It might very well be the case that a 97-year-old consumer is applying for financing to take delivery of a $97,000 luxury SUV. Or it could be someone with illegal intentions trying to take advantage of that elderly individual.

Last week, five federal financial regulatory agencies, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), and state financial regulators issued a statement to provide supervised institutions like auto finance companies and other providers of credit with examples of risk management and other practices that may be effective in combatting elder financial exploitation.

Officials acknowledged older adults who experience financial exploitation can lose their life savings and financial security and face other harm. A FinCEN financial trend analysis of Bank Secrecy Act reports over a one-year period ending in June 2023 found that about $27 billion in reported suspicious activity was linked to elder financial exploitation.

Regulators — including the Federal Reserve, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., the National Credit Union Administration and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency — said banks, credit unions, and other supervised institutions play an important role in combatting elder financial exploitation and supporting their customers who experience these crimes.

The statement provides examples of risk management and other practices that supervised institutions may use to help identify, prevent, and respond to elder financial exploitation, including but not limited to:

—Developing effective governance and oversight, including policies and practices to protect account holders and the institution

—Training employees on recognizing and responding to elder financial exploitation

—Using transaction holds and disbursement delays, as appropriate, and consistent with applicable law

—Establishing a trusted contact designation process for account holders

—Filing suspicious activity reports to FinCEN in a timely manner

—Reporting suspected elder financial exploitation to law enforcement, adult protective services, and other appropriate entities

—Providing financial records to appropriate authorities where consistent with applicable law

—Engaging with elder fraud prevention and response networks

—Increasing awareness through consumer outreach

The entire 11-page statement can be viewed here.