Does a financial institution need to scan names against OFAC's list of targets upon account opening or can it wait for 24 hours to receive a report from its software vendor on whether or not there is a hit?

OFAC's answer

There is no legal or regulatory requirement to use software or to scan. There is a requirement, however, not to violate the law by doing business with a target or failing to block property. OFAC realizes that financial institutions use software that does not always provide an instantaneous response and may require some analysis to determine if a customer is indeed on OFAC's [Specially Designated Nationals List](https://ofac.treasury.gov/specially-designated-nationals-and-blocked-persons-list-sdn-human-readable-lists) (or any of OFAC's [other sanctions lists](https://ofac.treasury.gov/other-ofac-sanctions-lists)). The important thing is not to conclude transactions before the analysis is completed.