New Practice Area Will Be Led by Eisner Principal Robert Goecks



    NEW YORK, July 30 /EMWNews/ -- Eisner LLP, one of the nation's

leading accounting and advisory firms, announced today a new practice area

that will focus on Bank Secrecy Act Compliance for the insurance industry.

Robert Goecks, a Principal in Eisner's Litigation Consulting & Forensic

Accounting Group, will head up the practice.



    "The Bank Secrecy Act now applies to insurance companies as well as

banks and other financial service institutions," Mr. Goecks said. "Many

insurance companies that fall under BSA requirements are not fully aware of

the risks they now face or how best to mitigate them. Eisner LLP has

created a special practice group to focus our BSA expertise on assisting

these organizations in meeting their obligations."



    "The current global credit crises is driving demand for greater

transparency in financial transactions and reporting consistency," Mr.

Goecks added. "An unintended consequence of this demand for heightened

transparency will likely be an increase in BSA expectations relating to

insurance companies' risk assessments, transaction monitoring and

sustaining compliant AML Programs in a complex and evolving regulatory

environment."



    Mr. Goecks and his practice group have a variety of recommendations and

strategies to help insurance companies comply with the Bank Secrecy Act and

implement "sound practices." These include:



    -- Focused BSA/AML training for Boards of Directors and Senior

Management.



    -- Observe the BSA/AML lessons learned from the depository and

securities industries.



    -- Invest in integrated solutions that can deliver effective and

efficient BSA compliance.



    -- Commit to annual testing of AML Compliance Programs by independent

firms with demonstrated BSA expertise.



    Mr. Goecks completed a career as a Special Agent with IRS Criminal

Investigations where he conducted and supervised money-laundering

investigations. He spent a year as a Special Investigator of sales practice

violations for the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD) where

he introduced AML training to NASD's District 10 in Manhattan. Mr. Goecks

served as the Executive Director for AML compliance for the U.S. subsidiary

of a Canadian bank for approximately three years, which included the 9/11

attack and the subsequent challenges of sustaining AML compliance during

the bank's transition from Ground Zero.



    Immediately before joining Eisner LLP, Mr. Goecks served as the

designated AML Compliance Officer for an established private bank/wealth

management firm in Manhattan, where he helped the bank lift a Cease and

Desist Order involving weaknesses in its AML program. He is a member of the

Board of Directors of the New York State Society of CPAs and the founding

Chair of its Anti-Money Laundering & Counter Terrorist Financing Committee.

He is also on the Board of Trustees for the John Jay College Foundation,

Inc. where he is Chair of the Audit Committee. Mr. Goecks holds an

undergraduate degree in Accounting and an MBA with a concentration in

Finance from the University of Texas at Arlington.



    Eisner LLP is one of the premier regional accounting and business

advisory services firms in the Northeast and is ranked among the top firms

in the United States. Eisner provides auditing, accounting and tax

services, as well as corporate finance, litigation consulting and forensic

accounting, information technology and other professional services to a

broad range of clients, with a special focus on financial services;

not-for-profit; law firms; sports, media, and entertainment; technology;

health sciences; and real estate. Eisner works with businesses ranging from

start-ups to Fortune 500 in size, including providing auditing services to

approximately 80 public companies. Headquartered in New York City, with

offices in New Jersey and Long Island, Eisner LLP serves companies

throughout North America. As an independent member of Baker Tilly

International, Eisner is helping clients worldwide. http://www.eisnerllp.com.






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              Dukas Public Relations

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