A compliance reviewer is the second signature on your brokerage's hardest calls. Brokers gather the evidence; a reviewer decides whether it clears. You name them on the third screen of compliance setup, and the choice is a standing authority rather than a per-case assignment.
What a Reviewer Decides
Two things: enhanced due diligence (EDD) cases and sanctions clearances.
A sanctions incident moves in two steps. The broker files Triage for Review with a written rationale, which puts the incident in Awaiting senior management clearance. Only a reviewer sees the Clearance Decision button. They write a Clearance Rationale, and the freeze stays on the candidate unless they tick Lift sanctions freeze on candidate (default: preserve). Once filed, the incident reads Cleared with Review and the reasoning is on file.
EDD cases work the same way. A reviewer approves or rejects each measure and each attached document.
Choosing Reviewers During Setup
- Open compliance setup and continue to Who can approve EDD and sanctions decisions?
- Everyone with the Admin access level is preselected. Tick or untick names to adjust the list.
- To bring in someone who is not on the team yet, use Invite a compliance approver. They are designated automatically once they accept.
- Continue through the remaining screens and finish with Activate Compliance.
At least one reviewer is required before setup will let you move on.
What a Reviewer Can See
Review evidence across every team, and nothing else. The cross-team reach is opened only while the reviewer is on a compliance screen, it is checked against your brokerage on each request, and every read is written to the audit trail. Away from those screens the same person sees only what their own team sees. Compensation and revenue data sit on a separate authority and are not part of this one.
Covering Someone Who Is Away
Name more than one. A reviewer who submitted an EDD case cannot approve it; the case waits for a second reviewer to pick it up, which is the point of the two-step design. One reviewer on holiday with a frozen file open is a brokerage that cannot act.
One name is not enough
With a single reviewer, any case that person raises has nobody left to sign it.
Changing Reviewers Later
Reviewer authority is carried by the Compliance access level on a team member's account, so adding or removing a reviewer means changing that level. The setup summary says as much: your choices can be adjusted at any time. Admins keep review authority whether or not you tick them, and selecting an admin never overwrites their Admin access.
What to Do Next
- Appoint Your Compliance Officers to name your FINTRAC contacts.
- Understand Roles and Permissions to place the Compliance level beside the others.