The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) today announced a settlement with Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. (“Wells Fargo”). Wells Fargo agreed to remit $30,000,000 to settle its potential civil liability for apparent violations of sanctions against Iran, Syria, and Sudan. For about seven years beginning in 2008 and ending in 2015, Wells Fargo and its predecessor, Wachovia Bank (“Wachovia”), provided a foreign bank located in Europe with software that the foreign bank then used to process trade finance transactions with U.S.-sanctioned jurisdictions and persons. Wachovia, at the direction of a mid-level manager, customized a trade insourcing software platform for general use by the European bank that Wachovia knew or should have known would involve engaging in trade-finance transactions with sanctioned jurisdictions and persons. For more information, please visit the following web notice.
In addition, OFAC is also amending a Russia-related Frequently Asked Question (1118).