TD Bank’s $3 billion settlement included coordinated regulatory settlements with the Federal Reserve Board (“Federal Reserve”), The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”), and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (“OCC”).  Each regulator imposed civil penalties and remedial measures.  The Federal Reserve fined TD Bank $123.5 million for AML compliance violations.  The Federal Reserve also required TD Bank to...

“By making its services convenient for criminals, TD Bank became one,” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. TD Bank joins the list of dysfunctional companies — add them to Wells Fargo, Wirecard, Volkswagen, General Motors, Goldman Sachs, and the hall of fame of financial scandals.  TD Bank became a criminal organization, its employees even stated so in email communications, and its leadership operated with a criminal...

In yet another reminder of the scope of Justice Department enforcement powers, and an important demonstration of the risks of non-compliance, the Justice Department and relevant banking agencies announced a $3 billion settlement with TD Bank companies to resolve systemic and pervasive Bank Secrecy Act (“BSA”) and money laundering violations. In addition to the financial settlement, TD Bank US Holding Company (TDBUSH) (together with TDBNA,...

In late August 2024, the UK’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (“OFSI”), a department within HM Treasury, imposed a monetary penalty of £15,000 on Integral Concierge Services Limited (“ICSL”)—a UK-based property management and concierge company—for serial breaches of the Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019. The enforcement action followed an extensive investigation that uncovered ICSL’s involvement in facilitating payments linked to a designated individual subject...

On September 30, 2024, Quantum Corporation—a U.S.-based technology company— reached a settlement with the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”) to resolve 45 separate violations of the antiboycott provisions of the Export Administration Regulations (“EAR”). The antiboycott provisions of the EAR are a critical component of U.S. export control regulations designed to prevent U.S. businesses from participating in or supporting foreign...

The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division has been aggressively pursuing civil enforcement actions.  While criminal enforcement of antitrust laws has been depressed, DOJ has found success in pursuing civil and merger enforcement.  DOJ recently won a significant victory against Google for its monopolization of the search market. DOJ has now turned its attention outside of technology markets by filing suit against Visa for its dominance of...

The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (“DOC-BIS”) is adopting procedures to generate voluntary self-disclosures for violations of export controls laws.  Companies have to weigh carefully the risks when deciding whether to make such a disclosure. The Justice Department and DOC-BIS are building joint prosecutions — criminal and civil — against companies for export control violations.  This new era is coming and companies have...

The Justice Department announced yet another version of its Evaluation of Corporate Compliance Programs.  As everyone knows, the Justice Department’s guidance carries talismanic significance — it is an important document that provides valuable direction on the design and implementation of an effective compliance program.  DOJ understands the importance of this document.  In recognition of evolving technology and compliance program innovations, DOJ updated its guidance to...

The Group of Seven (“G7”) has taken a critical step in bolstering its collective enforcement of export controls and sanctions against the Russian Federation by issuing a historic joint industry guidance document. This move is not merely a procedural update; it represents a concerted effort by the G7—comprising the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom—to address the sophisticated evasion tactics...