FinCEN Reissues GTO for MSBs Along Southwest Border

Adam Witmer
Regulatory Update, BSA

On September 2, 2026, FinCEN reissued a Geographic Targeting Order (GTO) to help law enforcement combat illicit activity and associated money laundering by Mexico-based cartels and other criminal actors along the southwest border of the United States. The GTO subjects certain money services businesses (MSBs) to enhanced reporting requirements with FinCEN.

The GTO requires MSBs to file Currency Transaction Reports with FinCEN for cash transactions between $1,000 and $10,000 occurring in specific ZIP codes in Bernalillo, Dona Ana, and San Juan counties in New Mexico, and Cameron, El Paso, Hidalgo, Maverick, and Webb counties in Texas. The terms of the GTO are effective for 180 days after publication on the Federal Register.

Read FinCEN’s news release here.

Adam Witmer
Regulatory Update, BSA
Adam Witmer

Adam Witmer is a speaker, author, and founder of the Compliance Cohort. Adam has taught hundreds of seminars and training sessions to thousands of bankers throughout the United States and teaches on all areas of regulatory compliance. Adam has written five e-books that he never published, hit a grizzly bear while driving in a National Park, and is an award winning photographer and musician (though he no longer takes photos nor plays any instruments). In his spare time, Adam can be found kayaking on the lake, doing taekwondo with his kids, working on his (project) house, or spending time with his family.

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