Last year saw a record number of SAR filings. According to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), banks, savings associations, and credit unions alone filed more than 2.193 million SARs in 2025, an increase of 7.66% over SAR filings in 2024. Seven groups in total file SARs, and during 2025, all seven groups filed more than 4.105 million SARs, an increase of 7.99% over total SAR filings in 2024.
SAR reports are part of Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) data that law enforcement uses to identify and investigate evolving and increasingly complex financial crimes.
For banks, savings associations, and credit unions, the most often reported category of SAR filings in 2025 was “Suspicion Concerning the Source of Funds” (9.08%). Other categories included “Transactions with no apparent economic, business, or lawful purpose” (9.04%), “Transactions below the CTR threshold” (8.65%), “Suspicious EFTs/Wire Transfers” (8.15%), and “Check Fraud” (7.46%). (In years 2022, 2023, and 2024, “Check Fraud” was the top-reported SAR category by banks, savings associations, and credit unions.)
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