§ 1026.320 - Reports by futures commission merchants and introducing brokers in commodities of suspicious transactions.

§ 1026.320 Reports by futures commission merchants and introducing brokers in commodities of suspicious transactions.

(a) General -

(1) Every futures commission merchant (“FCM”) and introducing broker in commodities (“IB-C”) within the United States shall file with FinCEN, to the extent and in the manner required by this section, a report of any suspicious transaction relevant to a possible violation of law or regulation. An FCM or IB-C may also file with FinCEN a report of any suspicious transaction that it believes is relevant to the possible violation of any law or regulation but whose reporting is not required by this section. Filing a report of a suspicious transaction does not relieve an FCM or IB-C from the responsibility of complying with any other reporting requirements imposed by the CFTC or any registered futures association or registered entity as those terms are defined in the Commodity Exchange Act (“CEA”), 7 U.S.C. 21 and 7 U.S.C. 1a(29).

(2) A transaction requires reporting under the terms of this section if it is conducted or attempted by, at, or through an FCM or IB-C, it involves or aggregates funds or other assets of at least $5,000, and the FCM or IB-C knows, suspects, or has reason to suspect that the transaction (or a pattern of transactions of which the transaction is a part):

(i) Involves funds derived from illegal activity or is intended or conducted in order to hide or disguise funds or assets derived from illegal activity (including, without limitation, the ownership, nature, source, location, or control of such funds or assets) as part of a plan to violate or evade any Federal law or regulation or to avoid any transaction reporting requirement under Federal law or regulation;

(ii) Is designed, whether through structuring or other means, to evade any requirements of this chapter or of any other regulations promulgated under the Bank Secrecy Act;

(iii) Has no business or apparent lawful purpose or is not the sort in which the particular customer would normally be expected to engage, and the FCM or IB-C knows of no reasonable explanation for the transaction after examining the available facts, including the background and possible purpose of the transaction; or

(iv) Involves use of the FCM or IB-C to facilitate criminal activity.

(3) The obligation to identify and properly and timely to report a suspicious transaction rests with each FCM and IB-C involved in the transaction, provided that no more than one report is required to be filed by any of the FCMs or IB-Cs involved in a particular transaction, so long as the report filed contains all relevant facts.

(b) Filing procedures -

(1) What to file. A suspicious transaction shall be reported by completing a Suspicious Activity Report (“SAR”), and collecting and maintaining supporting documentation as required by paragraph (d) of this section.

(2) Where to file. The SAR shall be filed with FinCEN in a central location, to be determined by FinCEN, as indicated in the instructions to the SAR.

(3) When to file. A SAR shall be filed no later than 30 calendar days after the date of the initial detection by the reporting FCM or IB-C of facts that may constitute a basis for filing a SAR under this section. If no suspect is identified on the date of such initial detection, an FCM or IB-C may delay filing a SAR for an additional 30 calendar days to identify a suspect, but in no case shall reporting be delayed more than 60 calendar days after the date of such initial detection. In situations involving violations that require immediate attention, such as terrorist financing or ongoing money laundering schemes, the FCM or IB-C shall immediately notify by telephone an appropriate law enforcement authority in addition to filing timely a SAR. FCMs and IB-Cs wishing voluntarily to report suspicious transactions that may relate to terrorist activity may call FinCEN's Financial Institutions Hotline at 1-866-556-3974 in addition to filing timely a SAR if required by this section. The FCM or IB-C may also, but is not required to, contact the CFTC to report in such situations.

(c) Exceptions.

(1) An FCM or IB-C is not required to file a SAR to report -

(i) A robbery or burglary committed or attempted of the FCM or IB-C that is reported to appropriate law enforcement authorities;

(ii) A violation otherwise required to be reported under the CEA (7 U.S.C. 1 et seq.), the regulations of the CFTC (17 CFR chapter I), or the rules of any registered futures association or registered entity as those terms are defined in the CEA, 7 U.S.C. 21 and 7 U.S.C. 1a(29), by the FCM or IB-C or any of its officers, directors, employees, or associated persons, other than a violation of 17 CFR 42.2, as long as such violation is appropriately reported to the CFTC or a registered futures association or registered entity.

(2) An FCM or IB-C may be required to demonstrate that it has relied on an exception in paragraph (c)(1) of this section, and must maintain records of its determinations to do so for the period specified in paragraph (d) of this section. To the extent that a Form 8-R, 8-T, U-5, or any other similar form concerning the transaction is filed consistent with CFTC, registered futures association, or registered entity rules, a copy of that form will be a sufficient record for the purposes of this paragraph (c)(2).

(d) Retention of records. An FCM or IB-C shall maintain a copy of any SAR filed and the original or business record equivalent of any supporting documentation for a period of five years from the date of filing the SAR. Supporting documentation shall be identified as such and maintained by the FCM or IB-C, and shall be deemed to have been filed with the SAR. An FCM or IB-C shall make all supporting documentation available to FinCEN or any Federal, State, or local law enforcement agency, or any Federal regulatory authority that examines the FCM or IB-C for compliance with the BSA, upon request; or to any registered futures association or registered entity (as defined in the Commodity Exchange Act, 7 U.S.C. 21 and 7 U.S.C. 1(a)(29)) (collectively, a self-regulatory organization (“SRO”)) that examines the FCM or IB-C for compliance with the requirements of this section, upon the request of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

(e) Confidentiality of SARs. A SAR, and any information that would reveal the existence of a SAR, are confidential and shall not be disclosed except as authorized in this paragraph (e). For purposes of this paragraph (e) only, a SAR shall include any suspicious activity report filed with FinCEN pursuant to any regulation in this chapter.

(1) Prohibition on disclosures by futures commission merchants and introducing brokers in commodities -

(i) General rule. No FCM or IB-C, and no director, officer, employee, or agent of any FCM or IB-C, shall disclose a SAR or any information that would reveal the existence of a SAR. Any FCM or IB-C, and any director, officer, employee, or agent of any FCM or IB-C that is subpoenaed or otherwise requested to disclose a SAR or any information that would reveal the existence of a SAR, shall decline to produce the SAR or such information, citing this section and 31 U.S.C. 5318(g)(2)(A)(i), and shall notify FinCEN of any such request and the response thereto.

(ii) Rules of Construction. Provided that no person involved in any reported suspicious transaction is notified that the transaction has been reported, this paragraph (e)(1) shall not be construed as prohibiting:

(A) The disclosure by an FCM or IB-C, or any director, officer, employee, or agent of an FCM or IB-C, of:

(1) A SAR, or any information that would reveal the existence of a SAR, to FinCEN or any Federal, State, or local law enforcement agency, or any Federal regulatory authority that examines the FCM or IB-C for compliance with the BSA; or to any SRO that examines the FCM or IB-C for compliance with the requirements of this section, upon the request of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission; or

(2) The underlying facts, transactions, and documents upon which a SAR is based, including but not limited to, disclosures:

(i) To another financial institution, or any director, officer, employee, or agent of a financial institution, for the preparation of a joint SAR; or

(ii) In connection with certain employment references or termination notices, to the full extent authorized in 31 U.S.C. 5318(g)(2)(B); or

(B) The sharing by an FCM or IB-C, or any director, officer, employee, or agent of the FCM or IB-C, of a SAR, or any information that would reveal the existence of a SAR, within the FCM's or IB-C's corporate organizational structure for purposes consistent with Title II of the BSA as determined by regulation or in guidance.

(2) Prohibition on disclosures by government authorities. A Federal, State, local, territorial, or Tribal government authority, or any director, officer, employee, or agent of any of the foregoing, shall not disclose a SAR, or any information that would reveal the existence of a SAR, except as necessary to fulfill official duties consistent with Title II of the BSA. For purposes of this section, “official duties” shall not include the disclosure of a SAR, or any information that would reveal the existence of a SAR, in response to a request for disclosure of non-public information or a request for use in a private legal proceeding, including a request pursuant to 31 CFR 1.11.

(3) Prohibition on disclosures by Self-Regulatory Organizations. Any self-regulatory organization registered with or designated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, or any director, officer, employee, or agent of any of the foregoing, shall not disclose a SAR, or any information that would reveal the existence of a SAR except as necessary to fulfill self-regulatory duties upon the request of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, in a manner consistent with Title II of the BSA. For purposes of this section, “self-regulatory duties” shall not include the disclosure of a SAR, or any information that would reveal the existence of a SAR, in response to a request for disclosure of non-public information or a request for use in a private legal proceeding.

(f) Limitation on liability. An FCM or IB-C, and any director, officer, employee, or agent of any FCM or IB-C, that makes a voluntary disclosure of any possible violation of law or regulation to a government agency or makes a disclosure pursuant to this section or any other authority, including a disclosure made jointly with another institution, shall be protected from liability to any person for any such disclosure, or for failure to provide notice of such disclosure to any person identified in the disclosure, or both, to the full extent provided by 31 U.S.C. 5318(g)(3).

(g) Compliance. FCMs or IB-Cs shall be examined by FinCEN or its delegatees for compliance with this section. Failure to satisfy the requirements of this section may be a violation of the Bank Secrecy Act and of this chapter.

(h) Applicability date. This section applies to transactions occurring after May 18, 2004.

[75 FR 65812, Oct. 26, 2010, as amended at 76 FR 10521, Feb. 25, 2011; 81 FR 76865, Nov. 4, 2016]