirements of paragraph (b) of this section shall apply to each correspondent account established on or after such date.

(ii) Correspondent accounts established before February 5, 2008. Effective May 5, 2008, the requirements of paragraph (b) of this section shall apply to each correspondent account established before February 5, 2008.

(2) Special rules for certain banks. Until the requirements of paragraph (b) of this section become applicable as set forth in paragraph (f)(1) of this section, the enhanced due diligence requirements of 31 U.S.C. 5318(i)(2) shall continue to apply to any covered financial institutions listed in § 1010.605(e)(1)(i) through (vi).

(3) Special rules for all other covered financial institutions. The enhanced due diligence requirements of 31 U.S.C. 5318(i)(2) shall not apply to a covered financial institution listed in § 1010.605(e)(1)(vii) through (x) until the requirements of paragraph (b) of this section become applicable, as set forth in paragraph (f)(1) of this section.

(g) Exemptions -

(1) Exempt financial institutions. Except as provided in this section, a financial institution defined in 31 U.S.C. 5312(a)(2) or (c)(1), or § 1010.100(t) is exempt from the requirements of 31 U.S.C. 5318(i)(1) and (i)(2) pertaining to correspondent accounts.

(2) Other compliance obligations of financial institutions unaffected. Nothing in paragraph (g) of this section shall be construed to relieve a financial institution from its responsibility to comply with any other applicable requirement of law or regulation, including title 31, United States Code, and this chapter.