James (Jim) F. Vivenzio
- Washington, D.C.
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Jim counsels clients on examination processes, corporate activities, and regulatory compliance with Bank Secrecy Act/Anti-Money Laundering, Office of Foreign Assets Control, and countering the financing of terrorism requirements.
Jim Vivenzio also provides guidance on newly implemented and proposed regulations and those resulting from the enactment of the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020 (AMLA) and the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins Act (GENIUS Act)—including the upcoming revisions to the Bank Secrecy Act/Anti-Money Laundering (BSA/AML) compliance program rules—and the proposed GENIUS Act framework and related trust company applications. Jim also serves as an expert witness on BSA/AML, banking law, financial technology, and digital asset matters.
Jim applies knowledge gained in leadership roles at the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), including his work on numerous legislative, regulatory, policy, and enforcement matters involving BSA/AML over the course of his 32-year career. He has been involved in numerous significant BSA/AML enforcement actions as well as the development of policy while serving as the OCC's director for BSA/AML Policy and the OCC's senior counsel for BSA/AML. Jim was a lead OCC lawyer on some of the largest and most complex BSA/AML, OFAC, and CFT enforcement actions ever taken by the OCC.
On the policy side, Jim has participated on U.S. and international task forces addressing issues related to stablecoins, cryptocurrency, digital identity, fintech initiatives, international payments identifiers, cannabis banking, and Financial Action Task Force (FATF), and Financial Stability Board (FSB) initiatives. Jim also served as the co-chair of the Bank Secrecy Act Advisory Group (BSSAG) Subcommittee on Innovation and Technology established under the AMLA and has been an outspoken advocate for modernization and responsible innovation in the areas of BSA/AML, OFAC, and CFT to reduce burdens, increase efficiencies, and provide more robust information to law enforcement. Many of these ideas were implemented by the U.S. Congress in the AMLA.
A frequent speaker on BSA/AML topics, Jim was the recipient of both the OCC Leadership Award (2014), the OCC Shared Purpose Award (2017, 2018), and numerous Special Act Awards.
Jim also served for several years as an adjunct professor and distinguished lecturer in the master’s degree program in financial integrity at the Case Western Reserve University School of Law.
Prior to joining the OCC, Jim was an associate at a leading corporate law firm. He also worked in the New York office of Coopers & Lybrand as a senior auditor before attending law school.
Areas of focus
Education & Credentials
Education
- Fordham University School of Law, J.D.
- Fordham University, B.S., Accounting
Bar and Court Admissions
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District of Columbia
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New Jersey
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New York
Related Employment
- United States Department of the Treasury, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Washington, D.C., Director for BSA/AML Compliance Policy, 2020-2023; Senior Counsel for BSA/AML, 2007-2020; Special Assistant to the Deputy Chief Counsels, 2000-2007; Senior Attorney, 1991-2000
- Case Western Reserve University School of Law, Cleveland, OH, Adjunct Professor, 2016-2022
- White & Case LLP, New York, NY, Associate, 1988-1991
- Coopers & Lybrand, New York, NY, Senior Auditor, 1984-1987
Insights
