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BSA/AML Examination Manual - ffiec

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Electronic Cash — Overview<br />

Using ATMs, point-of-sale devices, or special readers, stored monetary value is<br />

subtracted from the card or the value allocated to the card that is held in a pooled bank<br />

account. When the monetary value is depleted, the card is either discarded (disposable)<br />

or, in some instances, value is replenished (reloadable). In the case of computer e-cash,<br />

monetary value is electronically deducted from the bank account when a purchase is<br />

made or funds are transferred to another person. Additional information on types of ecash<br />

products is available in the FFIEC Information Technology <strong>Examination</strong><br />

Handbook. 179<br />

Risk Factors<br />

Transactions using e-cash may pose the following unique risks to the bank:<br />

• Funds may be transferred to or from an unknown third party.<br />

• Customers may be able to avoid border restrictions as the transactions can become<br />

mobile and may not be subject to jurisdictional restrictions.<br />

• Transactions may be instantaneous.<br />

• Specific cardholder activity may be difficult to determine by reviewing activity<br />

through a pooled account.<br />

• The customer may perceive the transactions as less transparent.<br />

Risk Mitigation<br />

Banks should establish <strong>BSA</strong>/<strong>AML</strong> monitoring, identification, and reporting for unusual<br />

and suspicious activities occurring through e-cash. Useful management information<br />

systems for detecting unusual activity on high-risk accounts include ATM activity reports<br />

(focusing on foreign transactions), funds transfer reports, new account activity reports,<br />

change of Internet address reports, Internet Protocol (IP) address reports, and reports to<br />

identify related or linked accounts (e.g., common addresses, phone numbers, e-mail<br />

addresses, and tax identification numbers). Other controls, such as establishing<br />

transaction and account dollar limits that require manual intervention to exceed the preset<br />

limit, may also be instituted by the bank.<br />

179 The FFIEC Information Technology <strong>Examination</strong> Handbook is available at<br />

www.<strong>ffiec</strong>.gov/<strong>ffiec</strong>infobase/html_pages/it_01.html.<br />

FFIEC <strong>BSA</strong>/<strong>AML</strong> <strong>Examination</strong> <strong>Manual</strong> 207 8/24/2007

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