2019-10-10

Added

Financial Crimes Enforcement Network; 2019 Inflation Adjustment of Civil Monetary Penalties

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network amends Table 1 of 31 CFR 1010.821 to update maximum civil monetary penalty amounts for Bank Secrecy Act violations based on a 2019 inflation adjustment multiplier of 1.02522. These revised penalties apply to violations assessed on or after October 10, 2019. The adjustments increase specific penalty caps, such as raising the maximum for willful violations of general requirements from $100,000 to $229,269 and the maximum for shell bank correspondent account violations from $1,000,000 to $1,423,088.

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Financial Crimes Enforcement Network; Inflation Adjustment of Civil Monetary Penalties

A Rule by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network on 10/10/2019

Published Document: 2019-22094 (84 FR 54495) This document has been published in the Federal Register . Use the PDF linked in the document sidebar for the official electronic format. Published Document: 2019-22094 (84 FR 54495)

Document Details Published Content - Document Details

Agencies

Department of the Treasury

Financial Crimes Enforcement Network

CFR

31 CFR 1010

Document Citation

84 FR 54495

Document Number

2019-22094

Document Type

Rule

Pages

54495-54496 (2 pages)

Publication Date

10/10/2019

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Department of the Treasury

Financial Crimes Enforcement Network

CFR

31 CFR 1010

Document Citation

84 FR 54495

Document Number

2019-22094

Document Type

Rule

Pages

54495-54496 (2 pages)

Publication Date

10/10/2019

Published Content - Document Details

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2019-10-10

Dates Text

Effective October 10, 2019.

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Department of the Treasury

Financial Crimes Enforcement Network

31 CFR Part 1010

AGENCY:

Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”), Treasury.

ACTION:

Final rule.

SUMMARY:

FinCEN publishes this final rule to reflect inflation adjustments to its civil monetary penalties (“CMPs”) as mandated by the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990, as amended by the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015 (collectively referred to herein as “the Act”). This rule adjusts certain CMPs within the jurisdiction of FinCEN to the maximum amount required by the Act.

DATES:

Effective October 10, 2019.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

The FinCEN Resource Center at (800) 767-2825 or email frc@fincen.gov .

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

In order to improve the effectiveness of CMPs and to maintain their deterrent effect, the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990, 28 U.S.C. 2461 note (“the Inflation Adjustment Act”), as amended by the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015 ( Pub. L. 114-74 ) (“the 2015 Act”), requires Federal agencies to adjust each CMP provided by law within the jurisdiction of the agency. The 2015 Act requires agencies to adjust the level of CMPs with an initial “catch-up” adjustment through an interim final rulemaking and to make subsequent annual adjustments for inflation, without needing to provide notice and the opportunity for public comment otherwise required by 5 U.S.C. 553 . The 2015 Act provides that any increase in a CMP shall apply to CMPs that are assessed after the date the increase takes effect, regardless of whether the underlying violation predated such increase. [ 1 ]

II. Method of Calculation

The method of calculating CMP adjustments applied in this final rule is required by the 2015 Act. Under the 2015 Act and the Office of Management and Budget (“OMB”) guidance required by the 2015 Act, annual inflation adjustments subsequent to the initial catch-up adjustment are to be based on the percent change between the Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers (“CPI-U”) for the October preceding the date of the adjustment and the prior year's October CPI-U. As set forth in OMB Memorandum M-19-04 of December 14, 2018, the adjustment multiplier for 2019 is 1.02522. In order to complete the 2019 annual adjustment, each current CMP is multiplied by the 2019 adjustment multiplier. Under the 2015 Act, any increase in CMP must be rounded to the nearest multiple of $1.

Procedural Matters

  1. Administrative Procedure Act

The Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015 (Section 701(b)) requires agencies, beginning in 2017, to make annual adjustments for inflation to CMPs without needing to provide notice and the opportunity for public comment required by 5 U.S.C. 553 . Additionally, the methodology used for adjusting CMPs for inflation, effective 2017, is provided by statute, with no discretion provided to agencies regarding the substance of the adjustments for inflation to CMPs. FinCEN is charged only with performing ministerial computations to determine the dollar amount of adjustments for inflation to CMPs. Accordingly, prior public notice and an opportunity for public comment and a delayed effective date are not required for this rule.

  1. Regulatory Flexibility Act

Because no notice of proposed rulemaking is required, the provisions of the Regulatory Flexibility Act ( 5 U.S.C. 601

et seq. ) do not apply.

Executive Order 12866

This rule is not a significant regulatory action as defined in section 3.f of Executive Order 12866 .

  1. Paperwork Reduction Act

The provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 , 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35 , and its implementing regulations, 5 CFR part 1320 , do not apply to this rule because there are no new or revised recordkeeping or reporting requirements.

List of Subjects in 31 CFR Part 1010

Authority delegations (Government agencies)

Administrative practice and procedure

Banks, banking

Brokers

Currency

Foreign banking

Foreign currencies

Gambling

Investigations

Penalties

Reporting and recordkeeping requirements

Securities

Terrorism

Authority and Issuance

For the reasons set forth in the preamble, part 1010 of chapter X of title 31 of the Code of Federal Regulations is amended as follows:

PART 1010—GENERAL PROVISIONS

The authority citation for part 1010 continues to read as follows:

Authority:

12 U.S.C. 1829b and 1951-1959 ; 31 U.S.C. 5311-5314 , 5316-5332 ; Title III, sec. 314, Pub. L. 107-56 , 115 Stat. 307; sec. 701, Pub. L. 114-74 , 129 Stat. 599.

Amend § 1010.821 by revising Table 1 of § 1010.821 to read as follows:

§ 1010.821

Penalty adjustment and table.

(b) * * * ( printed page 54496)

Table 1 of § 1010.821—Penalty Adjustment Table

U.S. Code citation

Civil monetary penalty description

Penalties as last amended
by statute

Maximum penalty amounts or range of minimum and maximum penalty amounts for penalties assessed on or after October 10, 2019

12 U.S.C. 1829b(j)

Relating to Recordkeeping Violations For Funds Transfers

$10,000

$21,039

12 U.S.C. 1955

Willful or Grossly Negligent Recordkeeping Violations

10,000

21,039

31 U.S.C. 5318(k)(3)(C)

Failure to Terminate Correspondent Relationship with Foreign Bank

10,000

14,231

31 U.S.C. 5321(a)(1)

General Civil Penalty Provision for Willful Violations of Bank Secrecy Act Requirements

25,000 −100,000

57,317 −229,269

31 U.S.C. 5321(a)(5)(B)(i)

Foreign Financial Agency Transaction—Non-Willful Violation of Transaction

10,000

13,247

31 U.S.C. 5321(a)(5)(C)(i)(I)

Foreign Financial Agency Transaction—Willful Violation of Transaction

100,000

132,469

31 U.S.C. 5321(a)(6)(A)

Negligent Violation by Financial Institution or Non-Financial Trade or Business

500

1,146

31 U.S.C. 5321(a)(6)(B)

Pattern of Negligent Activity by Financial Institution or Non-Financial Trade or Business

50,000

89,170

31 U.S.C. 5321(a)(7)

Violation of Certain Due Diligence Requirements, Prohibition on Correspondent Accounts for Shell Banks, and Special Measures

1,000,000

1,423,088

31 U.S.C. 5330(e)

Civil Penalty for Failure to Register as Money Transmitting Business

5,000

8,457

Jamal El-Hindi,

Deputy Director, Financial Crimes Enforcement Network.

Footnotes

                     However, the increased CMPs apply only with respect to underlying violations occurring after the date of enactment of the 2015 Act,

i.e., after November 2, 2015.

Back to Citation

[ FR Doc. 2019-22094 Filed 10-9-19; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4810-02-P

Published Document: 2019-22094 (84 FR 54495)