Conducting manual Anti-Money Laundering (AML) checks

In order to comply with the HMRC money laundering regulations, Alto caters for Manual checks as well as Automated checks (using SmartSearch and/or Thirdfort).

With Manual checks, you're able to:

• Manually check the buyer and vendors documents and record the details in Alto
• View a warning if the check hasn't been carried out for the vendor/landlord/applicant, when making an offer or changing the property status. (The completion of this check can be a mandatory setting or be configured as an advisory warning that can be overridden)
• Report on all records that haven't had AML checks completed

Setting up manual Anti-money laundering checks

The Manual check is a manual process in Alto where you check the buyer and vendors documents and record details of the AML check that's taken place.

There are some settings for your manual checks that you must initially configure:

1. Click Tools on the main navigation bar
2. In the dropdown menu, click Templates and admin
3. On the side menu, under System Tools, click System Administration
4. Click Branches
5. Click Edit next to the relevant branch
6. Scroll down to Money Laundering Check Visibility Options. 
   
   There are three options here which you can configure using the dropdown menu:
   1. None - When set, within the Manual anti-money laundering checks section of the Compliance top tab, no warning messages will appear but the fields can still be used freely
   2. Show - When set, within the Manual anti-money laundering checks section of the Compliance top tab, the user will be prompted with warning messages but can choose to ignore these
   3. Mandatory - When set, within the Manual anti-money laundering checks section of the Compliance top tab, the user will be prompted with warning messages and will not be allowed to continue (i.e. properties can't be made available/offers can't be accepted) until a check has been completed and passed
7. Scroll down and click Save

If Money Laundering Check Visibility Options has been set as either Show or Mandatory, and one of the following actions takes place:

• Change Status is used to change a property from Instructed to Available or from Withdrawn to Available, or,
• an Offer is accepted,

a warning message will display. When making a check of the records, Alto will include the vendor (all of them in the case of multiple vendors), the landlord and/or the applicant.

The warning message content and behaviour will depend upon whether or not the Mandatory setting has been used:

• If the Mandatory setting has been set, the message will be:

You can only click OK and the message will close. You must complete the required checks and then return to the screen to continue with the action being taken.

• If the Mandatory setting hasn't been set, the message will be:

You can either click Yes and continue with the action you're taking, or you can click No and complete the required checks and then return to the screen to continue with the action being taken.

Conducting manual Anti-money laundering checks

1. Click Contacts on the main navigation bar
2. Select the relevant contact from Recent & Favourite Contacts
   1. Alternatively, find the contact using the Search Contacts bar in the top right
3. Click Contact on the side menu
4. Click the Compliance top tab
5. In the Manual anti-money laundering checks section, click thumbs up or thumbs down to show the outcome of the check
6. Enter information within the Notes field that outlines what documents you've seen (Drivers Licence or Passport) and whether they're high or low risk 
7. Click Save

Reviewing results & ensuring that AML checks have been completed

Whether you've conducted a manual check or not, there are two methods you can follow to ensure that Anti-money laundering checks have been completed. 

• The first method is via the individual contact record

Within the Compliance top tab, the Manual anti-money laundering checks section lets you view the details of any manual checks carried out, including a free text field for any Notes.

When a check is completed, an entry is placed on the Timeline to record that this action has been taken.

• The second method encompasses multiple contacts

There is a match group that you can use which reports any contacts who have active offers, but haven't yet had the details completed. To find the match group:

1. Click Contacts on the main navigation bar
2. Click Groups in the top left
3. In Default Groups in the top left, click AML Checks
4. You have the choice between 4 dropdown menu filters:
   1. Contact Type - Landlords, Vendors
   2. Branches - All Branches, Individual Branch
   3. Stage - All, Instructed, Available, Pending Offers, Offers Accepted, Completed/Let
   4. Consent - All Contacts, With General Marketing, With Property Matching, With Both

If required, you can slide the toggle alongside AML Checks to pin a list of contacts. Pinning a list of contacts will mean:

• This exact list of contacts will be saved until you later decide to unpin it
• Alto will remember your current position in this list
• You can save a description by which to remember this list

You can then expand the group and work through the group.

• Related Help Centre articles that you may find useful.

  Conducting Anti-Money Laundering (AML) checks with SmartSearch

  Conducting Thirdfort ID, AML & Proof of Ownership checks for owners & buyers

  Conducting OFSI checks