| Financial Crimes Enforcement Network | |
|---|---|
| Agency overview | |
| Formed | April 25, 1990 |
| Headquarters | Vienna, Virginia |
| Agency executive | Director, James H. Freis, Jr. |
| Parent agency | Department of the Treasury |
| Website | |
| www.fincen.gov | |
The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (or FinCEN) is a bureau of the United States Department of the Treasury that collects and analyzes information about financial transactions in order to combat money laundering, terrorist financiers, and other financial crimes.
As reflected in its name, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) is a network, a means of bringing people and information together to fight the complex problem of money laundering. Since its creation in 1990, FinCEN has coordinated the sharing of information with law enforcement agencies and its other partners in the regulatory and financial communities. FinCEN uses cooperation and partnerships in a network approach to combat money laundering domestically and internationally.
FinCEN was established by order of the Secretary of the Treasury (Treasury Order Numbered 105–08) on April 25, 1990. In May 1994, its mission was broadened to include regulatory responsibilities and the Treasury Department's Office of Financial Enforcement (OFE) was merged with FinCEN in October 1994. On September 26, 2002, after Title III of the USA PATRIOT Act was passed, Treasury Order 180-01[1] made it an official bureau in the Department of the Treasury.
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The USA PATRIOT Act of 2001, §314(a) requires the Secretary of the Treasury to create a secure network for the transmission of information to enforce the relevant regulations.
FinCEN’s regulations under Section 314(a) enable federal law enforcement agencies, through FinCEN, to reach out to more than 45,000 points of contact at more than 27,000 financial institutions to locate accounts and transactions of persons that may be involved in terrorist financing and/or money laundering. This cooperative partnership between the financial community and law enforcement allows disparate bits of information to be identified, centralized, and rapidly evaluated.
This web interface allows the person(s) designated in §314(a)(3)(A) to register and transmit information to FinCEN.
On September 1, 2010, FinCEN issued an advisory on "informal value transfer systems" referencing United States v. Banki and Hawala.[2]
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