Anti-Money Laundering Flashcards
AML stands for
Anti-money Laundering
Two pieces of anti-money laundering legislation to know
1) Federal legislation
2) Provincial legislation
Federal Legislation
Proceeds of Crime, money laundering, and terrorist financing act (PCMLTFA)
PCMLTFA imposes requirements on
Financial institutions and other businesses to assist in the fight against money laundering
Canada’s financial intelligence unit
FINTRAC
-Is responsible for the detection, prevention, and deterrence of money laundering and the financing of terrorist activities
In BC, Land Owner Transparency Act (LOTA)
received royal ascent in May 2019 and was brought into force in November 2020
LOTA requires the disclosure of indirect interest holders in a property
Word
PCMLTFA applies to
Both real estate brokerages and licensees
FINTRAC’s role
-Facilitates the detection and prevention of money laundering and financing of terrorist activities
-Ensures compliance of reporting entities with PCMLTFA
-Outlines who is considered a reporting entity under PCMLTFA and the guidelines around who and what information must be reported
FINTRAC identifies that real estate brokers, sales representatives and real estate developers must comply
FINTRAC IS SERIOUS, DAMNNN
PCMLTFA does not apply to
Property management
Licensees providing only rental and strata management are exempt
LOTA was introduced in BC to address government concern with money laundering the province
The legislation was intended to enhance visibility of the ownership of land in BC to
-Address ‘hidden ownership’
-Crack down on tax fraud
-Close loopholes
-Combat money laundering
LOTA requires individuals and entities who are ‘reporting bodies’ to disclose information about themselves and about
Interest holders who indirectly hold an interest in land
LOTA records are
Completely separate from the land title office (LTO) and are handled by the administrator of LOTA and stored in a searchable registry called the Land Ownership Transparency Registry (LOTR) developed by the land title and service authority of British Columbia
LOTA itself does not refer to
A registry (LOTR) but for ease of reference the information about interest holders is referred to as being in the LOTR
Identify warning signs for money laundering in real estate
Identify warning signs for money laundering in real estate
Money laundering is more than just buying a house with cash
Even if your brokerage doesn’t accept cash deposits or a property is not paid for in cash, there can still be a risk of money laundering
General warning signs
1) Use of corporations, other legal entities, nominees
2) Ownership by foreign persons
3) Purchasers without a mortgage
4) Use of unregulated lenders
Client behaviour warning signs
1) Client over-justifies or over explains the purchase
2) Client expressed unusual concerns about government reporting requirements and the real estate anti-money laundering policies
3) Client shows a lack of concern about risks, commissions, or other transactions costs
4) Client is known to have paid large remodeling or home improvement invoices with cash
5) Client arrives at a real estate closing with a significant amount of cash
Unusual transaction warning signs
-Client sells or buys property significantly below or above market value
-Client buys property without inspecting it
-Frequent change of ownership of the same property, particularly between related or acquainted parties
-If the property is resold shortly after purchasing at a significantly different price, without corresponding changes to the market values in the same area
-Client buys back a property that they recently sold
Person / entity financial profile warning signs
-Client persists in representing their financial situation in a way that is unrealistic or that could not be supported by documents
-Transactions carried out on behalf of minors, incapacitated persons or other persons who appear to lack economic capacity to make such purchases
Use of other parties warning signs
-Client does not want to put their name on any documents that would connect them with the property or uses different names on Offers to Purchase, closing documents and deposit receipts
-Client inadequately explains the last-minute substitution of the purchasing party’s name
-Client purchases property in some else name such as an associate or a relative (other than spouse)
-Client pays initial deposit with a cheque from a third party, a spouse, or parent
-Client pays a substantial down payment in cash and balance is financed by an unusual source (Third party or private lender) or offshore bank
-A transaction involving legal entities, when there does not seem to be any relationship between the transaction and the activity carried out by the buying company
-Transaction is completely anonymous - transaction conducted by a lawyer, all deposit cheques drawn on lawyers trust account
Know your client
Know your client
PCMLTFA requires licensees to
verify their clients identity for certain activities and transactions
Clients can include
Individuals, or entities as corporations, trusts, partnerships, funds, and unincorporated associations or organizations
These steps to know your client should be undertaken at the following points
-Receipt of funds at the time the transaction takes place
-Collection of client information records at the time the transaction takes place
-Submission of large cash transactions at the time the transaction takes place
-Identification of suspicious transactions involving an unrepresented party before submitting a suspicious transaction report