PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Confidential, New York, NY

KYC Team Lead, Quality Assurance Specialist

Responsibilities:

• Competitively selected to be a team lead following achievement of a perfect score on an internal AML/KYC assessment
• Trained, supervised, and mentored eight KYC analysts conducting enhanced due diligence (EDD) for annual periodic reviews of the bank’s high - risk clients, including foreign financial institutions, FinTechs, Money Service Businesses, state/government entities, public/private companies, collective/private investment schemes, and special purpose vehicles
• Performed QA reviews for a wide array of business lines, including Corporate Finance, Institutional Cash Management, Trade Finance, Global Transaction Banking, Private Banking/Wealth Management, and Global Markets
• Assigned cases and conducted metrics analysis while providing constructive feedback to enhance analyst performance and productivity
• Managed multiple ongoing projects and acted as a liaison between consultants, management, and executive leadership
• Facilitated escalations and collaborated with various stakeholders in the Business; Client On-Boarding; Anti-Bribery and Corruption; Fraud; and Sanctions and Embargoes
• Assessed various special risk factors, including identification of ultimate beneficial owners or legal representatives acting as politically exposed persons (PEPs), material negative news, or other special risk factors identified by the bank to constitute a high-risk recommendation (the issuance of bearer shares; links to a high-risk industry or country; and complex corporate structures)
• Provided risk rating recommendations and conducted determinations for maintaining or exiting a relationship
• Created and distributed instructional policy resources to foster increased understanding, consistency, and structure across teams

Confidential

FIU SAR Writer, Transaction Monitoring Analyst

Responsibilities:

• Completed 250+ hours of intensive training on various policies and regulations put forth by FinCEN and FINRA relating to AML, KYC, and Anti-Bribery and Corruption (ABC); laws pertaining to money laundering and terrorist financing, such as the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) and the USA PATRIOT Act
• Trained and mentored SAR writers on systems, procedures, and analysis for high level investigations
• Performed complex financial investigations and transaction monitoring of high risk businesses and individuals, including private clients and high-risk jurisdiction residents, as well as PEPs and embassies, missions, and consulates (EMCs), across a broad spectrum of banking products through system generated alerts and branch referrals
• Identified unusual and suspicious activity, prepared escalations, filed SARs submitted to FinCEN, and provided relationship retention/termination recommendations
• Consistently recognized as top performing analyst with subject matter expertise, demonstrating efficiency and adaptability in a high pressure, deadline driven environment
• Competitively selected from a group of 60+ contractors to join sensitive cases team
• Performed detailed analysis of data and transaction verification of cash, wire, ACH, and check transactions to detect patterns and typologies of suspicious activity to draft a SAR, review subpoenas and 314(a)s, process legal referrals, and facilitate account closures
• Conducted due diligence reviews utilizing internal and external sources, public and private databases, including LexisNexis, SAR, Actimize/Mantas, OFAC Sanctions, Factiva, and World-Check, to compile a portfolio of information consistent with EDD standards

Confidential

SAR Writer, Quality Assurance Specialist

Responsibilities:

• Designed SAR templates and drafted SARs filed with FinCEN for the largest securities broker dealer in the United States
• Analyzed KYC research performed via LexisNexis and account activity reviews for a range of investment products and brokerage accounts
• Performed first-level QA reviews and revisions of SAR drafts
• Drafted SARs on a variety of typologies, including fraudulent wire instructions, elder financial exploitation, check/ACH fraud, insider trading, embezzlement, and terrorist financing

Confidential

Quality Assurance Specialist, Team Lead, SAR Writer

Responsibilities:

• Investigated cases and mitigated risk to bank on confidential remediation project by conducting due diligence research and negative news screenings on high risk retail customers, credit card holders, and businesses
• Completed transactional analysis over an 18-month account look-back review period to detect unusual and suspicious activity across multiple typologies involving high risk geography wires, online gambling, structuring, and rapid movement of funds associated with domestic and international transactions across various banking products
• Drafted and filed suspicious activity reports (SARs) with FinCEN
• Trained, managed, supervised, and mentored analysts; performed first and second level reviews for quality assurance
• Recognized as top performer within respective teams, consistently exceeding daily production standards consistent with quality assurance guidelines
• Ensured processes related to defect resolution and change management are identified and monitored for timely resolution
• Detected pattern of activity that led to auto-closure of over 2,000 cases
• Demonstrated initiative through the creation and distribution of model guidelines to streamline quality and production standards, and increase efficiency and consistency amongst teams