To all of the auditors out there, do you you audit SARS? If so, what do you actually look at? I question if this is required. Thank you for any information you can give me.

i look at sars during the bank protection act audit and during the bank secrecy act audit. mostly i check to see that we are keeping the forms according to our record keeping policy and that the forms are filled out correctly.

Additionally, I ensure that all SARs were reported to the Board by reviewing BoD minutes.

during the bank potection act audit, i check the security officer's report to the board to see that all sars were reported--i check the actual sars themselves during the bank secrecy act audit

So, you look at the actual SARs? I guess I was under the impression that the SARs should not be viewed by anyone other than the individual(s) preparing them.

more poeple would look at it--the preparer, the reviewer, the security officer. plus, shouldn't others knwo what customers are doing in order to continue monitoring their behavior?

as an internal auditor, you must have access to ALL bank records and documents, otherwise, you cannot fully do your job.

Our examiners expected IA to review the SARs for completness, accuracy, timely filing, etc at least annually as part of our BSA/Patriot Act audit.

Record Retention and Near-SARS

also check that they were filled out correctly, that the narrative isn't too vague and that it is contained in the space provided. (see FinCEN instructions for filling out a SAR)