When filing a SAR for ongoing/continuous activity, the amount involved, is it the total of all cash transactions processed during the reported time frame or just the total dollar amount of trancactions that appear to be suspicious? My thinking is that the amount should be for only the suspicious activity and not a total of all the transactions conducted during the previous 90 days. I'm getting two different answers. Any suggestions? Thanks for your help!

From the SAR preparation guidelines:

Item 34 - Dollar amount involved - Enter the dollar amount involved in the suspicious activity. If less than a full dollar is involved, round it to the next highest dollar.

It's not the gross amount of all activity, it is only the amount of the suspcicious activity. There may or may not be cash involved.

Thanks for your help, Ken. It is much appreciated!

If you don't already, it can also be helpful to add a line to the narrative that clearly outlines what you're using for the figure in Item 34.

We just had a compliance exam and we were told that the $ amount is continuous. For instance when you are filing on someone every 90 days the date on the SAR always goes back to the first one filed and the $ amount is added to the previous ones. It is not just the information for this 90 days it is accumulative.
Is this right?

That is how I've always done it and what I've also been told from examiners. It is a cumulative total from original date of the suspicious transactions.

Two different concepts discussed here.

You report the dollar amount that is considered suspicious and you report that figure cumulatively in ongoing SARs.

If there is a break in SARs, you start over for the $ amount being reported and mention the prior info in the narrative. This is discussed in FINCEN guidance.

Thank you