authorized the Director of the ONDCP to designate areas within the United States that exhibit serious drug trafficking problems and harmfully impact other areas of the country as High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTAs). The HIDTA program aims to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of drug control efforts among local, state and federal law enforcement agencies. The Annunzio-Wylie Anti-Money Laundering Act of 1992 gave protection from civil liability to any financial institution, or director, officer or employee thereof, who/that makes a Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) under any local, state or federal law. The Annunzio-Wylie Act made it illegal to disclose when a SAR is filed. It also made it illegal to operate a money transmitting business without a license where such a license is required under state law, and required all financial institutions to maintain records of domestic and international funds transfers. In addition, this Act introduced the “death penalty,” mandating that bank regulators consider taking action to revoke the charter of any banking organization that is found guilty or pleads guilty to a charge of money laundering. The Money Laundering Suppression Act of 1994 (MLSA) specifically addressed money services businesses (MSBs), requiring each MSB to register and maintain a list of its agents. In addition to making it a federal crime to operate an unregistered MSB, the MLSA encouraged states to adopt uniform laws applicable to MSBs. It also established procedures that allowed banks to exempt certain customers from Currency Transaction Report (CTR) filing. Continuing with the trend of developing a national strategy to combat money laundering, the Money Laundering and Financial Crimes Strategy Act of 1998 called for the designation of areas at high-risk for money laundering and related financial crimes by geography, industry, sector or institution. Some of these areas were later designated as High Risk Money Laundering and Related Financial