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FinCEN Issues Corresponding But Limited Extensions of Reporting Deadlines

The Fates of the CTA and Corresponding CDD Rule Remain in a State of Flux

The Fifth Circuit has granted the government’s request to stay temporarily the order and injunction issued by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, which had issued a nationwide stay prohibiting enforcement of the Corporate Transparency Act (“CTA”).

As we have blogged, on December 3, 2024, in the case of Texas Top Cop Shop, Inc., et al. v. Garland, et al., the Eastern District of Texas issued an order (“Order”) granting a nationwide preliminary injunction that: (1) enjoined the CTA, including enforcement of that statute and regulations implementing its beneficial ownership information reporting requirements, and, specifically, (2) stayed all deadlines to comply with the CTA’s reporting requirements.

The Order created great uncertainty, if not chaos, because the CTA’s reporting deadline for covered entities existing prior to January 1, 2024 was January 1, 2025. The uncertainty regarding the status of the CTA was exacerbated last week during the looming federal  showdown, in which the initially proposed budget stop-gap bill included language which would have extended the CTA’s filing deadline for previously-existing covered entities by one year. But, that initial spending bill did not pass, and the spending bill which ultimately did pass did not include any language regarding the CTA.

Nonetheless, these political machinations suggest that the CTA and its implementation may face a rocky road when the new administration takes over in January 2025. The CTA could be undone by Congress, or just not enforced by a new administration. Or the implementing regulations could be revised significantly. It’s very hard to predict right now.

Continue Reading  Fifth Circuit Halts Nationwide Stay of CTA Enforcement

FinCEN has posted the following on its website in light of a recent litigation outcome regarding the Corporate Transparency Act (“CTA”) in the Eastern District of Texas.  As we have blogged, and as the below notes, other federal district courts have reached opposite conclusions.  Also, the Eleventh Circuit still needs to rule on…

Various industry groups have filed lawsuits in multiple federal districts challenging the constitutionality of the Corporate Transparency Act (“CTA”).  The first such suit, filed in the Northern District of Alabama, resulted in a ruling by the District Court that the CTA was unconstitutional because Congress lacked the authority to enact the CTA.  The government appealed this ruling, and the Eleventh Circuit heard oral argument on Friday, September 27.  As we discuss below, the tenor of the argument suggests, although hardly compels, the conclusion that the Eleventh Circuit will reverse the holding of the District Court.

Further, one week prior to the oral argument, on September 20, the District of Oregon rejected a motion for preliminary injunction to enjoin enforcement of the CTA, finding in part that plaintiffs had failed to show a likelihood of success on the merits in regards to a broad spectrum of constitutional claims.  Although the District of Oregon did not issue a dispositive ruling on the merits, given the particular procedural posture of the case, the tenor of the opinion strongly suggests that plaintiffs’ lawsuit faces an uphill battle, at best.

Given the importance of the CTA and the existence of several other similar lawsuits in other federal districts challenging the CTA, both of these developments have been watched closely.  FinCEN has estimated that over 30 million existing entities need to file reports regarding their beneficial owners (“BOs”) under the CTA by January 1, 2025.  FinCEN also has indicated that, to date, only a small percentage of covered entities have done so.  To the extent that entities may have been waiting to file their reports until a more clear picture of the CTA litigations materializes, they presumably should stop waiting.  Although it is possible that a circuit split could develop, and that the U.S. Supreme Court ultimately could address and resolve the constitutionality of the CTA, the CTA still remains in force—with the current exception of entities affected by the District of Alabama ruling—and presumably will remain in force past January 1, 2025.

Continue Reading  Corporate Transparency Act Litigation Update:  Eleventh Circuit Hears Argument, and District of Oregon Rejects Preliminary Injunction Enjoining CTA Enforcement

On August 29, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Center (“FinCEN”) published Anti-Money Laundering Regulations for Residential Real Estate Transfers (“Final Rule”) regarding residential real estate.  The Federal Register publication is 37 pages long.  We have created a separate document which sets forth only the provisions of the Final Rule, at 31 C.F.R. § 1031.320, here.

The Final Rule institutes a new BSA reporting form – the “Real Estate Report” (“Report”) –which imposes a nation-wide reporting requirement for the details of residential real estate transactions, subject to some exceptions, in which the buyer is a covered entity or trust.  As expected, FinCEN has adopted a “cascade” approach to who is responsible for filing a Report, specifically implicating – among others – title agencies, escrow companies, settlement agents, and lawyers. 

Importantly, the person filing the Report may reasonably rely on information provided by others.  Parties involved in a covered transaction also may agree as to who must file the Report.  However, the Final Rule does not allow for incomplete reports, which likely will create practical problems.

The Final Rule does not require covered businesses to implement and maintain comprehensive anti-money laundering (“AML”) compliance programs or file Suspicious Activity Reports (“SARs”), like many other institutions covered by the Bank Secrecy Act (“BSA”).  FinCEN has indicated that separate proposed rulemaking on commercial real estate transactions is forthcoming.  However, the existence of a commercial element with a property does not automatically except a transfer from the Final Rule.  For example, the transfer of a property that consists of a single-family residence that is located above a commercial enterprise is covered if all of the other reporting criteria are met.

FinCEN has published a Fact Sheet which summarizes the basics of the Final Rule.  FinCEN also has published an eight-page set of FAQs on the Final Rule.  The Final Rule will be effective on December 1, 2025.  FinCEN has not yet issued a proposed form of the Report.

Continue Reading  FinCEN Issues Final BSA Reporting Requirements for Residential Real Estate Deals

Thereby Highlighting Need for Future Changes to Banks’ CDD Rule Systems

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) has published a two-page reference guide (“Guide”) comparing the requirements for reporting beneficial ownership information (“BOI”) to FinCEN under the Corporate Transparency Act (“CTA”) with the current requirements for covered entity customers to report BOI to their financial institutions (“FIs”) under the Bank Secrecy Act’s Customer Due Diligence (“CDD”) Rule. 

Entitled “Notice to Customers: Beneficial Ownership Information Reference Guide,” the Guide is styled as a reference tool for business customers of banks who also are covered by the CTA.  It is predominated by a chart, which we set forth at the end of this blog post, setting forth the differences in what information needs to be reported under the different reporting regimes.  But, as we discuss, the Guide also serves as a reminder to FIs — intentionally or not — that they soon will be required to revamp their long-standing CDD Rule compliance systems.

Continue Reading  FinCEN Highlights Differences in CDD Rule and CTA Reporting of BOI

Strategy Touts Regulations on Beneficial Ownership, Real Estate and Investment Advisers, but Bemoans Lack of Supervisory Resources for Non-Bank Financial Institutions

The U.S. Department of the Treasury has issued its 2024 National Strategy for Combatting Terrorist and Other Illicit Financing (“Strategy”).  It is a 55-page document which, according to the government’s press release, “addresses the key risks from the 2024 National Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing, and Proliferation Financing Risk Assessments. . . and details how the United States will build on recent historic efforts to modernize the U.S. anti-money laundering/countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) regime, enhance operational effectiveness in combating illicit actors, and embrace technological innovation to mitigate risks.”

The Strategy discusses an enormous list of topics.  Given the breadth of its scope, the Strategy generally makes only very high-level comments regarding any particular topic.  This post accordingly is extremely high level as well, and offers only a few select comments. 

Continue Reading  Treasury Issues Broad National Strategy for Combatting Illicit Financing

On April 18, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) released updated FAQs related to the Corporate Transparency Act (“CTA”) and Beneficial Ownership Information (“BOI”) Rule. The last round of updates occurred in January 2024. As we previously have reported, the FAQs do not create any new requirements and are intended to clarify the regulation. In total, there are 16 new FAQs and 2 updated FAQs. We have included brief summaries below.

One of the main take-aways is that FinCEN does not expect to provide access to CTA BOI to financial institutions (“FIs”) until 2025.  In the interim, FinCEN will issue the long-awaited proposed regulations seeking to align the CTA with the Customer Due Diligence (“CDD”) Rule already applicable to certain FIs, including banks, which requires FIs to obtain BOI from covered entity customers opening accounts.  This delay is likely very frustrating for FIs seeking to comply with the CTA and adjust their existing systems for complying with the CDD Rule.

Continue Reading  FinCEN Releases Updated BOI FAQs

We previously blogged on the lawsuit filed by the National Small Business Association (“NSBA”) and one of its individual members, which sought to challenge the constitutionality of the Corporate Transparency Act (“CTA”). Most recently, we analyzed the March 1 decision in that case by the Northern District of Alabama court, finding the CTA to be unconstitutional and enjoining the United States government from enforcing it against the plaintiffs.

The government sought an appeal before the Eleventh Circuit, and last Monday the Treasury Department filed its appellate brief. Before the District Court, the government argued that Congress had authority to enact the CTA under three distinct enumerated powers: (1) oversight of foreign affairs and national security; (2) its Commerce Clause-derived regulatory authority; and (3) its power to tax. The government’s brief on appeal focuses primarily on regulation of commercial activity, and its value as a component of the federal focus on combatting financial crime.

Continue Reading  Treasury Asks the Eleventh Circuit to Uphold the CTA and Congressional Authority

The Financial Action Task Force (“FATF”) has re-rated the U.S. as “largely compliant” with FATF’s Recommendation 24, which pertains to transparency related to beneficial ownership of legal persons.  Specifically, FATF released its seventh Enhanced Follow-Up Report (the “Report”) indicating that the improved re-rating was due, in part, to the implementation of the Corporate Transparency Act (“CTA”) as well as the Customer Due Diligence (“CDD”) Rule, which requires covered financial institutions to obtain beneficial ownership information (“BOI”) from designated entity customers opening up accounts.

FATF is an independent, inter-governmental body that develops global policies related to anti-money laundering, terrorist financing, and related crimes. As a member of FATF, the U.S. is subject to evaluations of its technical compliance with the various FATF recommendations. FATF’s lengthy Mutual Evaluation Report for the U.S. (“MER”), issued in December 2016, had identified the U.S. as “deficient” and subject to enhanced follow-up in regards to Recommendation 24.

In a press release, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen remarked that the re-rating was a result of the past decade of work by the Treasury Department and its interagency partners, and indicated Treasury’s commitment to “strengthening the implementation of the FATF’s global standards.”  As we have blogged, the U.S. has been subject to global criticism for years because it has been perceived as a haven for money laundering and tax evasion.

Continue Reading  FATF Re-Rates United States as “Largely Compliant” with Beneficial Ownership Recommendation

We are very pleased to be presenting on both Bank Secrecy Act/Anti-Money Laundering (BSA/AML) compliance and the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA), in partnership with the Practicing Law Institute. 

First, on April 8 at 1 p.m., Siana Danch will discuss issues involving the CTA during a live one-hour briefing with Sara C. Lenet of Hogan…