The Justice Department and the SEC are tired of investigating companies with “paper” compliance programs. It is easy to spot a “paper” compliance program – as the saying goes, you can smell it a mile away. The key distinguishing feature of an effective compliance program and a “paper” program can be distilled down to the question of whether the program is “operational.” Hui Chen, the...

Webinar: 2016 Year in Review:  AML and Sanctions Enforcement Tuesday, January 19, 2016, 12 Noon EST Sign Up Here The Justice Department and the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Asset Control had another strong year in AML and Sanctions enforcement. With ever-changing sanctions programs, and vigilant AML enforcement, businesses now face significant risks of civil and criminal enforcement. Sanctions enforcement has stretched beyond financial institutions...

Lauren Connell, Managing Associate at The Volkov Law Group, joins us again for a posting about self-reporting FCPA violations.  Lauren’s profile is here, and she can be reached at [email protected]. One of the critical questions when evaluating a potential FCPA violation is to decide whether to disclose the matter to the Justice Department and the SEC. The SEC recently announced a requirement for companies to voluntarily disclose...

Just when you thought things could not get any weirder, along comes the New York Department of Financial Services and proposes a new regulation that sets forth minimum requirements for anti-money laundering transaction monitoring systems and sanctions watch list filtering. The regulations include an annual requirement that the Chief Compliance Officer at New York banks and money transmitters certifies that the bank’s or money transmitter’s...

A Chief Compliance Officer can get so overwhelmed with risks that it is hard to keep their focus on priorities. Risks are everywhere and no compliance program can address every risk – the trick is keeping your eye on the ball and focusing on the significant risk. There are lots of risks surrounding a company’s supply chain. Unfortunately, vendors, suppliers and their respective vendors and...

I always use the “Streetcar Named Desire” line to describe the challenges a  Chief Compliance Officer faces – CCOs depend on the kindness of strangers.  It is a little bit of an exaggeration but bear with me. CCOs are not superheroes and cannot by themselves ensure an effective ethics and compliance program. An effective compliance program depends on a positive working relationship among the key...

Individual commitment to a group effort – that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.~ Vince Lombardi Like so many areas in life, a successful ethics and compliance program depends on teamwork. My last two postings, Parts 4 and 5, will highlight these essential partners – senior leadership and key compliance functions. In a company culture, teamwork...

Free Webinar: DOJ Shifts Prosecution Strategy December 15, 2015, 12 Noon EST Sign Up Here I am pleased to announce that Tom Fox, Principal, Advanced Compliance Solutions, and I are conducting a joint webinar on Tuesday, December 15, 2015 at 12 pm EST, on the Justice Department’s shifting FCPA prosecution strategy and compliance program requirements. The Justice Department’s FCPA enforcement program is expected to undergo...

Do the right thing. It will gratify some people and astonish the rest. – Mark Twain We all know the obvious – a CEO’s commitment to ethics and compliance is critical to the success of a compliance program. A CEo who stands up and speaks about the company’s culture of compliance is more than a breath of fresh air – it can be the lifeblood...

I am pleased to announce that Tom Fox, Principal, Advanced Compliance Solutions, and I are conducting a joint webinar on Tuesday, December 1, 2015 at 2 pm EST, on the Justice Department’s shifting FCPA prosecution strategy and compliance program requirements. Please sign up HERE. The Justice Department’s FCPA enforcement program is expected to undergo a significant change in policy focus. Building on the recent adoption...