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Supervisory Activities
Supervisory activities are used for examining and investigating companies.
SES Examinations and Investigations Resources for Agencies
How to initiate and manage examinations and investigations of supervised companies.
Conducting a Supervisory Activity
A Supervisory Activity is an activity conducted by a state agency over a financial institution under its regulatory authority. It includes Examination, Investigation, and enforcement actions.
Information Requests
Information Request (IR) contain template language used to request information from a company.
Reviewing Information Request Responses
Once a company responds to your information requests (IRs), your exam team can begin reviewing IR responses.
Responding to a Company's Request to Send Back an IR
After a company sends an IR response, the company can request the examining agency to send back the IR for updates.

Supervisory Activities
Supervisory activities are used for examining and investigating companies.
- SES Examinations and Investigations Resources for Agencies
  How to initiate and manage examinations and investigations of supervised companies.
  - Job Aid: Conducting Your First Exam in SES
    This job aid serves as a guide for new Examiner in Charge (EIC) to conduct their first exam in the State Examination System (SES). It highlights the basic workflow of an exam in SES and points out important information along the way.
  - Managing Supervisory Activities
    This section includes managing the Library, exam scheduling, and participants in a Supervisory Activity. Bulk download of data from supervisory activities is also included.
  - Conducting a Supervisory Activity
    A Supervisory Activity is an activity conducted by a state agency over a financial institution under its regulatory authority. It includes Examination, Investigation, and enforcement actions.
    - Initiating a Supervisory Activity
      The first step in conducting an exam, investigation, or enforcement in SES is to Supervisory Activity on a company.
    - Updating the Basic Details of a Supervisory Activity
      Examiners in Charge (EICs), and Staff Users that are participants on a supervisiry activity (SA) can make updates to the basic details of an examination and save them to the SA.
    - Canceling a Supervisory Activity
      You can cancel a supervisory activity (SA) in SES at any time before the report is sent to the company.
    - Sending a Supervisory Activity for Review
      When initiating a Supervisory Activity in SES, you have the option of sending it for review.
    - Reviewing a Newly-Initiated Supervisory Activity
      The staff director or staff user who initiated a supervisory activity (SA) has the option of sending the SA for review to one or more staff directors before it is scheduled.
    - Milestones and the Supervisory Activity Workflow
      The workflow and its milestones are displayed on the supervisory activity's Summary page. There are seven milestones in total, and there are specific tasks to be completed in that phase of the supervisory activity.
    - Managing the Plan
      The plan informs participants of their responsibilities within the exam. Defining the plan is optional.
    - Managing the Scope
      The scope determines the content that will be reviewed during a supervisory activity, including the review period, business types and business activities, and the areas for review within the selected business types and activities.
    - Reviewing the Scope as the Primary Reviewer
      Once the examiner in charge (EIC) sends an item (Scope, Plan, MRA, etc.) for review, the first reviewer selected in the step is the primary reviewer. Only the first reviewer selected to review the item can follow these steps.
    - Information Requests
      Information Request (IR) contain template language used to request information from a company.
      - Add and Remove Information Requests
        Once the scope is marked complete, agency and standard core information requests (IRs) that match the scope type of the supervisory activity (SA) are automatically added to the SA by the system for single-state exams.
      - Sending Information Requests to the Company
        Once the scope is marked complete, the Plan and Information Requests submenus appear. Additionally, the agency and standard core information requests (IRs) from the library are added to the supervisory activity and can be sent to the company.
      - Reviewing Information Request Responses
        Once a company responds to your information requests (IRs), your exam team can begin reviewing IR responses.
        Moving to In-Flight
        In-Flight is a Supervisory Activity workflow Milestone. It is recommended to move an SA to In-Flight when IR responses are being reviewed.
        Reviewing SA Information Request Responses for Agency Users
        These instructions describe how to review IR responses sent by a company from the Information Requests tab.
        Reviewing QuickIR Responses Sent by a Company
        How to review information request responses sent by a company that were completed using the QuickIR feature. See chapter/QuickIR/topics/c_company_QuickIR.html for more information.
        Searching IR Responses
        After a company has sent IR responses to the requesting agency, you can search through the responses by filename, keyword, response text, and QuickIR status.
        Marking an IR Response Quick Look Complete
        Marking an IR response Quick Look Complete informs other participants that the IR response has been looked at. The company does not get notified about this selection.
        Sending an IR Response back to the Company
        In the case of an insufficient Information Request (IR) Response from a company, you can return the response.
        Responding to a Company's Request to Send Back an IR
        After a company sends an IR response, the company can request the examining agency to send back the IR for updates.
    - Loan Requests
      When conducting an Examination with a Loan File Review Area for Review (AFR), you can send an Information Request (IR) to the company asking for a full list of their loan information.
    - Transaction Requests for Agencies
      Transaction requests in SES allow agency users to initiate and manage formal requests related to specific transactions during a money services business (MSB) examination. Unlike information requests or loan requests, which target broader data or document categories, transaction requests focus on obtaining evidence tied to individual transactions, supporting detailed analysis and issue identification throughout the examination lifecycle.
    - MTRA Workbook
      Users conducting MSB exams can export work completed in SES into a template that matches the MTRA work program.
    - Procedures
      Procedures are used to guide examiners during the examination in the review of company documentation or compliance with statutes, regulations, and other requirements.
    - Conducting the Exam: Reviewing Information Request Responses
      Conducting the exam consists of reviewing Information Request (IR) responses, working procedures and adding or reviewing findings.
    - Findings
      A finding is an issue identified by a state agency user during the supervision of a financial institution in SES. The finding may describe the company’s strengths and/or weaknesses regarding its compliance management system, assess the company’s compliance with consumer protection laws or regulations, or any potential consumer harm. A finding may be either a violation, recommendation, or observation.
    - Conducting the Exam: Marking an Area for Review (AFR) Complete
      Conducting the exam consists of reviewing information request (IR) responses, working procedures, and adding or reviewing findings and finding commentary.
    - Scheduling the Exit Meeting
      Schedule the exit meeting when you are ready to review the results of your examination with the company you are examining.
    - Report of Examination
      Assembling and managing report package, report commentary, and company response.
    - Matters Requiring Attention
      Matters Requiring Attention are optional tools to enable communications between agency and company regarding the resolution of findings from the exam.
    - Closing Out a Supervisory Activity
      When a Supervisory Activity is completed, you can close and lock it.
    - Managing Time and Expenses
      SES provides functionality that allows you to document the time and expenses your agency incurs while conducting a supervisory activity.
  - Networked Supervision
    Networked Supervision allows agencies in multiple states to share resources on a supervisory activity.
- SES Examinations and Investigations Resources for Companies
  Responding to examinations and investigations in State Examination System (SES).
- Capturing Communications Between Agency and Company
  The Interactions page serves as a place where communication between the agency and company is captured. This includes emails, phone calls, meetings, physical mail and other miscellaneous forms of communication specific to the supervisory activity.
- SES Supervisory Activity Reports
  SES has several reports that allow you to view staff workload, plan assignments, identify supervisory activities with no examiners assigned, and view the progress or status of supervisory activites and responses to information requests.

Responding to a Company's Request to Send Back an IR

After a company sends an IR response, the company can request the examining agency to send back the IR for updates.

About this task

These requests are visible under Send Back Requested on the IR Insights tab.

The IR Insights tab showing a send back request

You will also receive an email notification:

Email requesting IR to be sent back

Please note the following restrictions with regard to file uploads in SES. It is recommended to use a ZIP folder or File Sharing Links when uploading large files or more than 25 files at a time.

File formats supported: SES will accept all file formats, but the following commonly supported file types are recommended: PDF, Word®, Excel®, CSV, ZIP
Max file size: 1 GB
For files larger than 1 GB^¹:
- Use ZIP compression to reduce file to less than 1 GB^¹
- Split the file into multiple smaller files
- Use File Sharing Links.
Max no. characters per file name: 200
Max no. files per upload: 25, for uploads larger than 25 total files:
1. Upload first 25.
2. Select the Save Draft option in Available Next Actions then click the Save Draft button.
  Note: You may need to refresh the screen to see that the files have uploaded to the system.
3. Return to the response screen to upload the next 25 files and repeat.
Total no. files: unlimited

Procedure

Navigate to your supervisory activity.
Search for and select the SA ID you would like to access.
Click Information Requests.
Click the IR Details tab.
Optional: You can filter the list to show only those items with send back requested.
1. Click Show Filters.
2. Under Has Send Back Requests? select Yes.
Optional: To send the IR back without viewing the details:
1. Select Send Back to Company from the Action menu.
2. Proceed to Step 8.
Optional: To view the IR details before sending the IR back:
1. Click the IR ID.
2. Optional: Click Remove Quick Look to revert the IR response to an unreviewed status.
3. Click Send Back to Company.
Select a Due Date.
Provide a Response explaining why the Information Request (IR) response is being sent back, uploading any necessary documents.
Click Send Back to Company.

¹ For documents uploaded to the Interactions tab, the maximum file size is 25 MB.

Need More Help?

Agency users, please visit the Secure Portal for phone and email contacts.
Company users should call the Call Center at 1-800-269-6189. Agency users should not call this number.