Welcome to the Compliance Cohort. We are a group of compliance professionals working to make compliance easier. Our goal is to take complex compliance concepts and put them in simple terms that apply to the real world. We are glad you have found us and look forward to collaborating in the future.
If you haven't done so already, make sure you sign up for our free membership where you get access to many member-only videos, articles, and other resources.
Filing a Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) is rarely simple. The SAR form itself contains dozens of data fields, detailed instructions, and numerous reporting expectations that financial institutions must follow. On top of that, guidance affecting SAR filings is spread across FinCEN instructions, advisories, FAQs, and regulatory examination expectations. For many BSA professionals, the challenge isn’t understanding that a SAR must be filed — it’s understanding how to complete the report correctly, what information belongs where, and how to clearly document suspicious activity in a way that meets regulatory expectations.
Despite how complex SAR reporting has become, most training on the subject is delivered through short webinars that provide only a high-level overview. While those programs may introduce suspicious activity reporting, they rarely provide the time needed to work through the SAR itself, understand the filing instructions in detail, or develop the skills needed to write clear, well-structured SAR narratives.
We believe SAR training needs to go deeper. That’s why we created SAR Mastery, a full-day training program designed to provide a practical, step-by-step walkthrough of the SAR reporting process and the SAR form itself. The program runs approximately seven hours in total — more than three times the length of the typical two-hour SAR webinar — allowing participants to truly take a deep dive into the SAR form, the filing instructions, and the broader guidance that shapes suspicious activity reporting.
This program walks participants through the SAR reporting process, starting with the broader framework of a BSA/AML/CFT compliance program and how institutions detect and evaluate suspicious activity. From there, the training provides a detailed walkthrough of the SAR filing instructions, explaining what information belongs in each section of the report and highlighting common mistakes that financial institutions should avoid.
One full chapter of the program is dedicated to the SAR narrative. For many professionals, this can be one of the most challenging and intimidating parts of the SAR process. Participants will learn how to structure clear, concise, and effective narratives that properly explain the who, what, when, where, why, and how of suspicious activity. The program also includes practical SAR writing tips and examples of both strong and weak narratives, helping participants better understand what regulators expect to see.
The training also addresses continuing SAR filings and provides guidance on how financial institutions should handle ongoing suspicious activity and properly document it in subsequent reports. In addition, the program reviews frequently asked questions issued by FinCEN, as well as key guidance issued by FinCEN, such as guidance on marijuana-related businesses (MRBs), elder financial exploitation, and other applicable advisories. The program also includes several real-world case studies involving suspicious activity that has occurred in financial institutions and communities across the country, helping participants better understand the types of situations that may arise in their own institutions.
While the program is designed to help newer BSA professionals build a strong foundation for SAR reporting, it is equally valuable for experienced professionals who want to refresh their understanding of SAR requirements, review the filing instructions in detail, and ensure their institution’s SAR practices remain consistent with current expectations.
Designed for BSA officers, AML investigators, analysts, risk managers, auditors, compliance professionals — and anyone else responsible for suspicious activity reporting — this program is built to help professionals navigate the complexity of SAR requirements and file reports with greater clarity, confidence, and accuracy.
Our SAR Mastery program will be submitted to the ABA for CE credits review.
EARLY BIRD Price: $399 (Regular: $499)
Get an additional attendee for $100. The total cost will be the current price (regular or discounted) for the first attendee plus $100 for each additional attendee from your organization. Click the second button below to purchase for 2 attendees. For 3 or more attendees, email us at members@compliancecohort.com and we will send you an invoice.
PREVIEW THE CLASS BEFORE YOU BUY? If you would like to demo this class before you purchase it to make sure it's what you are looking for, just let us know and we can work something out.
The class is presented in multiple videos and will provide a deep dive into SAR filing instructions. The total time of video instruction in this program is 6 hours and 54 minutes.
See below for full curriculum:
Introduction
SAR Core Requirements
BSA/AML/CFP Program Overview
Key Elements of a BSA/AML Program
Systems to Identify & Report Suspicious Activity
Suspicious Activity Reporting
SAR Filing Instructions
SAR Electronic Filing Instructions
The SAR Narrative
SAR Writing Tips
Continuing SAR Narratives
Examples of Good & Bad SAR Narratives
FinCEN SAR FAQs
FinCEN SAR Advisories, Alerts, and Other Notices
Examples of Topics Addressed in SAR Advisories
Examples of FinCEN Guidance
Tips to Strengthen Your SAR Program
This Compliance Class provides you with a deep dive into the requirements for financial institutions.
The class includes the following:
A comprehensive manual
A “virtual classroom” instructional video
60-day access to the class
Certificate of completion (1 per registration - available upon request)
All of our Compliance Classes are presented in our virtual classroom approach. This approach is designed to bring the presenter to you (at a fraction of the cost of having a live person) and includes a video of the presenter in front of a slide presentation that replicates a typical seminar environment. In addition, our presenters take a three-part approach to compliance instruction: to educate, to empower, and to entertain. This is achieved by focusing on relevant topics, speaking in simple to understand, layman's terms, and by keeping it light and humorous whenever possible. We have found that this "3-E" approach allow students to learn as quickly and effectively as possible. And, it adds a little bit of fun to an otherwise dreadful topic.
Certificates of completion are now available upon request. One certificate is available per registration.
When you purchase this compliance class, you get instant access to the online version of this class for 60 days. You will also receive an electronic version of the accompanying manual to keep.
We believe in our training products so much that we are offering a 100% money back guarantee within the first 10 business days after purchase. If you do not feel that you received the value promised for this training session, contact us within the first 10 business days after purchase and we will either make things right or provide 100% of the purchase price back to you.
