Suspicious Activity Report - SAR Filing Options

SAR Filing Options

An institution can currently file SARs through the mail (paper forms are Adobe Acrobat screen fillable), however, effective July 1, 2012 all SAR Reports must be filed through FinCEN's BSA E-filing System.

A SAR has five sections each containing information about the filing institution or the activity in question:

Part I

The filing institution's name, address, tax ID number, location of the activity and any account numbers involved with the suspicious activity.

Part II

Any name, address, social security or tax ID's, birth date, drivers license numbers, passport numbers, occupation and phone numbers of all parties involved with the activity.

Part III

The date range of the activity, total dollar amount and a list of any law enforcement agency that has been contacted while investigating the activity.

Part IV

Usually contains the contact information for the financial institution's compliance officer or equivalent.

Part V

A written description of the activity.