Fed: Pakistani Bank's N.Y. Branch Must Improve AML Compliance

The New York branch of Pakistani firm United Bank Limited has been ordered to strengthen oversight of its international remittance services to better comply with federal anti-money-laundering regulations.

The bank and its branch entered into a written agreement with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York earlier this week, according to a press release from the Federal Reserve Board

United Bank Limited agreed to hire an independent consultant to evaluate the compliance of its foreign wire transfer services with anti-money laundering rules and the Bank Secrecy Act. The company also agreed to develop an enhanced compliance program, update systems for monitoring remittances and review wire transfer transactions between Jan. 1 and June 30 for suspicious activity.

The Federal Reserve Board ordered Germany's Commerzbank to improve its New York branch’s compliance with anti-money-laundering rules two weeks ago. JPMorgan Chase (JPM) took steps to strengthen controls around transaction monitoring that month by banning foreign wire transfers for some small-business customers.

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