SAR / STR Source Guidance
Suspicious activity reports and suspicious transaction reports are jurisdiction-specific. AML Bible should not provide local filing instructions unless they are verified for a specific jurisdiction and kept current. This page maps reliable source categories and universal evidence concepts only.
1. Why caution is required #
Filing deadlines, forms, thresholds, confidentiality rules, tipping-off rules and portal procedures differ by jurisdiction. Incorrect public instructions can create compliance risk.
2. Reliable source types #
| Source type | Example | Use |
|---|---|---|
| FIU guidance | National FIU website | Local filing rules and forms |
| Regulator manual | FFIEC BSA/AML Manual | Governance and examination logic |
| FinCEN SAR narrative guidance | US SAR narrative quality guidance | Useful example for narrative quality concepts |
| FATF Recommendations | Global STR/SAR expectation | Universal control architecture |
| Egmont materials | FIU role and financial intelligence concepts | Institutional context |
3. Universal evidence concepts #
A suspicion report usually needs clear facts, not speculation. Evidence should distinguish subject identity, activity observed, dates, amounts, counterparties, source documents, reason for suspicion and internal decision trail.
4. What AML Bible should not publish yet #
Until jurisdiction-specific pages are verified, do not publish:
- local filing deadlines;
- portal instructions;
- thresholds;
- domestic legal definitions;
- regulator-specific forms;
- final “file/do not file” decision trees.
5. Source basis #
- SRC-FINCEN-001: FinCEN SAR Narrative Guidance Package.
- SRC-FFIEC-001: FFIEC BSA/AML Examination Manual.
- SRC-EGMONT-001: Egmont FIU materials.
- SRC-FATF-001: FATF Recommendations.
Egmont and FinCEN source layers#
Egmont and FinCEN serve different purposes in AML Bible:
- SRC-EGMONT-BECA-001 provides cross-border FIU case and financial-analysis examples.
- SRC-EGMONT-001 explains the institutional role of FIUs.
- SRC-FINCEN-001 supports SAR narrative quality.
- SRC-FINCEN-ADVISORIES-001 provides United States typology and red-flag examples.
FinCEN materials are jurisdiction-specific. They may strengthen typology awareness and drafting quality, but they are not universal filing instructions, legal thresholds or reporting deadlines. Egmont case materials are illustrative FIU practice and do not create a universal suspicion standard.
See Also#
References#
- FATF methods-and-trends publications and mutual-evaluation methodology concepts listed in the Source Register.
- FIU/regulator public advisories and typology indicators where applicable.
- Defensive typology boundary in the Editorial & Source Policy.