U.S. investment bank Morgan Stanley is under scrutiny by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), which, according to the Wall Street Journal, is investigating potential weaknesses in its anti-money laundering (AML) controls. The focus is on the bank’s handling of wealthy clients and whether it properly assessed their risk profiles between October 2021 and September 2024.
🔍 In the spotlight: Wealth Management, E*Trade, and Institutional Division
The probe includes Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, its institutional securities division, and E*Trade, the digital trading platform acquired in 2020. According to sources familiar with the matter, FINRA has requested detailed data on both domestic and international clients.
The regulator is particularly interested in politically exposed persons (PEPs) — high-ranking foreign officials, their families, and close associates — who are considered high-risk for potential financial crime.
💼 Concerns About Internal Controls and Staff Accountability
FINRA is also investigating which employees at Morgan Stanley were responsible for handling clients flagged for money laundering risks due to their political ties. The agency has requested organizational charts and details on the systems used to assign risk profiles, including how the bank evaluates clients of E*Trade, its private banking division, and institutional services.
📉 Previous Compliance Failures
This isn’t the first time the bank’s practices have come under fire. In August last year, FINRA accused Morgan Stanley of filing inaccurate records, revealing that the bank failed to report over 535,000 municipal and debt security transactions between May 2018 and July 2022.
Furthermore, in April 2024, the Wall Street Journal reported that Morgan Stanley was facing broader federal investigations by the Department of Justice, SEC, FinCEN, and the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). These probes are reportedly linked to the onboarding of clients involved in corruption and drug trafficking.
📂 Internal Documents Indicate Deeper Issues
Documents from 2023 reviewed by the WSJ revealed that a quarter of Morgan Stanley's international wealth management clients showed signs of money laundering or tax evasion. Out of over 46,500 accounts, 24% were flagged as high-risk.
⚠️ Staff Raise Concerns About Regulator Inquiries
Sources say Morgan Stanley has received at least six information requests from FINRA, the most recent arriving in recent weeks. Some employees reportedly expressed concerns over whether the responses submitted to FINRA were accurate and complete. In at least one case, the bank was forced to resubmit data after regulators found the initial documents to be “incomplete.”
💬 Bank Statement and Remediation Efforts
A spokesperson told the WSJ that the bank has heavily invested in compliance programs across all areas. They emphasized that such regulatory reviews are not unusual and do not necessarily indicate a failure of internal systems.
Nevertheless, Morgan Stanley is restructuring its AML systems, especially after the Federal Reserve labeled its risk management practices as “weak.” Efforts include closing thousands of accounts and scaling back operations in parts of Latin America.
👁️ Doubts From Other Regulators
While the Fed reportedly praised the bank’s customer vetting practices on E*Trade, other agencies remain skeptical. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) allegedly found that thousands of wealth management accounts lacked enhanced due diligence (EDD) — a required process for high-risk clients. These checks must be performed regularly and thoroughly documented.
🧾 Summary
Morgan Stanley is under mounting pressure from regulators amid allegations of insufficient anti-money laundering controls. Despite ongoing efforts to improve internal procedures and strengthen compliance frameworks, new evidence suggests systemic vulnerabilities remain. The ongoing investigations by FINRA and multiple federal agencies could have serious implications for the bank’s reputation and operations.
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