Money laundering fuels everything from terror finance and sanctions evasion to human trafficking and corruption. However, experts warn that our anti-money laundering efforts are on the brink of failure, as law enforcement only interdicts less than one-half of one percent of the trillions of dollars laundered each year. We need a new approach to addressing money laundering and the dangerous threats to our safety and security from the crimes funded through illicit finance.
Statement by the FACT Coalition on Treasury’s Decision to Renew Geographic Targeting Orders to Identify Buyers in Luxury Real Estate
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), a branch of the U.S. Treasury Department, announced that it was renewing its temporary orders seeking to uncover illicit activity in the luxury real estate sector.
This week, The Clearing House Association, a major trade association for U.S. commercial banks, endorsed legislation requiring the collection of information about the real owners of U.S. companies (S. 2489/H.R. 4450). The Clearing House Association is the oldest banking association in the U.S., and it advocates on behalf of the largest U.S. commercial banks, such as Bank of America, Wells Fargo and SunTrust, just to name a few.
Their letter states, “We believe the bill would assist public sector efforts to identify money laundering and terrorist financing through the disclosure of the beneficial owners of corporations. In addition, the legislation would bring the United States further in line with international AML/CFT expectations, such as the recommendations developed by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). We can see no justification for allowing corporations to shield their ownership.”
The FACT Coalition along with 10 other organizations filed a comment on April 4, 2016 with the Department of the Treasury to finalize the proposed rule issued by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) to impose anti-money laundering and suspicious activity reporting requirements on registered investment advisers. The full letter can be read below or downloaded here.
In a New York Times letter, FACT’s Clark Gascoigne writes that Treasury’s plan falls short of what’s needed to combat the financial system’s role as a money-laundering haven.
To the Editor:
Re “Property Sales Get U.S. Scrutiny” (front page, Jan. 14):
The Treasury Department’s plan to scrutinize the secret companies buying real estate in New York and Miami is a welcome first step toward cleaning up parts of the real estate market, but it falls far short of what’s truly needed to combat the United States financial system’s role as a major money-laundering haven.
“Holding Individuals Accountable and Deterring Money Laundering Act” Will Help Return Rule of Law to U.S. Financial System; Bring America in Line with International Standards
WASHINGTON, DC – The FACT (Financial Accountability and Corporate Transparency) Coalition welcomed the introduction of legislation to improve anti-money laundering and counter-terror finance safeguards while heightening the accountability of financial institutions. Sponsored by Representative Maxine Waters (D-CA), the Holding Individuals Accountable and Deterring Money Laundering Act [H.R. 4242] targets the individuals (or enablers) at financial institutions responsible for accepting suspect funds, while aligning the United States with a number of international anti-money laundering (AML) standards.
FACT’s Clark Gascoigne Discusses the U.S. Ranking as the 3rd Biggest Secrecy Jurisdiction in the Latest Financial Secrecy Index
Clark Gascoigne, the Deputy Director of the FACT Coalition, appeared on Mind Your Business with Alyona Minkovski, a weekly business program on HuffPost Live, on Friday, November 13, 2015. He discussed how the United States facilitates all sorts of financial crime with widespread financial opacity.
