The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) will launch a new Money Service Business (MSB) Registration Web site the week of January 23, 2012, to improve the availability of MSB registration information. The MSB Registration Web site will replace the current MSB Registration List. As part of the Department of Treasury’s initiative to go paperless, FinCEN will no longer send acknowledgement letters to MSBs. The new Web site will provide MSBs, banks, regulators, law enforcement, and the general public the ability to access, search, verify, download and print MSB registration information 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
FinCEN will update the MSB Registration Web site weekly. MSBs will be added to the Web site within two weeks of electronically filing their Registration of Money Services Businesses (RMSB) (Form 107). In contrast, a paper version of the RMSB Form 107 will require 60 days for processing and posting to the MSB Registration Web site.
As part of the conversion to the new MSB Registration Web site and other FinCEN BSA IT Modernization efforts, MSBs will not be able to confirm their registration status between December 16, 2011, and the week of January 23, 2012. During this data transition period, MSBs will not receive acknowledgement letters and will not be able to request confirmation of their registration status through either FinCEN’s Regulatory Helpline or the Internal Revenue Service’s Enterprise Computing Center-Detroit (IRS ECC-D) Hotline. The latest version of the MSB Registration List will be available for general reference during this period.
FinCEN has developed a series of Questions and Answers to respond to anticipated inquiries about the new MSB Registration Web site. FinCEN has also developed a series of Questions and Answers to assist MSBs with electronically filing their RMSBs. MSBs that require a renewal of their registrations by December 31, 2011, are strongly encouraged to file their RMSB electronically.
If you have questions about the new MSB Registration Web site, please contact FinCEN’s Regulatory Helpline at 800-949-2732 for assistance. If you have questions about how to electronically file an RMSB Form 107, please call the E-Filing Help Desk at 866-346-9478.