Risk Management Compliance

Mellat Desta

San Jose, CA 408-***-**** ********@*****.*** linkedin.com/in/mellat-desta

OFAC Sanctions Compliance Risk Professional

Strong Compliance and Risk professional with significant banking, compliance, and regulatory expertise. In-depth understanding of regulatory landscape applicable to banks and risk management concepts.

Significant experience in working effectively with Bank regulators. Strong process management and work ethics. Excellent ability to communicate and build consensus among diverse groups having dissimilar interests. Possess a deep understanding of sanctions laws and regulations including US, European, and Canadian watchlist according to industry standards.

Core Skills

Regulatory Expertise USA PATRIOT Act Financial Crime Investigation Identify, Assess, & Prioritize Risks Exceptional Attention to Detail Interpreting Data, Trends, & Risk Patterns Clear & Effective Communication Making Decisions Aligned with Legal & Moral Standards

Experience

PWC, Silicon Valley, CA 01/2024 to Present

Fraud Investigator

Conducting investigations of Fraud cases, documenting investigative findings, and determining whether the case should be escalated/referred for further review or action.

Understanding and applying procedures, including procedural changes throughout the engagement, into the investigation.

Analyzing transactional data and conducting internal and external research on subjects using a variety of research tools.

Identifying scenarios which merit a suspicious activity report ("SAR") to be filed.

Accurately and thoroughly gathering necessary artifacts for SAR development.

Drafting SARs to be filed to FinCEN by clients, where necessary.

Reviewing and investigating customer profile information (PII, email, phone, etc.)

Bank of The West, Omaha Nebraska, NE 07/2021 – 09/2023 Compliance Officer Sanctions Compliance, 07/2021 – 09/2023

Responsible for all activities associated with assigned sanctions laws, regulations, and other legal requirements to ensure Bank compliance. Assist the Sanctions Compliance Manager execute and coordinate an enterprise wide OFAC and Sanctions compliance program.

Act as enterprise-wide point-of-contact for all escalations related to sanctions matters such as: real- time payments, customer account, relationship alerts, escalations, tracking, and other sanctions concerns.

Identify training needs and support development of content for business units and compliance departments; deliver in-person or web-based Sanctions compliance ad-hoc training for various groups.

Update Sanctions related databases. Provides metrics to support the Bank’s management information reporting for senior compliance leadership and BNPP reporting.

Review and investigate OFAC Alerts. Prepare weekly and annual OFAC Block and Reject reporting and other reporting, as needed.

Recommend changes to sanctions compliance policies, standards, and procedures in coordination with the Sanctions Advisory Officers and the Compliance Program team.

Bank of The West Financial Fraud / Compliance Analyst II, 12/2018 – 07/2021

Researched and analyzed initial notification of potential fraud and suspicious activity to the Corporate Security Investigation team; investigated matters that have criminal or civil repercussions to the Bank; assisted BOTW personnel, law enforcement, and customers.

Triaged potential fraud activity alerts and recommended closure on non-fraud incidents.

Created and prepared cases on potential fraud and suspicious activity matters for the Investigators to handle.

Mercari, Palo Alto, CA 06/2018 – 09/2018

AML / BSA Compliance Analyst

Responsible for clearing alerts, performed KYC/AML reviews and assessment of clients, verified all aspects of Client Identification Program (CIP), and identify/escalate all suspicious activity to the AML Team Manager.

Bridge Bank, San Jose, CA 04/14 – 7/18

Credit Compliance Analyst II

Reviewed loan documents and setup reporting and covenant tracking according to the terms of the agreement. Reviewed borrowing base documents for revolving lines of credit. Analyzed account receivables, account payables, and inventory reports to properly assess collateral position.

Tested financial statements for compliance of loan covenants to ensure compliance with applicable terms and conditions.

Interacted closely with Chief Credit Officer, Business Line Manager and Loan Officers regarding compliance requirements. Trained new hires in the compliance process.

Monitored loan disbursements to ensure compliance with credit terms, covenants and loan agreement conditions.

Generated various reports and worked on special projects as requested.

Tracked all reporting & covenant defaults and provided regular reporting to senior management for review.

Informed credit officers of potential red flags in compliance trending that can trigger a credit risk to the bank.

Entered detailed and accurate data into Excel, Bakerhill, statement analyzer, Moody’s, or other appropriate software platforms for tracking purposes.

Identified and reported suspicious activity to the BSA/AML officer.

Adhered to all applicable federal laws, regulations, and guidance including those related to Anti Money Laundering, Bank Secrecy Act, and USA Patriot Act etc.

Fremont Bank, Fremont, CA 05/2009 – 04/2014

Sr. Asset / Loan Monitoring Analyst

Compiled commercial customer-level information and trends to assist in the development and presentation of customer financial analysis for lending partners and loan officers. Input financial statements and related information into Moody’s Risk Analyst and Statement Analyzer.

Served as an ongoing resource and liaison between commercial lending and risk management team members.

Spread Tax Returns, Quarterly Financial Statements, Fiscal Year-End Financial Statements, Rent Roll, and Personal Financial Statements on Statement Analyzer and Moody’s.

Tracked Documentation exceptions, including Property Tax, Insurance, Order Appraisals, Environmental Assessments, Letter of Interest to Clients, and review OFAC list in credit authorizations.

Additional Relevant Experience

Heritage Bank of Commerce, San Jose, CA Collateral / Compliance Credit Analyst; Regional Utility Officer

Education

Bachelor of Science (BS), Business Administration; Concentration in Finance San Jose State University, CA

Associate of Arts (AA), Liberal Arts De Anza College, Cupertino, CA

Technical Skills

MS Office (Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Word, Access, Adobe Photoshop & Illustrator)

One Point, Moody’s Baker Hill, IBS and Statement Analyzer Administrator, Sharepoint, LexisNexis, Lioyd,s List

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