The ATTUS Blog

On Monday, President Obama signed a new Executive Order blocking the property, and interests in property, of the Government of Iran, including the Central Bank of Iran and Iranian financial institutions. As a result of this executive order, all U.S. persons are required to block all property, and interests in property, of the Government of Iran and all Iranian financial institutions. With this move,... [more]

On the surface, the start of 2012 doesn’t feel that much different than the start of 2011 - the economic outlook is still murky. Repercussions of the Dodd-Frank Act and other regulatory changes continue to loom and profitability for many financial institutions remains elusive. However, opportunities await in every challenge, including these. The trick is understanding what those opportunities are and capitalizing on them.  

The biggest opportunity out there is reestablishing trust with customers, many of whom still feel badly... [more]

The U.S. Treasury Department issued an update to the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) and Blocked Persons list on Monday, involving Non-proliferation Designations and Iranian Financial Sanctions Regulation Identifications.  

The primary focus of the information released has been on sanctions imposed on Iran’s Bank Tejarat. The third-largest bank in Iran has not only been cut off from the U.S. financial system, but the international financial system as well, as the European Union (EU) also levied sanctions on Bank Tejarat.

Bank... [more]

ATTUS Technologies, Inc. celebrated a milestone to end 2011, well, a couple of them actually.

ATTUS surpassed 8.1 billion - yes billion, with a ‘B,’ - customer transactions to ensure their compliance with the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the USA Patriot Act, the Bank Secrecy Act, Regulation CC, Regulation E, Red Flag Rules and other regulatory compliance requirements. That is... [more]

The Coalition for Excellence in Export Compliance (CEEC) (pronounced “seek”), a voluntary group of experienced export compliance professionals from leading companies, law firms, research organizations and consulting firms, recently released a series of detailed and practical standards containing best practices on a wide range of important topics for export and sanctions compliance programs.  

CEEC's mission is to provide... [more]

If you haven’t read the recently published Supplement to the FFEC Authentication in Electronic Banking Guidance, you might be surprised to learn that while it focuses on enhancing controls to reduce the risk of sensitive information being compromised, it also recognizes that complete elimination of that risk is impossible.  Because of this, they want to ensure consumers are aware of their rights in the event they do become the victim of fraud.  So, both financial institutions and their customers could stand to benefit by learning... [more]

When it comes to social media platforms in highly regulated industries like ours, I’m a big fan of LinkedIn. It’s a great tool to help me stay in contact with business connections while taking part in groups that provide a wealth of information, support and advice. And now LinkedIn is becoming a powerful tool for brands to share news and information with their followers.

ATTUS Technologies was an early adopter of LinkedIn’s addition of [more]

Yet another despot is dead. The killing of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi last week, and the grisly videos and pictures of his final moments, have dominated international news ever since. But there is still a question lingering for financial institutions and organizations – How does Gaddafi’s death affect U.S. companies and financial institutions... [more]

By now you've seen the news about the United States on Tuesday accusing Iranian officials of plotting to kill Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the U.S. But what some businesses may not realize is that Tuesday's international news had a direct impact on how they do business thanks to the sanctions handed down by the U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

The same day the stunning allegations hit the news, OFAC updated its watch lists to include... [more]

We know that HIPAA enforcement actions will only increase in the months and years to come. We also know that the key to responding to a HIPAA enforcement action, or, better yet, avoiding the pitfalls that will cause the HIPAA violation that will trigger an enforcement action, is to ensure that your staff knows and follows the requirements of HIPAA. While paperwork... [more]