BSA Investigator

First Fed•Seattle, WA

5d•Onsite

About The Position

The BSA Investigator is responsible for conducting investigations involving potential money laundering, terrorist financing, fraud, elder financial exploitation, human trafficking, sanctions evasion, and other suspicious or criminal activity. This position serves as the primary investigator for Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) cases requiring formal investigation, including Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) filings and continuing activity SAR reviews. The BSA Investigator performs detailed analysis of customer activity, account relationships, and transaction patterns to identify financial crime risk, determine appropriate regulatory reporting requirements, and document investigative findings. The role also conducts Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) reviews, supports the Bank's high-risk customer program, and serves as a subject matter resource to BSA Specialists and other business units.

Requirements

Minimum 4 years of financial institution experience in BSA/AML, investigations, fraud, compliance, auditing, law enforcement, or related field, preferably in a financial institution or similarly regulated environment
Experience conducting investigations involving suspicious activity.
Has experience working in BSA, AML, OFAC, and in completing Customer Due Diligence (CDD), Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD), suspicious activity monitoring, and related regulatory requirements
Strong analytical, investigative, and problem-solving skills with the ability to evaluate complex customer relationships and financial activity.
Experience reviewing complex customer account relationships and transaction activity.
Strong writing skills with ability to prepare detailed investigative summaries and SAR narratives.

Nice To Haves

CAMS certification.
Verafin experience.
SAR preparation experience.
Experience performing EDD reviews.
Experience supporting regulatory examinations or independent audits.
Knowledge of fraud investigations including account takeover, elder exploitation, check fraud, synthetic identity fraud, and other financial crimes.

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary investigator for BSA cases escalated from monitoring systems, staff referrals, customer due diligence reviews, law enforcement inquiries, and other internal or external sources.
Analyze customer relationships, transaction activity, account behavior, and supporting documentation to identify suspicious activity and assess financial crime risk.
Determine whether suspicious activity warrants regulatory reporting and prepare Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) in accordance with regulatory requirements.
Conduct continuing activity reviews and prepare SAR refiles within required regulatory timeframes.
Prepare detailed investigative summaries, case findings, and recommendations that are clear, accurate, and well supported.
Present cases and investigative findings to management, SAR Committee, auditors, examiners, or other stakeholders as required.
Conduct Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) reviews for high-risk customers and other complex customer relationships requiring additional analysis.
Identify suspicious activity trends, emerging financial crime typologies, monitoring gaps, and opportunities to improve detection and investigative processes.
Assist management with regulatory examinations, independent audits, law enforcement requests, and internal reviews.
Maintain complete, accurate, and well-documented case files in accordance with regulatory requirements, internal procedures, and record retention standards.
Assist with fraud investigations, fraud alerts, fraud operational activities, account reviews, account restrictions, and other fraud prevention activities as assigned.
Conduct fraud investigations and prepare fraud-related SAR filings as assigned.
Provide guidance and support to BSA Specialists regarding alert reviews, referrals, case escalation decisions, investigative documentation, and customer risk assessment.
Assist with development and maintenance of policies, procedures, workflows, and investigation standards.
Participate in monitoring rule reviews, alert effectiveness assessments, and recommendations for program enhancements.
Assist with department training initiatives and cross-training efforts.
Serve as backup support for BSA and fraud functions as needed.