The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network today issued an advisory to U.S. financial institutions highlighting the connection between corrupt senior foreign political figures, their enabling of human rights abuses and their illicit use of the U.S. financial system.

The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control today announced sanctions against eight North Korean banks, two banks identified as part of the North Korean government and 26 individuals linked to North Korean financial networks.

The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control today announced sanctions against 11 entities and individuals for support of previously sanctioned Iranian actors and for malicious cyber-crime, including a series of distributed denial of service attacks against U.S. financial institutions.

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network today announced steps to safeguard the U.S. financial system against illicit North Korean financial activity.

BAFT, ABA’s global transaction banking subsidiary, and The Clearing House have published a guidance paper to help banks comply with sanctions requirements for transactions related to the shipment of goods.

Foreign banking organizations with U.S. operations need to ensure that their foreign operations are in compliance with U.S. anti-money laundering laws, a senior Department of Justice official said today at the ABA/ABA Money Laundering Enforcement Conference in Washington, D.C.

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network is issuing a final rule imposing a special measure against North Korea as a jurisdiction of primary money laundering concern under the USA Patriot Act.

As part of the Obama administration’s continued opening toward Cuba, the Treasury Department today announced the easing of additional financial sanctions and limitations affecting interactions between the U.S. and Cuba.

The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control today imposed sanctions on international payment processor PacNet and a network of 12 individuals and 24 entities targeted for supporting PacNet.

ABA today urged the Office of Management and Budget to reject the OCC’s proposed changes to its Bank Secrecy Act/Money Laundering Risk Assessment, or MLR, which evaluates the BSA/AML and OFAC sanctions risks associated with bank products as part of the agency’s BSA/AML/OFAC supervision program.