Guides
FINTRAC, explained for dealerships & leasing companies
Plain-language answers to the questions financing & leasing businesses actually search: what changed on April 1, 2026, what a compliance program must contain, and what an examination looks like. Each guide cites FINTRAC's own guidance.
The April 1, 2026 change: FINTRAC now examines dealerships that finance on their own paper
Financing and leasing businesses became FINTRAC reporting entities on April 1, 2025, and FINTRAC's first-year grace period of outreach over enforcement ended April 1, 2026. Here's who is caught, what obligations attach, and what you must have in place before an examiner calls.
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FINTRAC compliance program requirements: the five elements explained
Every FINTRAC reporting entity must have a documented compliance program with five specific elements. Here's what each one means in practice for a dealership or leasing company, and what examiners look for in each.
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How a FINTRAC examination works, and how to prepare
What actually happens when FINTRAC examines a financing or leasing business: the notice, the document request, the file review, and the findings process. Here's the sequence and how to be ready for each stage.
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FINTRAC client identification methods: what counts as valid KYC
FINTRAC accepts a specific set of methods for verifying who your client is, and each one has rules about acceptable documents, timing and record content. Here's what a dealership or leasing company needs to capture on every in-scope deal.
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Bill C-12 penalties: what FINTRAC non-compliance actually costs
Bill C-12 raised FINTRAC's penalty ceilings roughly 40-fold and made a missing compliance program a 'very serious' violation on its own. Here's the real tiered structure and what it means for a dealership or leasing company.
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STR and large cash reporting obligations for dealerships & leasing companies
Beyond client identification, reporting entities must file specific reports with FINTRAC: suspicious transaction reports with no dollar threshold, and large cash transaction reports at $10,000. Here's what triggers each and what the report has to contain.
Read the guide → · 3 min