The award-winning Compliance into the Weeds is the only weekly podcast that takes a deep dive into compliance topics, literally going into the weeds. Looking for hard-hitting compliance insights? Look no further than Compliance into the Weeds! In this episode of Compliance into the Weeds, Tom Fox and Matt Kelly discuss the recent OCC and Federal Reserve enforcement actions against American Express.
The penalties included a $350 million civil penalty, cease-and-desist orders, and extensive compliance obligations tied to weaknesses in customer due diligence, suspicious activity reporting, staffing, and risk assessment. Tom highlighted that Amex processed billions of transactions, many ordinary credit-card transactions, showing banks must know all customers, not just high-dollar activity, and noted regulators’ broader pattern of similar actions across the industry as financial innovation outpaced compliance investment.
Matt noted that regulators depend on SARs as critical inputs for broader enforcement “mosaics,” explaining why SAR failures draw intense scrutiny. The orders’ notable feature is direct board involvement, requiring a board-level compliance committee and action plan to hold management accountable, with a strong focus on end-to-end documentation and evidence trails; they see no facts suggesting the egregious, employee-involved criminality seen in TD Bank.
Key highlights:
- Industry Pattern and Root Causes
- Innovation as Compliance Risk
- Board Oversight Mandates
- Why SARs Matter
- DOJ Risk and TD Bank Comparison
- Disjointed Compliance and Fixes
Resources:
Tom in the FCPA Compliance Report, Part 1 and Part 2
Tom
A multi-award-winning podcast, Compliance into the Weeds, was recently named one of the Top 25 Regulatory Compliance Podcasts, Top 10 Business Law Podcasts, and Top 12 Risk Management Podcasts. Compliance into the Weeds has been awarded a Davey, Communicator, and W3 Award, all for podcast excellence.