What is a Currency Transaction Report (CTR)?

A Currency Transaction Report (CTR) is specifically designed to capture information about cash transactions that exceed $10,000. This requirement is established under the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), which mandates financial institutions to file CTRs to help the government track large cash expenditures that may indicate money laundering or other illegal activities. The CTR must be filed for each transaction that involves more than $10,000 in cash, whether it's a single transaction or multiple transactions within a certain time period.

The significance of filing a CTR accurately is that it provides law enforcement with crucial data to detect and prevent financial crimes. This information involves not only the amount involved but also details regarding the individuals and entities participating in the transaction.

While other reports also play important roles in the realm of financial monitoring and compliance, they do not focus specifically on cash transactions over the $10,000 threshold, which is the defining characteristic of a CTR.