The American Bankers Association today announced that its widely used Fraud Contact Directory is now open to international banks, marking a significant expansion of one of the banking industry’s key tools for combating fraud. The announcement was made by ABA President and CEO Rob Nichols and Paul Benda, ABA executive vice president for fraud, risk and cybersecurity, at the United Nations Global Fraud Summit in Vienna, Austria.
Originally launched to help U.S. banks quickly connect with one another to stop fraud in real time, the ABA Fraud Contact Directory has become a cornerstone of industry collaboration. Today, 2,443 banks — representing more than half of all U.S. banks — actively use the directory, with credit union participation continuing to grow. Opening the directory to international banks reflects the increasingly global nature of fraud and the urgent need for cross border cooperation.
“Fraud knows no borders, and neither should our defenses,” Nichols said. “By expanding the ABA Fraud Contact Directory to international banks, we are strengthening the global financial system’s ability to respond quickly, share critical information and stop fraud before it spreads.”