ACAMS - Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists Customer Due Diligence (CDD) Questions and Answers

Question 1

Which of the following is considered a core requirement of a Customer Due Diligence (CDD) program according to the FinCEN CDD Final Rule?

Accepted Answer

Conducting ongoing monitoring to identify and report suspicious transactions.

Answer

The FinCEN CDD Final Rule explicitly outlines four core requirements for CDD programs. These are: 1) identifying and verifying the identity of customers; 2) identifying and verifying the identity of beneficial owners of legal entity customers; 3) understanding the nature and purpose of customer relationships to develop a customer risk profile; and 4) conducting ongoing monitoring to identify and report suspicious transactions and, on a risk basis, to maintain and update customer information.

Question 2

A financial institution is onboarding a new corporate customer. According to the FATF Recommendations, identifying and verifying the identity of which of the following is a mandatory part of Customer Due Diligence?

Accepted Answer

The beneficial owner(s) of the corporation.

Answer

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Recommendations state that a key component of Customer Due Diligence (CDD) is identifying the beneficial owner and taking reasonable measures to verify their identity. This ensures that the financial institution knows who ultimately owns or controls the legal entity customer, which is crucial for assessing risk.

Question 3

A bank determines that a new customer relationship presents a low risk of money laundering or terrorist financing. Under a risk-based approach, which level of due diligence would be most appropriate to apply at the start of the relationship?

Accepted Answer

Simplified Due Diligence (SDD)

Answer

Simplified Due Diligence (SDD) is a streamlined approach to CDD that is permitted when the risk of money laundering or terrorist financing is assessed as low. It allows for less intensive verification and monitoring measures but still requires the core components of CDD to be met. Standard CDD is for normal-risk customers, and Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) is for high-risk customers.

Question 4

An anti-money laundering analyst is reviewing a customer's account. Which of the following scenarios would most likely trigger the need for Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD)?

Accepted Answer

The customer makes a large, unusual transaction that is inconsistent with their established profile and has no apparent economic purpose.

Answer

Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) is required for high-risk situations. An unusual or large transaction without an apparent economic purpose is a significant red flag that increases the customer's risk profile and would trigger the need for EDD to understand the source of funds and the purpose of the transaction. The other options describe normal, low-risk activities.

Question 5

A key element of developing a customer risk profile as part of the CDD process involves:

Accepted Answer

Understanding the nature and purpose of the customer relationship.

Answer

A fundamental component of Customer Due Diligence is understanding the nature and purpose of the customer relationship. This allows the financial institution to develop a customer risk profile and anticipate the types of transactions the customer is likely to conduct. This baseline is essential for ongoing monitoring to detect activity that is unusual or inconsistent with the customer's profile.

(ACAMS) Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists Practice Test

(ACAMS) Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists Practice Test

ACAMS - Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists Customer Due Diligence (CDD) Questions and Answers