Arunmozhinathan Gunaseelan

• Enhanced team productivity by streamlining workflow processes and implementing time-saving strategies.
• Mentored junior analysts, fostering professional development while enhancing overall team performance.
• Collaborated with cross-functional teams to identify areas of improvement, leading to increased operational effectiveness.
• Nurtured strong working relationships with clients, ensuring their needs were met while exceeding expectations on deliverables.
• From July 2025 until now, I have been working on the International Australian Project for Customer-Facing KYC for Trust Profiles.
• We are validating the documents for the Simplified Managed Super Fund Trust, Family and Discretionary Trust, Unit Trust, and Informal Trust (Deceased Estate). The tools used are PEGA, WB, CAP (Mainframe System), Iknow, and Trust Pro. There is no screening for this project, as we are just validating the profile of existing profiles and updating the records within 45 to 90 days with quality.

AML / TM – International Bank – UAE.

L1 and L2 Analyst

Ensure that you understand the alerts by their detection scenario (DS); based on the DS, we have to take a review period.

Pull the common transaction from the database based on the review period, as well as the risk profile transaction. You have to do a VLOOKUP to find the exact significant counterparty based on the detection scenario.

Ensure all the significant counterparties are captured.

Understand the customer profile if it is an individual (age, banking since, PEP, source of income, etc.), or if it is an entity (NOB, PD presence, ATO, MTO, country of presence). Try to mitigate the risk if it is within the financial capacity and the same line of business.

In case we are not able to mitigate the risk, we have to create a case by clubbing all the alerts and will raise a Request for Information (RFI) to the RM/Customer. Based on the response, we will mitigate the risk accordingly, or else we will escalate further to the Trigger Review Team or recommend for SAR based on the past history of cases and the trend and pattern of transactions.

Screening: Adverse media search, Firco search with the help of tools like Firco Soft, Factiva, OFAC, and strings in Google.

In case we identify a PEP or sanction, we will request the respective questionnaire from the RM or customer.

Processing tools: FCRM, Siebel CRM, Finnacle, Docsafe, FTR report (linked account), express clearing, Way4, Lloyds report (to know the vessel movement).

Ensure to capture the suspicious transaction, mitigate it with proof of documentation, or escalate further to L3 (SAR recommendation team).

L3: Case / SAR Documentation:

All the cases related to SAR are routed to the L3 case documentation queue.

We will conduct the audit regarding whether the L1 and L2 analysts have taken the right transactions as per the detection scenario.

We will analyze the trend and pattern based on a case-to-case basis, pulling the transactions from a maximum of 3 years, 2 years, and 1 year, with a minimum of 6 months to understand the trend and pattern.

We will analyze the previous case, compare the counterparties and outcomes of previous cases, such as: warning letter issued, SAR recommended/ filed, pending with the trigger review team, and the outcome of the trigger review team, etc. Based on certain research, we will ensure whether the case has to be recommended for SAR or not.

We will ensure or cross-verify whether the L2 analyst has captured the required details in the audit log. If there are any misses, they will be sent back to the L2 analyst for further correction.

In case the L2 Analyst has updated their required information in the audit log, then we will start validating all the necessary documents, such as the account opening form, identity documents for individuals, entity trade licenses, UBO ID proof, ownership information, PD search, Firco search, and FACTIVA. After collecting and validating the required documents, we will move the case to the L3 – SAR writing team, which is located onshore (UAE).

QA Role:

Quality checking in RFI emails by sampling.

Quality checking of cases by sampling.

Taking a session regarding the common errors and trying to make analysts not repeat them.

Support activities:

I am assisting the leads by allocating the alerts and cases to the respective analysts on a daily basis.

Sending the reports of the daily count at the start of the day and the end of the day to my manager.

Giving training and buddy-up activities to new joiners.

I am providing SME support for the L1 Analyst, L2 Analyst, and L3-Case Documentation Analyst.

GLOBAL CDD - International Bank UK/Germany:

We are responsible for researching guarantor entities.

We will understand the Guarantor and Borrower based on the loan agreement document.

We will drill down the ownership of guarantor entities. Based on ownership, we will identify whether it is a closely connected guarantor or a non-closely connected guarantor.

If it is closely connected, a guarantor, certain exceptions will be applied from the borrower entity.

If it is a non-closely connected guarantor, we will do end-to-end CDD for the guarantor entity.

As I have been working for a UK-based bank, we have to adhere to the local addendum and the global addendum.

Local addendum based on other than the UK; we will adhere to and fulfill the requirements as per the country addendum. If there are any additional due diligence steps, we will perform the same and move the case to ACO (Accountable Client Owner) or RM for further approval.

If we find a PEP, Adverse hit, or Firco hit, then we will seek AMLRO or FCC approval, and based on that, we will proceed with the case.

General Process Steps:

Based on the client risk rating and aging, we will prioritize the cases.

Search for appropriate documents, and validate accordingly.

Ownership drill down based on risk rating; % of UBO will be identified and verified as per policy and procedure.

We will do an adverse search, Lexis Nexis, Firco search, and RDC. If any hit is observed, we will mitigate or reach out to the business for the same. Based on their response, we will proceed accordingly, based on policy and procedure.

Based on ownership, we will classify the entity type as private, listed, publicly traded on a recognized stock exchange, regulated, government, SOE, fund, trust, and foundation.

I have working experience in NCA (New Client Adoption), PR (Periodic Review), and event-driven or trigger review.

QA & SME Role:

I have performed the Checker role, giving feedback to the maker and helping them learn and understand the process.

Ensure to meet 95% to 100% quality.

Ensure to deliver the case with quality within TAT and SLA.

I am part of the weekly knowledge-sharing team, where we discuss the major errors and process updates in this forum.

• Optimized project management, resulting in timely deliverables and improved client satisfaction rates.
• Improved company efficiency with the development of key performance indicators and tracking metrics.
• Performed audits of subsidiaries to protect shareholders and potential investors from fraudulent or unrepresentative financial claims.
• Collected, arranged, and input information into database system.

The idea of due diligence was applied to Know Your Customer (KYC). The key steps in this process.

Identify the customer through a proper Customer Identification Program.

Understand the customer activities.

Assess the Money Laundering Risk.

U.S. and Canadian AML Regulation for Personal and Commercial Banking.

Research Analyst (RA) for Periodic Review Entities (U.S./Canada):

We are responsible for conducting research on the entities to determine whether any changes exist based on the scenarios below that may impact the risk rating, such as:

Nature of Business: In this section, we will research whether the entity is involved in any risk perspective business or not.

Ownership: We will research any changes in ownership by drilling down various levels to find out if any individual owns more than 25% or if nobody owns more than 25%.

We will verify any change of address.

Countries of business/transaction operation – We will research in which countries the business operation has taken place. If it is a sanctioned country, then appropriate risk perspective action will be taken.

Controlling parties, like the Board of Directors and C-suites, should take appropriate risk-perceptive action if a person is a politically exposed person (PEP).

Name screening for the entities/individual – we will check whether this individual/entity has adverse news or not.

Products: We will analyze whether the customer has opted for any risky products.

We will perform periodic reviews: LLCs, LPs, Inc., Corporation, Banks, Financial Institutions, Fund, Trust, Government Entities, NPO (Non-Profit Organization).

During the initial onboarding of the client, the Relationship Manager will provide us with the Onboard Questionnaire, and based on that document, we will research and update the information. Finally, we will successfully onboard the client on time to start the trade quickly between the customer and client.

Reviewing the onboard and periodic review entities that have been done by the research analyst.

Prepare the audit report and send it to the research analyst for their better learning.

We will reach out to the Relationship Manager for the data gap or for entity requirements, and once the requirements are received, we will update accordingly and move the entity to the next level.

Unwrapping/Ownership Structure:

We will unwrap the ownership structure of the entity to find the UBO with the help of the Annual Report, Company Website, Regulatory Listing, Trade Registry, and Client Confirmation.

Document Request: Based on the review date, the cases will be prioritized, and we will send the requirement to the RM (Relationship Manager).

The steps below will be taken for analyzing the risk, such as,

Name Screening : In this step the system will automatically pull out the alerted names which is related to terrorist, PEP or any other adverse news

v Adverse Search: We will perform adverse search for the entity and alerted individual to find whether entity or individual has any relationship with terrorist, tax evasion, bribery, regulatory fines, Money laundering.

If adverse news is found, we will capture it in an AMAF (Adverse Media Assessment Form). After RM sign-off, we will upload the same in the system.

Sanction Search: We will perform a sanction search for the entity, whether it is linked with sanctioned countries such as Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Russia, Crimea, Sevastopol, Ukraine, and Syria. We will check the OFAC list (Office of Foreign Asset Control). If a sanction is identified, based on the risk, we will prepare the SRAF (Sanction Risk Assessment Form), and we will get approval from the Sanction Team. After RM sign-off, the form will be uploaded in the system.

PEP (Politically Exposed Person): We will check the alerted individual to determine whether they are a PEP. If a PEP is identified, we will prepare a PEP Form that will be reviewed by the Country FCC and RM. After their approval, the form will be uploaded into the system. If the entity is listed in an equivalent jurisdiction, PEP exemption will be given.

Tax Document: We will review the tax documents such as FATCA (Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act) and CRS (Common Reporting Standard). We will validate the same and upload it in the system.

Tools Used: BOWB, Norkom, Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, OCS, Google, World Governance Indicator, Transparency Control.

AML (Anti-Money Laundering)/KYC: Anti-Money Laundering is a process to restrict the conversion of illegal money to legal money.

Investigating the AML on complying with banking due diligence procedures and regulatory mandate.

Initiated, processed, closed, and documented investigations as per KYC policy.

Documenting and monitoring risk mitigation activities, surveillance of account activities, and monitoring of structural changes for internal and external audit needs.

Using transactional and customer records, external data, publicly available information, and other information to identify suspicious or unusual activity.

Analyzing potential Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) hits to ensure transactions were in compliance with United States sanctions.

Identifying OFAC alerts and cases such as Politically Exposed Persons (PEP) that may be located in and doing business with U.S. sanction and embargo countries.

Supplying proof that false positives were proven to be correct and closed at the analyst level.

Submitting PEPs to compliance after being identified to be added to the SDN list.

Reviewing and updating KYC files with missing and updated information to satisfy compliance requirements.

Contacting the Relationship Manager for further information when EDD is conducted.

Responsible for preparing and submitting a narrative summary of findings for each individual review, including a detailed recommendation for further action, to the Regional Money Laundering Officer.

Evaluated wire transfers and other payments for potential fraud, money laundering, patterns, and inconsistencies.

Understand and stay current on the red flags and industry trends related to AML.

Passionate, forward-thinking, focused, hard-working.

Adhering to all of the bank’s strict security, audit, and compliance requirements.

Reporting any suspicious customer activity to the relevant channel.

I can quickly become familiar with all of a bank's products and services.

I can communicate effectively and professionally.

I won the TCS On Spot Award for simplifying the process steps, increasing the production, and quality using VBA Macro.

I completed 23 international marathon running events, which were conducted in various places such as Chennai, Coimbatore, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Satara, Auroville, and Mysore.