LUIS LARA

626-***-**** – ad0zs1@r.postjobfree.com

Luis Lara, CAMS LinkedIn

SUMMARY

A highly knowledgeable CAMS certified compliance professional and corporate officer with extensive expertise in global AML, OFAC compliance programs, policies and procedures development, risk control assessments and risk management for financial institutions, fraud management, U.S. money transmission compliance and licensing, audit planning & exam management, and vendor management. Keeps abreast of updates or changes to state, federal, and global regulations to ensure the organization complies. Bilingual; Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English and Spanish. EXPERIENCE

BATES GROUP, LLC October 2021 - Present

Compliance Consultant

Work with the company as an Independent Consultant. Provide BSA/AML/OFAC compliance consulting services, independent reviews, policy writing, and training.

• Conduct independent reviews for banks, fintech, crypto, non-bank institutions, MSBs and FINRA Broker-Dealers.

• Provide consulting services that include BSA/AML/OFAC program development, Risk Assessment programs, and Training.

• Conduct risk control assessments and develop action plans to mitigate risk.

• Provide advisory services as an independent Compliance Officer.

• Develop company policies and procedures.

• Worked closely with company compliance officer on AML / BSA / OFAC policies, UDAAP, Dodd- Frank Act, CFPB policies, CID/KYC program, and development of procedures for banks, program managers, money service businesses, cryptocurrency, payments and prepaid programs companies.

• Preserves orderly and detailed work papers, assists management with the determination of the cause(s) of violations or exceptions, recommends corrective action, conducts exit meetings with management, and drafts reports of compliance findings to senior management MSB Compliance Services January 2011 - Present

Compliance Consultant

Established an independent consulting service that reaches out to Money Services Businesses and offers compliance solutions. Assist MSBs by educating them on relevant state and federal requirements. Compliance Solutions vary upon MSB size and knowledge of AML rules and regulations. Services offered include, but not limited to, the following:

• Establish an Anti-Money Laundering and OFAC Program.

• Analyze and mitigate company/agent risk by developing a Risk Assessment and due diligence process.

• Provide Risk Control Assessment and Risk Management

• Develop internal policies, procedures, and controls.

• Train Staff and develop an ongoing employee training program.

• Conduct an Independent Audit function to test programs.

• Transaction monitoring including SAR and CTR e-filing.

• Assist and guide agents/issuers during state/federal exams or bank audits.

• Assisted financial institutions with compliance programs by enhancing policies and procedures or by reviewing reports and filing SARs.

PRICE WATERHOUSE COOPERS (PWC) June 2022 – June 2023 Fraud Operations Quality Review and Investigations Work as an independent contractor for large banks through PWC engagement by providing Fraud investigations, Quality Reviews, and Investigations.

• Conduct investigations of Fraud cases, document investigative findings, and determine whether the case should be escalated/referred for further review or action.

• Analyzed transactional data and conducted internal and external research on fraud subjects

• Identified scenarios that merit a suspicious activity report (“SAR”) to be filed.

• Reviewed investigations for Fraud cases conducted by other investigators for quality assurance before submitting for final approval.

• Provide training/guidance to other investigators on bank procedures and federal/state regulatory requirements.

• Investigate account takeovers, first-party, identity theft fraud cases and file suspicious activity reports (“SARs”).

TOKEN SOFT August 2021 – August 2022

KYC Analyst

Work with the company as an independent KYC Analyst. The company offers different token sales and applicants must go through their compliance due diligence process before payment can be accepted.

• Conducting due diligence on applicants flagged by KYC system

• Verify that the applicant is not in sanctioned watchlists, and is not a PEP

• Flag fraudulent activity

• Determine if applicants pass or fail the company’s KYC process PAYDAY MONEY CENTERS January 2011 – April 2021

Compliance Officer

Responsible for overseeing the company's compliance department and maintaining the AML Compliance program and Compliance Management System by creating, reviewing, and updating policies and procedures; implementing new technology for onboarding and monitoring of transactions; creating training material; training employees; filing SARs; assisting in license management; managing consumer complaints, including responding directly to customers; conducting risk assessment of the program, and overseeing periodic state/ federal audits and examinations.

• Report directly to CEO.

• Point of contact and interface with state examiners.

• Point of escalation for exception handling reviews and policy enforcement.

• Developed compliance, risk management, and fraud prevention program from concept to execution

• Conduct Risk Control Self Assessments and Risk Management

• Identify high risk areas, evaluate controls, and develop action plans to mitigate risk.

• Implement the company’s initial and ongoing compliance training

• Trained and managed group of analysts for transaction monitoring, SAR reporting

• Conduct company’s transaction monitoring and file SARs and CTRs

• Conduct Payday Loan audits to ensure compliance with the Department of Business Oversight.

• Manage the company’s Commercial Check Cashing

• Assist Law Enforcement with investigations by responding to subpoenas, summons, and/or legal requests

• Report company risks, SAR reports, and consumer complaints to senior management and the board of directors

• Delivers support and monitoring to various regulations including, but not limited to the UDAAP, TILA, ECOA, FCRA, Dodd-Frank, Regulation E, Regulation Z, etc. CONTINENTAL CURRENCY SERVICES August 2008 – January 2011 Compliance Officer

Served as the Compliance Officer for a money order issuing company. Established a full compliance team and developed an Anti-Money Laundering Compliance program for the company. Regularly reviewed and updated the AML Compliance Program to mitigate risks.

• Reviewed existing and new products and business initiatives to ensure compliance with AML / BSA regulations, Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, and state and federal laws.

• Established a detailed Risk Assessment Program for the company.

• Conduct Risk Control Self Assessments and Risk Management

• Identify high risk areas, evaluate controls, and develop action plans to mitigate risk.

• Established and managed company projects to ensure that the company’s agent network of approximately 1800 agents received Anti Money Laundering training.

• Managed to reduce the training approximated period of 2yrs by training 80% of the agent network within 5 months.

• Dramatically increased compliance awareness among agents and reduced the amount of regulatory reporting discrepancies by over 85%.

• Managed State/Federal audits and examinations of the company and responded to regulatory inquiries.

• Established and enforced corrective actions for deficiencies found during regulatory audits or examinations.

EDUCATION

Rio Hondo College, Whittier CA

CERTIFICATION

Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists Certification Number: 005001836

Since:2021

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