Recently featured in Finance Derivative, Joe Norburn examines the growing pressure on traditional financial crime resourcing models as firms contend with evolving threats, increasing regulatory expectations and the need to access specialist capability quickly.
The article explores how firms can maintain a strong internal core while bringing in specialist expertise around specific risks, programmes or periods of increased scrutiny. This can include regulatory remediation, financial crime transformation, risk uplift, file reviews and supervisory response.
A central message is that specialist resourcing should not simply be treated as a faster way to fill vacancies. Instead, firms should organise it around clearly defined regulatory and operational outcomes, supported by clear mandates, reporting lines and senior oversight.
“For boards, the issue is not simply headcount. It is whether the organisation has enough accountable capability to maintain effective control, respond to emerging threats and deliver change without creating an inefficient cost base.” comments Joe Norburn, CEO, TCC Group and Momenta
Facing financial crime: When should firms use on-demand financial crime expertise? explains when this approach can add value and how firms can scale financial crime capability while retaining control and accountability.
Supporting sources
Frequently asked questions
When should firms consider on-demand financial crime expertise?
Firms should consider specialist support when a material, time-bound risk or delivery requirement goes beyond their available internal capacity. The article identifies regulatory engagement, remediation backlogs, control failures, transformation programmes, leadership gaps, rapid growth and the need for independent challenge as typical triggers.
Where can specialist financial crime teams provide support?
The article highlights AML and KYC remediation, transaction-monitoring transformation, customer-file and data-quality reviews, regulatory response, financial crime transformation and risk uplift as areas where specialist capability can be deployed.
How can firms retain control when using specialist support?
The article stresses the importance of defining the mandate, reporting lines, responsibilities, intended outcomes and exit plan before specialist support is deployed. Accountability should remain within the firm’s governance structure.
- Are your financial crime controls working in practice?Analysis & Perspectives · October 20, 2026
- Money Marketing: Outsourcing doesn’t outsource accountabilityAnalysis & Perspectives · October 15, 2026
- Wealth DFM: When should firms use on-demand financial crime expertise?Analysis & Perspectives · October 14, 2026
- Motor finance redress moves towards its next legal milestoneRegulatory Horizon · October 14, 2026
- BankingTCC helps retail banks, challenger banks, building societies and specialist banking providers strengthen governance, manage financial crime risk and demonstrate good customer outcomes. Our specialists support Consumer Duty, remediation, regulatory transformation, FCA intervention and compliance assurance programmes through advisory, managed services, specialist resourcing and technology-enabled compliance. With more than 25 years of experience supporting FCA-regulated firms, we help banks respond confidently to regulatory scrutiny while strengthening operational resilience and customer trust.
- General Insurance & ProtectionTCC helps insurers, brokers, MGAs and protection providers evidence fair value, strengthen customer outcomes and identify emerging customer harm. We assess product governance, claims performance, distribution oversight and vulnerability risks, helping firms create regulator-ready evidence, improve operational performance and demonstrate that products and services deliver value throughout the customer lifecycle.
- Wealth Management & Financial AdviceTCC helps wealth managers, financial advisers, networks, platforms and consolidators strengthen compliance, evidence customer outcomes and manage regulatory risk. Every engagement is designed to deliver practical improvements, stronger governance and regulator-ready evidence. For more than 25 years, we have helped FCA-regulated firms navigate regulatory change, supervisory reviews and business growth.
Reviewed by TCC Group Editorial Team
Need specialist financial crime expertise?
TCC’s specialist resourcing model can help firms access experienced capability around specific financial crime risks, programmes and periods of regulatory scrutiny, while maintaining clear governance and accountability.
Talk to TCC about your financial crime resourcing requirements.