Description

A focused course, tailored for you

AML/KYC: Building EDD Files and SAR Narratives That Hold

The applied methodology for AML/KYC associates who need EDD files and SAR narratives that pass quality review first time.

An EDD file that comes back from quality review is time you did not budget. Most of the bounce-back traces to the same three places: beneficial ownership documentation that does not fully map the ownership chain, source-of-wealth evidence that is plausible but not convincing, and disposition notes that describe the transaction but do not close the suspicion loop. Each one is a learnable skill, not a gap that requires escalation.

$199 one-time

Tailored to your situation. Access within 24 hours. 30-day money-back.

Includes a hand-built implementation playbook delivered alongside course access, generated for your specific situation.

Why this course

AML and KYC associates at investment banks and diversified financial services firms work with customer structures that are materially more complex than retail: offshore funds with multiple layers of beneficial ownership, trusts with discretionary beneficiaries, SPVs with nominee directors, and corporate clients whose ultimate ownership traces through multiple jurisdictions. The standard CDD and EDD checklist covers what to collect, but not how to assess whether the documentation convincingly closes the risk question, how to write the finding in language that survives quality assurance review, or how to recognise when a file has crossed the suspicion threshold that triggers SAR consideration. The skill gap is not knowledge of the rules, it is the applied methodology that converts regulatory knowledge into file quality.

What you walk away with

Build a beneficial ownership map for any entity structure that satisfies AUSTRAC requirements and survives quality review without additional queries.
Document source of wealth and source of funds using a defensible evidence hierarchy that closes the EDD file on first submission.
Write SAR and SMR narratives structured to the standard that contributes to financial crime investigations, not just meets the disclosure obligation.
Dispose of TM alerts with documentation that stands up to regulatory examination look-back.
Conduct and document EDD customer interviews with a reusable framework that converts the conversation into file evidence.

The 12 modules

Module 1. CDD and EDD Trigger Assessment

At the intake stage, the customer risk rating form determines whether standard CDD or enhanced due diligence applies. Most bounced EDD files trace back to an incomplete initial risk score. This module walks through the regulatory triggers for enhanced due diligence under the AML/CTF Rules, how to assess entity type and activity risk, and how to document the rationale so the risk rating survives a quality assurance review without further queries.

Module 2. Customer Risk Scoring Methodology

A defensible risk score needs more than a checklist. This module covers building a scoring matrix that accounts for entity type, jurisdiction risk, activity risk, and PEP or sanctions exposure, with calibration logic that distinguishes a low-risk retail customer from a complex offshore structure. You build a working template and document the assumptions so the file answers the reviewer's question before it is asked.

Module 3. Beneficial Ownership Mapping for Complex Structures

Funds, trusts, SPVs, and holding companies each have different ownership disclosure requirements, and the document trail varies by jurisdiction. This module walks through mapping beneficial ownership for each structure type, building a UBO chart with source citations, handling jurisdictions that limit public disclosure, and writing the finding to satisfy AUSTRAC AML/CTF Rule 15 obligations and FATF Recommendation 24.

Module 4. Source of Wealth and Source of Funds Documentation

Documenting source of wealth convincingly is different from documenting it technically. This module covers the evidence hierarchy: primary documents, supplementary evidence, and how to assess credibility when the stated source is a business sale or inheritance. You build an evidence matrix per customer type and practise writing the source-of-wealth assessment paragraph that closes the EDD file on first submission.

Module 5. PEP Screening and Escalation

Politically Exposed Person screening produces more false positives than confirmed hits, and mismanaging either creates regulatory exposure. This module covers building a PEP screening methodology: primary and secondary screening sources, foreign versus domestic PEP risk, associated persons and close associates, and the escalation path for confirmed PEPs. You build the approval memo template and document the enhanced monitoring trigger that belongs in the file.

Module 6. Adverse Media and Negative News Research

Adverse media review is only as good as the search methodology. This module covers systematic search construction: entity name variants, jurisdiction-specific media sources, time horizons, and materiality thresholds. You document a negative finding versus a clean sweep, and learn which adverse media outcomes require SAR consideration versus enhanced monitoring versus file notation only. Practise writing the adverse media assessment paragraph that supports the risk rating.

Module 7. Transaction Monitoring Alert Disposition

Most TM alerts close with a reasonable explanation, but that explanation needs to stand up to a regulatory look-back. This module covers the alert disposition workflow: counterparty risk assessment, expected versus actual activity comparison, structuring pattern recognition, and writing the closure note. You work through five alert scenarios including a complex cross-border wire chain and a cash-intensive business with unusual transaction frequency.

Module 8. SAR and SMR Narrative Writing

A Suspicious Activity Report that contributes to an investigation starts with a clear narrative structure. This module covers the three-part SAR narrative: background, suspicion basis, and transaction detail, with the framing AUSTRAC examiners prefer and the disclosure standard under the AML/CTF Act. You draft two complete SMR narratives from scenario prompts and identify what separates a filing that advances an investigation from one that satisfies only the obligation.

Module 9. The EDD Interview Framework

When documentation alone cannot close the EDD file, the customer interview becomes the evidence. This module covers preparing the interview guide: questions that open the source-of-wealth narrative, probing questions for complex structures, and the documentation method that converts the conversation into a file note. You build a reusable interview framework and practise writing the post-interview assessment that links customer responses to the UBO map and risk rating.

Module 10. Periodic Review and File Refresh

Periodic CDD and EDD reviews are triggered by time, risk events, and regulatory requirement. A well-structured refresh process avoids re-doing the entire onboarding file from scratch. This module covers the periodic review methodology: what triggers an out-of-cycle review, which components can be affirmed versus re-documented, and how to update the risk rating after a material change. You build the periodic review checklist template for the refresh workflow.

Module 11. Correspondent Banking and Wire Monitoring

Correspondent banking relationships and high-volume wire activity create specific monitoring challenges that standard retail frameworks miss. This module covers SWIFT MT103 field analysis, correspondent risk assessment using Wolfsberg guidance, nested correspondent identification, and monitoring logic for high-risk corridors. You build a wire monitoring assessment template for a correspondent relationship and practise identifying structural features of a layering pattern in an international wire sequence.

Module 12. Regulatory Examination Readiness

Knowing what an AUSTRAC examination team reviews changes how you build files from day one. This module covers the AUSTRAC examination methodology: risk-based sampling, file adequacy criteria, common findings from published enforceable undertakings, and the documentation standard that distinguishes a compliant file from an exemplary one. You conduct a mock file review against an examination checklist and identify the gaps that most often lead to post-examination remediation.

How this addresses your situation

Specific modules that map to what you said you are dealing with.

You are reviewing an EDD file that bounced for insufficient beneficial ownership documentation on a fund structure with offshore layers

You have a TM alert on a client with unusually high wire activity and need to write a defensible disposition

You need to file an SMR and are drafting the narrative from scratch under time pressure

Your manager has asked you to prepare the customer file for a periodic review without re-doing the full onboarding

What you get with this course

12 written modules covering the full AML/KYC associate skill stack from CDD risk scoring through SAR narrative writing
Downloadable templates: UBO mapping chart, risk scoring matrix, source-of-wealth evidence hierarchy, TM alert disposition note, SAR narrative scaffold, periodic review checklist, EDD interview guide
Worked examples: five TM alert scenarios, two SAR narrative drafts from scenario prompts, three complex UBO mapping exercises
Hand-built implementation playbook: a role-specific reference built for your entity type, regulatory environment, and common customer structures

What you will have in hand by Day 1, Week 1, Month 1

Course access provisioned within 24 hours of purchase

Implementation playbook delivered alongside course access

Templates and worked examples available from the first module

Before and after

Before

EDD files bounce back from quality review, beneficial ownership documentation is inconsistent, SAR narratives take hours to draft because there is no reliable structure, and TM alert dispositions are written from scratch each time.

After

Every EDD file is built to a documented standard with a UBO chart methodology, source-of-wealth evidence hierarchy, and SAR narrative framework that satisfy AUSTRAC requirements on first review.

What happens if you do not address this

Without a structured methodology, EDD files continue to bounce at quality review, SAR narratives remain inconsistent in quality, and TM alert dispositions lack the documentation depth that satisfies regulatory examination. The cost is rework time and regulatory exposure on the files that matter most.

Who it is for

AML and KYC associates at investment banks and diversified financial services firms who handle complex CDD and EDD files, TM alert dispositions, and SAR filings. Particularly useful for associates who have completed foundational AML training and now need the applied methodology to build files that consistently satisfy quality review and regulatory examination without rework.

Who this is NOT for. Retail banking onboarding staff handling standard CDD for low-risk individual customers. Compliance officers seeking strategic or governance-level content rather than hands-on file-building methodology.

How it arrives

Text-based course in the Art of Service learning environment, plus downloadable templates and worked examples for every module, plus the hand-built implementation playbook delivered alongside course access.

Time investment. 12 modules, approximately 30 to 45 minutes each. Full course designed to be completed across a standard workweek.

Why $199 is the right number

Standard AML certifications cover regulatory framework and theory but do not walk through the applied methodology of building a specific file type. Internal training covers firm procedures but rarely the quality-bar reasoning that distinguishes compliant from defensible. This course covers the applied skill layer that sits between regulatory knowledge and file quality.

FAQ

Is this relevant if I work at an investment bank rather than a retail bank?

Yes, the course is designed for complex entity types: funds, trusts, SPVs, offshore holding companies, and correspondent relationships. Retail banking examples are used only as contrast.

How long does each module take?

Most modules are 30 to 45 minutes of reading and template work. The full course is designed to be completed across a standard workweek.

Does this cover AUSTRAC specifically, or only FATF and international standards?

The course uses Australian regulatory requirements as the primary reference throughout, with cross-references to FATF recommendations and international standards where they align or differ.

What is the implementation playbook?

A hand-built reference document covering your specific entity type, common customer structures in your sector, and the documentation methodology mapped to the modules. Delivered alongside course access within 24 hours of purchase.

30-day money-back guarantee. If after a week of working through the materials this is not what you needed, reply to the receipt email and a full refund is processed. No questions, no forms.

Within 24 hours your account in the learning environment is provisioned and the tailored implementation playbook is delivered alongside it.