Banking Compliance: Requirements and How to Manage Them

Banking compliance failures continue to carry substantial costs. In October 2026, the OCC announced a $750 million penalty against Bank of America and a $350 million penalty against American Express National Bank for BSA/AML compliance deficiencies. Together, these two actions represent $1.1 billion in OCC penalties.

The findings exposed weaknesses in transaction monitoring, internal controls, training, and remediation. For banking leaders, they underline the importance of measuring whether controls work, reporting happens on time, and identified problems are resolved. This guide explains the main banking compliance requirements, the metrics to monitor, and how to connect policies, responsibilities, and evidence across the institution.