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Much has occurred in the last two months regarding the relationship between financial institutions and Marijuana-Related Businesses, or MRBs. In this post, we discuss three major developments, all of which share a complex connection. First, the National Credit Union Administration (“NCUA”) recently pursued its first enforcement action against a credit union for Anti-Money Laundering (“AML”) compliance failures when servicing MRBs. Second, two cannabis industry executives were convicted of bank fraud for allegedly tricking banks and other financial institutions into unwittingly extending financial services to their MRB. Third, and despite this enforcement drumbeat regarding MRBs, Congress has introduced again, with bi-partisan support, the SAFE Banking Act, which seeks to normalize the banking of cannabis by prohibiting federal bank regulators from taking certain actions against financial institutions servicing MRBs
In this week’s edition:
Cannabis Banking Bill has bipartisan support
Congressional Research Service clarifies 280E
New York comes to recreational cannabis agreement
Medical cannabis laws have no impact on adolescent recreational use, research finds
Federal
Cannabis Banking Bill Reintroduced in the Senate - US Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Steve Daines (R-MT), along with 27 other cosponsors, have reintroduced the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act. If enacted, SAFE would ensure that financial institutions could service cannabis business clients without facing federal penalties. At present, the threat of federal penalty has shut out many cannabis companies from working with many banks and credit unions. Now that Democrats control the Senate and the White House, many in the industry are optimistic about passage.
First penalty for pot banking violations lands on credit union americanbanker.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from americanbanker.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.