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Fraud & AML

What is a fraud alert case closure SLA?

A fraud alert case closure SLA defines the maximum time permitted to investigate, resolve, and document a fraud alert from initial detection to final disposition, typically ranging from 24-72 hours for high-risk cases.

Why It Matters

Effective fraud alert closure SLAs reduce potential losses by 40-60% through faster response times and prevent regulatory penalties that can reach $10,000 per day for delayed suspicious activity reporting. Poor SLA management increases false positive costs by 3-5× while exposing institutions to chargeback windows that expire within 120 days, making timely resolution critical for both compliance and profitability.

How It Works in Practice

  1. 1Trigger automated case assignment within 15 minutes of fraud alert generation based on risk score and transaction value
  2. 2Escalate unresolved cases to senior analysts after 50% of SLA time has elapsed
  3. 3Execute standardized investigation workflows including customer contact, transaction verification, and account review
  4. 4Document findings and disposition decisions in case management system before SLA deadline
  5. 5Generate compliance reports for regulatory bodies within required timeframes

Common Pitfalls

BSA/AML regulations require suspicious activity reports within 30 days, creating hard regulatory deadlines that override internal SLAs

Weekend and holiday staffing gaps can cause SLA breaches during high-volume fraud periods

Complex multi-channel fraud cases may require coordination across multiple systems, extending resolution times beyond standard SLAs

Key Metrics

MetricTargetFormula
SLA Compliance Rate>95%Cases closed within SLA / Total cases opened × 100
Average Case Resolution Time<48hrsSum of (case close time - case open time) / Number of cases
Escalation Rate<15%Cases requiring escalation / Total cases × 100

Related Terms