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Bank Secrecy Act

The Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) collectively refers to a series of laws intended to detect and prevent money laundering, and later, the financing of terrorism, starting with the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970. The goal is to protect the U.S. financial system from criminal abuse, and safeguard U.S. national security by preventing money-laundering and terrorism financing, and facilitating the tracking of illicit funds through reasonably designed, risk-based programs. In order to achieve these important objectives, the BSA laws authorize the Treasury Department to impose rules, including reporting and recordkeeping requirements, on financial institutions and other businesses.

This page contains a number of links that are critical to understanding all aspects of compliance with BSA-related mandates, such as anti-money laundering (AML), countering the financing of terrorism (CFT), customer due diligence, and economic sanctions imposed by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

Statutes

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Rules & Regulations

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Staff Analysis

Infographic: CTA and Reporting Rule: Where Are We Right Now?
March 24, 2025
FinCEN Southwest Border GTO for MSBs
March 12, 2025
Updates to FinCEN 314(a) File Downloads
February 10, 2025
Whistleblower Retaliation Complaints Under AMLA IFR
January 14, 2025

BSA Questions from the Hotline

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Agency Guidance

Treasury Department announces suspension of enforcement of Corporate Transparency Act against U.S. citizens and domestic reporting companies
March 2, 2025
FinCEN extends Beneficial Ownership Information reporting deadline by 30 days; announces intention to revise reporting rule
February 18, 2025
FinCEN notice to Financial Institution Customers: Beneficial Ownership Information Reference Guide
December 3, 2024
FinCEN beneficial ownership for reporting companies (i.e. bank customers)
FinCEN beneficial ownership small entity compliance guide
December 1, 2024
FinCEN beneficial ownership for reporting companies (i.e. bank customers)
Interagency Statement on the Issuance of the AML/CFT Program Notices of Proposed Rulemaking
July 19, 2024
Interagency Statement for Banks on the Issuance of the Beneficial Ownership Information Access Rule
December 21, 2023
Joint Statement on Crypto-Asset Risks to Banking Organizations
January 3, 2023
Joint Statement on the Risk-Based Approach to Assessing Customer Relationships and Conducting Customer Due Diligence
July 6, 2022
Advisory on Ransomware and the Use of the Financial System to Facilitate Ransom Payments
November 8, 2021
FinCEN SAR User Guide
August 1, 2021
FinCEN CTR User Guide
August 1, 2021
Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism National Priorities
June 30, 2021
Interagency Statement on the Issuance of the Anti-Money Laundering/Countering the Financing of Terrorism National Priorities
June 30, 2021
FinCEN DOEP User Guide
March 1, 2015
FinCEN Advisories
FinCEN beneficial ownership portal FinCEN beneficial ownership for reporting companies (i.e. bank customers)
FinCEN MSB Registrant Search
FinCEN beneficial ownership FAQs FinCEN beneficial ownership for reporting companies (i.e. bank customers)
FinCEN Federal Register Notices
FinCEN Administrative Rulings
FinCEN Notices, Bulletins and Fact Sheets
FinCEN Financial Trend Analyses
BSA E-Filing System

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Exam Procedures

BSA/AML Exam Manual

Policy Library
News

Policy Library

Staff Analysis
Infographic: CTA and Reporting Rule: Where Are We Right Now?
March 24, 2025
Staff Analysis
FinCEN Southwest Border GTO for MSBs
March 12, 2025
Staff Analysis
Updates to FinCEN 314(a) File Downloads
February 10, 2025
Letter to Congress & Regulators
Letter Supporting the Protect Small Businesses from Excessive Paperwork Act of 2025 (H.R. 736)
February 10, 2025

News

NewsByte
FinCEN to exempt U.S. companies from beneficial ownership reporting
March 22, 2025
Podcast
Podcast: What’s next for stablecoin policy and tech
March 20, 2025
Article
Recent news from Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control: March 17
March 17, 2025
NewsByte
FinCEN issues southwest border geographic targeting order
March 11, 2025

Proposed Rules

Related Training & Events

ABA/ABA Financial Crimes Enforcement Conference
Conference | October 14, 2025
Certificate in Fraud Prevention
Certificate
BSA/AML: Fundamentals
Self-Paced Training
Board Oversight: BSA/AML/OFAC
Self-Paced Training

ABA Resources

Guide
Best Practices for US Money Services Businesses
May 11, 2022
Guide
Common MSB Related Questions
January 24, 2005
ABA Web Page
Featured Resources: FinCEN's Beneficial Ownership Rule
December 31, 2021
Guide
Best Practices for US Money Services Businesses
May 11, 2022

In Depth

Related Products

Our Experts

Heather Trew

Heather Trew

Senior Vice President & Counsel, Bank Secrecy Act/Anti-Money Laundering, Sanctions

Contact Heather

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