Congratulations!

John Byrne, who is Senior Federal Counsel at the American Bankers Association and is on the Board of Advisors and a frequent author for BANKERS' HOTLINE, was honored by Department of the Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) at an awards program on Thursday, May 4. Stanley E.

Morris, FinCEN's Director, said that John has played a "crucial role in 're-engineering' the environment for Bank Secrecy Act compliance and enforcement." John received the FinCEN Director's Medal for Exceptional Service, the highest award granted to an individual outside of FinCEN, for his contributions to counter money laundering.

On a BANKERS' HOTLINE level, John has written many articles for us explaining the Bank Secrecy Act and its many regulations and amendments. He keeps us up to date, and answers many questions asked by subscribers on translation of the law and regs. Serving on Treasury's anti-money laundering group, he is part of the effort to reduce regulatory burden.

Also honored were Richard Small, Special Counsel of the Federal Reserve System, and Pamela Johnson, Assistant Director for Financial Institutions Policy, both of whom have been of tremendous help to us and to the financial community.

Rick authored new examination guidelines, Know Your Customer policies, exemption guidelines, has helped identify suspicious activity, and has given countless presentations at financial institution meetings. Pam, a former banker, has acted as liaison between Treasury and financial institutions in developing money laundering policies-always with an understanding of the banking industry and an appreciation for its problems.

David Vogt, Assistant Director for Strategic and International Programs, who acted as Deputy Director for more than eight months, was also honored.

Presiding at the ceremony with Director Morris was Ronald K. Noble, the Department of the Treasury's Under Secretary for Enforcement. The program also celebrated FinCEN's fifth birthday.

Copyright © 1995 Bankers' Hotline. Originally appeared in Bankers' Hotline, Vol. 5, No. 8, 5/95