Mitch Atkins, founder of FirstMark Regulatory Solutions, is presenting at the Association for Certified Financial Crime Specialists (AFCFS) 2015 Financial Crime Conference on Tuesday, April 21, 2015.  Atkins will participate as a panelist on the Financial Crime Landscape for the Securities Industry panel and will discuss recent trends in chief compliance officer (CCO) and anti-money laundering compliance officer (AMLCO) liability.  As part of the discussion, Atkins will cover recent regulatory guidance for CCOs and AMLCOs.  There will be a panel discussion on FINRA’s recent action against an AMLCO which has raised concern among those with AML compliance responsibilities.  After the discussion on CCO liability, Atkins will discuss FINRA’s continued focus on complex products as was discussed in their Annual Examination Priorities Letter. Complex products present numerous opportunities for financial crimes, particularly when the product lacks transparency and liquidity. Atkins will discuss recent FINRA cases and examination trends involving complex products, including one related to a fraudulent private placement that resulted in the bar of a broker-dealer principal and the expulsion of his firm.

Click below for a link to the conference registration site:

The Association of Certified Financial Crime Specialists (ACFCS) is a worldwide organization for private and public sector professionals who work in diverse financial crime disciplines. Its membership includes compliance officers, law enforcement agents, regulators, attorneys, technology providers, and others who work to detect and prevent financial crime in all its forms – money laundering, tax evasion, corruption, fraud, cyber crime, terrorist financing, and more. FirstMark Regulatory Solutions was founded by Mitch Atkins in December of 2013 and is based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  Mitch Atkins is a FINRA broker-dealer Consultant. FirstMark offers a broad range of compliance consulting services, including AML independent testing, internal controls testing, FINRA membership applications, SRO relationship management, strategic advisory, and litigation support.