# Treasury weighs looser AML thresholds for banks

> Treasury may ease old bank reporting rules by giving banks credit for customers they already know well.
- Title: Treasury weighs looser AML thresholds for banks · Pymnts
- Summary: Treasury may ease old bank reporting rules by giving banks credit for customers they already know well. Treasury is looking at higher AML reporting…
- Keywords: treasury, scott bessent, aml, bank secrecy act, suspicious activity reports, currency transaction reports, know your customer, community banks, stablecoins, clarity act, genius act, beneficial ownership reporting
- Source: Pymnts — https://pymnts.com/legal/bank-regulation/2026/treasury-rethinks-aml-rules-for-banks-that-know-their-customers
- Author: PYMNTS
- Published: 2026-09-16T00:46:07+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: treasury, scott bessent, aml, bank secrecy act, suspicious activity reports, currency transaction reports, know your customer, community banks, stablecoins, clarity act, genius act, beneficial ownership reporting
## Old thresholds face review
Treasury is considering higher SAR and CTR reporting thresholds, with special attention to how long a bank has known its customer.

> We believe that we must get this right
## Customer tenure could count
Bessent said Treasury may combine threshold increases with credit for banks that have long relationships with clients.

> giving credit to institutions for the duration that they have known their clients
## Community banks get focus
Treasury wants to cut excess costs for small and community banks while preserving financial system safety.

> actively working on threshold increases based on customer tenure
## Current limits are dated
SAR thresholds range from no minimum for insider abuse to $5,000 or $25,000. CTR rules still cover cash transactions above $10,000.
## Stablecoins raised deposit fears
Rep. Brad Sherman warned that interest tied to stablecoins could pull deposits from banks and weaken small business lending.
## Crypto authority split lawmakers
Bessent backed the Clarity Act as a way to give Treasury more authority, while Sherman argued it would boost crypto as a dollar rival.

> it gives Treasury more authority
## Dollar coins got support
Rep. Mike Flood asked how GENIUS Act stablecoins would support the dollar. Bessent said dollar-backed tokens increase demand for Treasury bills.

> Dollar-backed stablecoins increase demand for U.S. Treasury bills and reinforce the dollar
## Cyber work moves smaller
Treasury has met with large banks on cyber resilience and is now pushing lessons down to regional, small and community banks, plus service providers.

> the patching of a lot of open-source code
## BOI rollback backed
Bessent supported removing beneficial ownership reporting for 33 million domestic small businesses while keeping it for foreign entities.

> 100%
## Key takeaway

Treasury is looking at higher AML reporting thresholds tied to customer tenure, especially to reduce pressure on community banks.