All terms

Currency Transaction Report

CTR

A report filed with FinCEN for cash transactions exceeding $10,000 in a single business day.

A Currency Transaction Report (CTR) must be filed with FinCEN for each cash transaction (or aggregated transactions by or on behalf of one person) exceeding $10,000 in a single business day. Unlike SARs, CTRs are objective and threshold-driven rather than judgment-based.

Institutions must also watch for “structuring” — when a customer deliberately breaks up transactions to stay under the $10,000 threshold — which is itself a reportable, suspicious activity.

This glossary entry is educational and does not constitute legal advice. Always consult qualified legal counsel for jurisdiction-specific guidance.

Related terms

Suspicious Activity Report

A confidential report filed with FinCEN when a transaction is suspected to involve illegal activity.

BSA/AML

The US legal framework requiring financial institutions to detect, prevent, and report money laundering and other financial crime.

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