Jennifer Ford–Smith
Lead Investigator, Educator, Host and Speaker
I help passionate teams solve financial crime
- Over 20 years of experience providing exceptional investigative research and fraud analysis in confidential financial settings, demonstrating superior leadership and analytical skills.
- Managed large-scale teams and investigations across Canada including AML Transaction Monitoring projects for two of Canada's Big Five Banks.
- Spearheaded the first attack on residential mortgage fraud involving Anton Pillar orders.
- Experience in the creation, implementation and analysis of enterprise-level Fraud Risk Assessments.
- Implemented detection techniques that have caught millions of dollars' worth of fraudulent mortgage transactions, including individual transactions worth over $1.2 million.
- Designed and implemented a case management system that tracks and connects trends in fraud investigations using MS Access and SQL.
- Investigating: Providing fraud, and money laundering investigation services to corporate clients big and small, including financial institutions and fintechs.
- Assisting: Guiding reporting entities in their Transaction Monitoring deployment, review and STR/SAR submissions.
- Training: Delivering interactive fraud detection and money laundering prevention training based on 20 years' investigative experience and current market trends.
- Speaking: Hosting FinCrime pubs, creating educational online content on FinCrime. Available for panel discussions, and financial crime related speaking engagements.
- Led forensic investigations for Financial Services, First Nations, and government clients ensuring an open feedback loop for process improvements, reducing future potential fraud.
- Performed detailed investigative reviews involving money laundering, mortgage fraud, asset misappropriation, and loan program fraud.
- Provided Anti-Money Laundering training to clients at both the Senior Management and Investigations levels.
- Co-created and co-hosted an online AML MicroLearning Series encouraging industry discussion on money laundering prevention techniques for investigators and compliance professionals.
- Led a large team reviewing transaction monitoring alerts and performing money laundering investigations for Canada's Big 5 Banks.
- Grew the project from 10 to over 100 investigators, with a commensurate increase in revenue.
- Offered full AML and fraud-related investigations incorporating KYC, EDD, sanctions review and STR filing; worked with domestic and international monetary instruments and regulations.
- Worked closely with our clients to review ML/TF protocols and spearhead process improvements, while ensuring regulatory compliance with FINTRAC/OSFI.
- Built development plans and a strong team culture to foster an environment of performance, transparency, and high morale.
- Created RAID logs, managing onboarding and performance assessments, ensuring top-level AML and compliance advice were delivered to our clients consistently.
- Created and implemented an enterprise Fraud Risk Assessment, which includes performing departmental qualitative analysis, establishing risk assessment criteria, and identifying key risk areas with recommended remediation plans.
- Performed quantitative analysis on mortgage, credit card and savings products to evaluate credit risk and predict upcoming financial crime trends. Identified new crime rings operating in the Toronto area targeting newly established financial institutions.
- For CFF Bank (acquired by Home Trust in October 2015), developed a fraud management program to streamline the fraud review process, improving efficiency by 40% and identifying new mortgage and line of credit fraud trends. Reported credit risk findings to the Risk Committee and submitted STRs to FINTRAC.
- Created training sessions concerning financial crime and credit risk; updated teams quarterly regarding money laundering, fraud trends, document verification, investigative methods, and social engineering.
- Led a team of investigators (ex-law enforcement and legal professionals) that undertook financial investigations across North America involving money laundering, mortgage fraud, wire fraud and corporate security.
- Closed thousands of cases and recovered millions of dollars for TD Bank Group.
- Worked complex criminal and civil cases involving international law enforcement teams. Responsible for case preparation including evidence, final report, will say and testimony.
- Developed a training program for bank staff to identify wire fraud.
- Led a cold case initiative that closed 50% of stale cases and recovered close to $1,000,000 prior to the recovery period expiring, leading to a record recovery for the year.
- Established a specialized Compliance and Fraud Detection Team to assess credit risk and provide fraud prevention training across Canada.
- Remodelled the internal compliance processes ensuring compliance with national regulations and policies. Increased the compliance rating of the mortgage portfolio well above the industry standard of 90% within 12 months, providing a significant loss reduction and reducing credit risk.
- As an integral member of the Risk Committee, provided regular statistical and analytical reporting to the Board of Directors concerning fraud trends, compliance and credit risk.
- Thorough knowledge of police practices and requirements: Compiled mortgage fraud evidence and prepared investigative packages for use by law enforcement in criminal convictions, acting as a witness where necessary.
- Performed highly confidential internal investigations.
- CFE (Association of Certified Fraud Examiners) 2007
- CAMS (Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists) 2008
- CFCS Candidate (Association of Certified Financial Crime Specialists) 2019
- Awarded Hon BA in International Relations with minors in Economics and Spanish
- Bilingual degree (English/French)