Small and large businesses are the same as they are required to follow the same Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) regulations. The associated costs and workload are manageable for big institutions with big teams, but it’s tough for smaller compliance teams. Fortunately, by implementing digital compliance tools, banks of all sizes can enhance their compliance procedures. Automated compliance tools enhance customer experience, boosting the acquisition and conversion rate of customer onboarding.
Online document verification software and online ID verification software have the potential to relieve pressure on manual compliance teams. Online verification platforms are designed to automate workflows and reduce the risk of fraud and false positives. Banks that operate with automated solutions improve compliance efficiency by more than 50%. This also reduces the workload from BSA teams and enables a renewed focus on big-picture compliance initiatives.
Complying with The Requirements of the Bank Secrecy Act
Maintaining compliance with BSA regulations can be highly expensive for most banks. Community banks may not have the budget to manage personnel for potential fraud cases. To be able to comply with the allotted time limitations is tough and expensive. However, the costs for non-compliance are even more as regulatory bodies tend to charge huge fines.
In theory, BSA providers have to use protective measures. The result is that most banks are hesitant to invest in the latest technologies or services because of how they’ll affect compliance. Even the most common banking procedures like bank account opening can become inefficient if the staff has to spend a lot of time on KYC/AML procedures.
How does Digital Banking Impact Compliance?
BSA teams usually find that legacy technologies aren’t compatible with the development of fast and accurate compliance workflows. The alternative is new technologies that can replace legacy systems to automate key procedures. Newer and more advanced technologies should also maximize compliance protection programs. The U.S. Department of the Treasury has stated that technological innovations are vital for smooth BSA compliance.
The best technologies for account opening offer multiple benefits.
1. Automates KYC/AML Evaluations
KYC and AML compliance during the account opening is the foundation of BSA compliance. Technologies provide workflows that are built to analyze data and context clues vital for detecting fraudulent activity while providing fewer false positives.
Banks can set up unique technologies to build a comprehensive profile for each applicant. Banks have to control every element of the KYC decision workflow in real time.
2. Reducing False Positives
Any transaction monitoring system generates a lot of false positives. False positives just add to human hours as they have to be investigated quickly and reported if they seem suspicious. And its worst, banks close down legitimate accounts or reject worthy applicants as a caution against false positives.
BSA/AML automation systems trigger way too many false positives which increase the burden on the BSA compliance team instead of reducing it. Doing identity checks is important but if the technology is profiling most applicants as suspects, then the solution isn’t doing the job necessary. The right type of technological solutions aims towards reducing false positives offering the BSA team relief from the overload of work.
3. Streamlining the Compliance Process
Using ideal digital solutions offers your compliance team a few critical advantages to maintain compliance. Automation is the key to success. Manual interventions slow down the processes, be it account opening, fraud investigation, or auditing. When certain factors are effectively automated, the staff has room for managing other tasks. With the right automation steps in place, your team has the bandwidth to address the risks as they emerge, thus streamlining the compliance process.
Automation of BSA Compliance to Stay Competitive
Digitization in banking comes with a lot of perks, this also reduces the workload for the bank’s BSA teams, in turn improving compliance efforts to avoid fines by regulatory bodies. Using digital account opening software isn’t just a way to streamline compliance, it’s also an opportunity to improve competitiveness by offering customers easy-to-use solutions.
