Is force balancing insider abuse?

Answered by:

Question:

During a routine audit we identified that a teller was force balancing her drawer. The overages or shortages were never over $5 and there was no loss to the bank. Do we need to file a SAR?

Answer:

While a SAR is required for insider abuse regardless of dollar amount, an investigation should be conducted to determine if this was truly embezzlement, theft or disappearance of funds or merely an employee who was afraid of the repercussions for not balancing the teller drawer. If the latter, appropriate disciplinary action should be taken, but a SAR would not be required.

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