Smarter AML Screening

A regional UK community bank with deep ties to its community was under increasing pressure to modernise its approach to Anti Money Laundering and sanctions compliance. With rising expectations from the Financial Conduct Authority and the shifting geopolitical climate, the bank needed to increase its compliance resilience without stretching its limited resources.

Manual processes, static watchlists and outdated spreadsheets were no longer sufficient. The FCA had issued industry wide communications flagging concerns about how smaller firms were handling sanctions updates, particularly after changes to OFSI listings. It was clear that change was needed to protect both customers and the institution’s regulatory standing.

Facing Key Challenges

The bank’s reliance on manual compliance checks had become a liability. Screening processes were slow and resource intensive, and the volume of false positives led to delays and inefficiencies across the board.

The compliance team spent too much time chasing alerts that did not reflect real risk. At the same time, the bank faced increased scrutiny from regulators, with growing concern around smaller lenders’ preparedness to manage sanctions regime updates.

Without modern screening tools in place, the risk of missing something critical was too high. The bank knew it had to act quickly.

Deploying Sanction Screen

To overcome these challenges, the bank implemented Sanction Screen, part of the Insights Package from the Boshhh fintech toolkit. This cloud based platform provided automated screening against PEPs, sanctions and adverse media using live data feeds. It replaced static spreadsheets with real time monitoring, helping the team make faster, more accurate decisions.

Sanction Screen introduced a risk based approach, allowing the bank to apply enhanced due diligence only when a customer’s profile or transaction history required it. Factors such as geography, transaction type and customer behaviour were used to dynamically assess risk, which meant more focus on meaningful cases and less wasted time.

This API structure gave the compliance team immediate clarity. Each flag was accompanied by a risk score and action recommendation, allowing teams to escalate only what truly required attention. By automating the first layer of review, the tool gave staff time back to focus on the most critical risks.

{
  "screening_status": "clear",
  "matched_lists": [],
  "pep_status": false,
  "timestamp": "2025-04-14T11:22:00Z"

Transforming Operations

The introduction of Sanction Screen led to measurable operational improvements across the compliance function. The false positive rate fell from 85 percent to 37 percent. This drastic reduction gave the compliance team time back and reduced the number of irrelevant alerts they needed to review each day.

Customer onboarding times improved significantly. What had previously taken ten days now took just four. This was especially important for the bank’s SME lending programme, where speed and simplicity are crucial.

At the same time, the bank saw annual compliance costs fall from one point three million pounds to five hundred and twenty thousand pounds. The compliance function became leaner, faster and more effective.

Regulatory Review Success

Following the rollout of Sanction Screen, the bank faced its next FCA review. Where the previous review had flagged a moderate breach, the new review recorded zero issues. This gave board members and local stakeholders confidence that the bank was not only meeting regulatory standards but was now ahead of the curve.

The results spoke for themselves. The false positive rate fell by 48 percentage points. Average onboarding time dropped from twelve days to one. Regulatory breaches fell from one to none. Compliance costs were reduced by sixty percent.

Scalable Modern Compliance

This transformation demonstrates what is possible when smaller institutions are given access to right sized technology. Sanction Screen required no major overhaul or IT lift. It integrated into the bank’s workflows and began producing results almost immediately.

With live data and cloud based intelligence at the core, the solution scales as needs evolve. There is no reliance on manual updates. The system remains aligned to global sanctions lists and geopolitical changes in real time, freeing up teams to focus on high value decision making.

A Better Way Forward

For this UK community bank, Sanction Screen delivered more than just compliance. It unlocked operational efficiency, enhanced service delivery and rebuilt confidence at every level of the organisation.

This is not just a success story. It is a working model for how smaller banks can protect customers, satisfy regulators and modernise legacy systems without overspending. With the right tools and the right partners, even the most resource constrained institutions can lead with confidence.