On February 8, 2012, the US Department of the Treasury (the “Treasury Department”) issued detailed proposed regulations to implement the withholding and reporting rules commonly referred to as the “Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act” or “FATCA.” The proposed regulations supplement and, in some cases, modify the rules the Treasury Department previously announced in a series of notices. The release of the new rules provide an opportunity, in advance of the implementation dates, for foreign financial institutions (“FFIs”) to, among other things, determine the impact of the reporting and withholding requirements on their operations, including how much due diligence is required, whether the FFI systems must be enhanced, whether FFI records are currently readily retrieveable, whether the current number of customer files require that due diligence commence now, whether the FFI has sufficient staffing levels, whether FFI staff is sufficiently trained to implement FATCA, and whether third party assistance is required.
Edward Hickman and Jerome Walker, members of Dentons’ Corporate practice, co-authored this article.
