Victor Cardona is Vice President and BSA Officer for Plaza Bank, headquartered in Irvine, CA. He has been in banking since 2004, specializing in BSA/AML compliance since 2005. In 2015 and 2016, Victor served on the faculty of the BankersOnline BSA/AML Top Gun Conferences.

Victor is responsible for managing Plaza Bank’s overall BSA/AML and OFAC compliance program. Prior to joining Plaza Bank, Victor was the Assistant Vice President and BSA Risk Officer for City National Bank in Los Angeles, where he performed the testing of the bank’s BSA/AML and OFAC risk assessment program. He was promoted to this position within City National from Senior Compliance Analyst where he investigated the bank’s most complex and high-profile SAR investigations.

Victor started his banking career with Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach, CA, as a teller, before quickly moving into their BSA Department. While at Farmers & Merchants Bank, Victor also represented the bank as the Financial Institution Liaison with the Long Beach Elder Abuse Prevention Team.

Victor received his Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from Cal State Dominguez Hills, and his M.B.A. from Utica College in Economic Crime & Fraud Management. Victor also attended the police academy at the Golden West College Criminal Justice Training Center, where he received a Certificate of Achievement in Criminal Justice. He has been a member of ACAMS since 2007, and received his certification as a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist in 2008.