ABA and University of Maryland Partner to Deliver New Breed of Financial Crimes Executive Education

WASHINGTON — The American Bankers Association and the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business have collaborated to deliver two new executive education programs addressing anti-money laundering and fraud management. The programs, announced today at the ABA/American Bar Association Money Laundering Enforcement Conference in Washington, are the first of their kind and will help experienced financial crimes professionals further cultivate the knowledge and skills necessary to develop, implement and monitor effective AML and fraud programs.

Jim Edrington, executive vice president of ABA's professional development group, noted that the complexity and speed of today’s financial crimes – along with increased regulatory scrutiny – have created a strong need within the banking industry for highly specialized training in the critical area of financial crimes.

“These programs are designed to equip experienced professionals with the practical skills to respond to a rapidly evolving threat environment and protect the bank from potential financial and reputation risk,” said Edrington. “Our partnership with the University of Maryland offers an unmatched opportunity by exposing participants to an impressive and experienced faculty with cutting edge insight into financial crimes and fraud.”

“We are very excited to partner with the ABA on this program,” said Gary Cohen, associate dean of executive programs at the Smith School of Business. “We are looking at executive development programs through a different lens than many other business schools and forging strategic partnerships. It’s wonderful to be able to work with an industry organization that has specific expertise and together create programs that are delivered at a very high level and highly differentiated from those offered by other institutions. This is a chance to take the best of what Smith and the ABA have to offer and create something very special.”

Both five-day programs are ideal for experienced financial crimes professionals, community bankers, compliance professionals, risk managers and regulators. The faculty, composed of experts from regulatory and government agencies as well as the private sector, will facilitate an exploration of relevant topics in financial crimes through practical team exercises, active learning modules and timely case studies. Attendees will be placed in cohort teams to maximize interaction with faculty and peers.

The AML Program takes an in-depth view of the motivations, consequences and AML risks to organizations, including the legal and regulatory framework, terrorist financing, criminal proceeds and taxes, international business corporations and non-bank businesses, offshore banking, case studies, best practices and due diligence, and ways to create and gain support for a culture of true AML compliance.

The Fraud Management Program takes a comprehensive look at the management of all types of fraud as it reviews fraud terminology and definitions, the historical legal framework, current legislation and regulations, case studies and best practices, and the roles of management in the design and implementation of appropriate internal controls to manage, measure and control risk.

The Fraud Management Program and the AML Program will both take place at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C, from Feb. 29 – March 4 and March 21 – 25, respectively.

To learn more about these programs or to register, visit the American Bankers Association website.

About the American Bankers Association

The American Bankers Association is the voice of the nation’s $16 trillion banking industry, which is composed of small, regional and large banks that together employ more than 2 million people, safeguard $12 trillion in deposits and extend more than $8 trillion in loans.