What should the 'What' section describe in a SAR narrative?

• A. The weather
• B. Describe in detail the activity and types of transactions involved
• C. The suspect's favorite color
• D. The bank's marketing policy

Answer: (B)

Describe in detail the activity and types of transactions involved. In a SAR narrative, the What section should lay out the observable actions that triggered the report, not conclusions or motives. It should read as a clear, factual account of what the customer did: the specific transactions, their types (cash deposits, withdrawals, wire transfers, transfers between accounts, checks, FX activity, etc.), the amounts, dates and times, account numbers or identifiers, branches or channels used, and any counterparties or destinations. Include the sequence and any patterns that stand out (for example, multiple deposits just under reporting thresholds followed by rapid transfers to foreign accounts, unusual frequency, or transfers to unfamiliar entities). The goal is to give investigators a precise, objective picture of exactly what occurred so they can assess risk and correlate with other information. Weather, personal preferences, or internal policies are not part of the observed activity and do not belong in this section, since they don’t describe what was happening in the accounts.