What term refers to transactions that deviate from normal patterns?

Study for the Certified Bank Secrecy Act Professional Test. Use flashcards and multiple-choice questions with hints and explanations. Get exam ready!

Unusual activity describes transactions that don’t fit a customer’s typical pattern or the bank’s expected behavior for that account. It’s the signal investigators look for when monitoring for potential money laundering or other financial crime. The idea is to establish what normal looks like for a customer—their usual transaction size, frequency, counterparties, and destinations—and then spot deviations from that baseline. Examples include unusually large deposits that aren’t explained by income, rapid transfers through many accounts, a spike in activity after a period of quiet, transfers to high‑risk or unexpected jurisdictions, or patterns like structuring to avoid reporting thresholds. When such deviations are detected, they prompt further review and possible escalation, such as filing a SAR if there’s suspicion of illicit activity. The other terms refer to storing or presenting records (transaction records), how long data is kept (retention period), or unrelated items like photos, which don’t capture the concept of pattern deviation used in monitoring.