Anti-money laundering and BSA compliance training

For bank, credit union, money services, fintech, casino and broker-dealer staff: spot laundering and fraud, file the right reports on time and keep customers' trust.

For: Frontline, operations and compliance staff at banks, credit unions, money services businesses, fintech companies, casinos and broker-dealers, and anyone new to a BSA/AML role

  • 3 contact hours
  • 9 modules
  • 10 interactives
  • 4 job aids
  • Updated October 11, 2026

What you will be able to do

  • Explain the stages of money laundering and terrorist financing and the purpose and structure of the BSA, USA PATRIOT Act and Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020.
  • Describe the required AML program pillars and apply Customer Identification Program, customer due diligence, beneficial ownership and enhanced due diligence requirements.
  • Apply OFAC sanctions screening, including handling potential matches, blocking and rejecting transactions and reporting deadlines.
  • Determine when a Currency Transaction Report is required and recognize and respond correctly to structuring.
  • Identify red flags of suspicious activity in your sector and escalate them so SARs are filed on time, while keeping SARs strictly confidential.
  • Apply BSA recordkeeping requirements and respond appropriately to suspected elder financial exploitation.

This AML training explains how money laundering and terrorist financing actually move through financial institutions, and what the Bank Secrecy Act requires you to do about it. You will learn the stages of laundering, the pillars of an AML program, Customer Identification Program and customer due diligence rules including beneficial ownership, sanctions screening, Currency Transaction Reports and structuring, Suspicious Activity Reports and their strict confidentiality, recordkeeping and how to respond to elder financial exploitation.

It is written for the people who see the transactions: tellers, member service representatives, new accounts staff, cage cashiers, money transmitter agents, fintech operations analysts, registered representatives and new BSA analysts. Scenarios follow staff at a community bank in Iowa, a money transmitter agent, a riverboat casino and a payments app, so you can see how the same rules apply across sectors.

The course is current to October 2026, including FinCEN's October 2025 SAR FAQs, the February 2026 exceptive relief on beneficial ownership re-verification, the April 2026 proposed AML/CFT program rule and the postponement of the investment adviser AML rule to 2028. It separates what the regulations require from your institution's own policies, which are often stricter.

What you’ll be able to do Monday morning

  1. Know who your BSA officer is and how to send an unusual activity referral in your institution's system.
  2. When a customer asks how to avoid a report, explain the requirement neutrally and refer the activity internally; never coach them.
  3. Collect and verify the four CIP data points for every new customer before the account is opened or within your policy's time frame.
  4. Treat every potential OFAC match as unresolved until it is cleared under your procedure.
  5. Watch for signs that an older customer is being scammed or exploited, and use your institution's escalation path the same day.
  6. Never tell anyone outside the need-to-know group that a SAR has been or might be filed.

Curriculum

9 modules · 36 lessons · about 3 contact hours

01How does money laundering work, and why does it depend on frontline staff?Free preview22 min
  1. What are the three stages of money laundering?
  2. What crimes generate laundered money, and how is terrorist financing different?
  3. Why does the system depend on you?
  4. What happens when nobody speaks up?
  • Matching activity: Match the activity to the laundering stage

Diagram · In practice checklist · 3-question knowledge check

02Which laws and agencies make up the BSA/AML framework?22 min
  1. What is the Bank Secrecy Act?
  2. What did the USA PATRIOT Act add?
  3. What did the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020 change?
  4. What are the consequences of BSA violations?
  • Self-assessment: How confident are you with AML basics?

Diagram · In practice checklist · 2-question knowledge check

03What are the pillars of an AML program, and how does risk drive them?22 min
  1. What must every bank AML program include?
  2. Why does the risk assessment drive everything else?
  3. What makes training and independent testing effective?
  4. How does a culture of compliance show up day to day?
  • Sort activity: Which pillar does this task support?

Diagram · In practice checklist · 3-question knowledge check

04How do you identify and know your customer?25 min
  1. What does the Customer Identification Program require?
  2. What does customer due diligence add?
  3. Who are the beneficial owners, and what changed in 2026?
  4. When does a customer need enhanced due diligence?
  • Decision tree: Who is a beneficial owner?

Diagram · In practice checklist · 3-question knowledge check

05How does OFAC sanctions screening work, and what do you do with a hit?22 min
  1. What is OFAC, and why is sanctions compliance different?
  2. How do you handle a potential match?
  3. Block or reject, and what must be reported?
  4. What makes a sanctions compliance program effective?
  • Spot the issue: Review a sanctions alert

Diagram · In practice checklist · 3-question knowledge check

06When must you file a CTR, and what is structuring?22 min
  1. When is a Currency Transaction Report required?
  2. What is structuring, and why is it a crime?
  3. What should you say to a customer like Ettore?
  4. What other cash-related records and reports should you know?
  • Branching scenario: A week at the teller window

Diagram · In practice checklist · 3-question knowledge check

07How do you spot suspicious activity and support a SAR without tipping anyone off?25 min
  1. What makes activity suspicious?
  2. What are the SAR thresholds and deadlines?
  3. Why is SAR confidentiality so strict?
  4. What makes a referral and a SAR narrative useful?
  • Spot the issue: Improve an unusual activity referral
  • Ethics dilemma: The worried spouse

Diagram · In practice checklist · 3-question knowledge check

08What records must you keep, and how do you respond to elder financial exploitation?25 min
  1. What does the BSA require you to keep, and for how long?
  2. What does elder financial exploitation look like?
  3. How should you respond in the moment?
  4. How do SARs on elder exploitation help, and what else can institutions do?
  • Branching scenario: A member in love

Diagram · In practice checklist · 3-question knowledge check

09How do the rules play out in money services, casinos, securities and fintech?25 min
  1. What is different for money services businesses and their agents?
  2. What is different for casinos and card clubs?
  3. What is different for broker-dealers and investment firms?
  4. What is different for fintech programs and payment apps?
  • Sort activity: Where would you see this red flag?

Diagram · In practice checklist · 2-question knowledge check

Final assessment: 29 questions, 80% to pass, then your certificate

Try it now, no account needed

A week at the teller window

A branching scenario from this course. Your choices are not saved.

Free sample activity

A week at the teller window

You are a teller. A local contractor, a customer for six years, normally deposits $2,000 to $4,000 in checks weekly and rarely brings cash.

Inside the course

Practice activities

  • Matching activity1
  • Self-assessment1
  • Sort activity2
  • Decision tree1
  • Spot the issue2
  • Branching scenario2
  • Ethics dilemma1

Job aids you keep

  • Frontline AML Checklist: Onboarding, Cash and ReferralsChecklist
  • BSA/AML Program Policy Statement (Starter)Policy starter
  • Unusual Activity Scenario WorksheetWorksheet
  • BSA and OFAC Quick-ReferenceReference sheet

Credit and approval status

Certificate of completion

This course awards a certificate of completion for 3 contact hours of instruction. It is not approved for ACAMS continuing education credit, NASBA CPE or IACET continuing education units, and it is not approved or accredited by any board, regulator, state agency or accreditor. The BSA requires covered institutions to train appropriate personnel as part of their AML program; your institution decides whether this course forms part of that training. Check with your BSA officer, employer or certifying body whether this course meets your specific requirement.

Pathways we may pursue include ACAMS continuing education credit recognition, NASBA CPE sponsorship and IACET accreditation. None of these approvals exists today; the course page will show an approval only after it is granted.

Our full approvals list

Questions about this course

Does this AML training give ACAMS or CPE credit?

Not today. You receive a certificate of completion for 3 contact hours of instruction. We may seek ACAMS continuing education recognition, NASBA CPE sponsorship or IACET accreditation in the future, and the course page will show an approval only if one is granted. Your BSA officer can review the outline and objectives to decide whether it fits your institution's training plan.

Will this course satisfy my institution's annual BSA training requirement?

Your institution decides. BSA program rules require training for appropriate personnel, tailored to their roles and your institution's risks and policies. This course covers the federal requirements in depth with examples from several sectors, but it cannot teach your institution's specific procedures, systems and escalation routes, so most institutions pair an external course with internal policy training.

Who is this course for?

Frontline and operations staff at banks and credit unions, money services businesses, fintech companies, casinos and card clubs, and broker-dealers, plus new compliance analysts and managers who supervise customer-facing teams. No prior AML knowledge is assumed. Experienced BSA professionals may find the 2025 and 2026 updates useful as a refresher.

How long does it take, and how is it assessed?

Plan on about three hours for eight modules, interactive exercises, short knowledge checks and a 29-question final assessment drawn from a larger bank. You need 80 percent to pass. Many questions are short scenarios, so you will need to apply what you learned rather than recall definitions. You can pause and return at any point.

Is the course up to date with recent FinCEN changes?

It reflects developments through October 2026, including the October 2025 SAR FAQs, the February 2026 beneficial ownership exceptive relief, the April 2026 proposed program rule and the delay of the investment adviser rule to January 1, 2028. AML rules change often, so we review the course at least every 12 months and whenever FinCEN, OFAC or the banking agencies issue significant changes.

Can I use the job aids at work?

Yes. The unusual activity checklist, AML policy starter, scenario worksheet and quick-reference sheet are yours to adapt. Use them alongside your institution's own procedures, which control, and have your BSA officer review any policy language before you adopt it.

This course is general education and training awareness from CE Courses Hub on anti-money laundering and Bank Secrecy Act compliance. It is not legal or regulatory advice and does not replace your institution's BSA/AML policies, your regulator's requirements, or advice from your BSA officer or qualified counsel. Completing it earns a certificate of completion for the stated contact hours; it is not approved or accredited by any licensing board, state agency or accreditor unless an approval is shown on the course page. Check with your board, employer or state agency whether this course meets your specific requirement.