Category: Trade Compliance

It feels like we’re living in a never‑ending cycle of “Breaking News” alerts when it comes to IEEPA tariffs—and now Section 122 headlines have joined the party. The first major shake‑up landed on February 20, 2026, when SCOTUS ruled the IEEPA tariffs unlawful. Since the Court left the question of importer refunds unanswered, everyone has…

As a Sports Mom, I am familiar with IMG Academy in Bradenton Florida and was shocked to learn that it had violated the export regulations.  IMG is an elite sports academy with a state-of-the-art campus that any athlete would drool over, assuming you have over $100,000 per year for attendance. IMG has produced numerous professional…

Well, the moment we have all been waiting for since November 5 has finally arrived. Can we stop holding our breath now? SCOTUS issued their opinion on the IEEPA tariffs In the 170-page document , it covers the Supreme Court opinion addressing whether the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) authorizes the President to impose…

Just last week I was reminded of an experience I had at a previous employer with an import shipment. It was the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, and many people were already on their holiday, while I received a frantic call from our freight forwarder & customs broker about an Emergency Action Notification (EAN) from U.S. Customs…

We all know that having an EAR99 export classification is quite favorable for exporters.   Typically, it allows for No License Required (NLR) exports if other considerations and requirements such as end use and restricted party screening have been met.  However, let’s look at a common scenario that may not be on your radar outside of…

If you ever received a refund from CBP, you would typically receive a paper check mailed to you. But get ready, changes are coming and very soon. No longer will you see that check from the US Department of Treasury, refunds will be issued electronically. The interim final rule goes into effect on February 6,…

The Confusing World Of Export Compliance Sometimes the regulations can be confusing and unclear about how to accomplish the tasks required to remain export compliant.  One of these examples is Restricted Party Screening, where screening for denied or restricted entities is one of the most crucial risk management tasks within export compliance. All people, even…

Often, when we think of export compliance, our focus is on the Shipping Department and boxes going out the door.  But did you know that OFAC recently settled with a Chicago Private Equity fund for $11.48M?  This firm had been managing a $50M investment that had ties to Suleiman Kerimov, a sanctioned Russian oligarch and…

This year has been exceptionally challenging for importers. From the outset, new tariffs appeared to be implemented almost daily, with China-related tariff rates changing multiple times—sometimes within a single day. Keeping pace with these developments has proven difficult even for the most experienced trade professionals. Compounding the uncertainty were a series of legal challenges surrounding…

Screening is an essential element of all export compliance programs.  Serious penalties for noncompliance do exist in this area, even when it’s unintentional. It’s important that every exporter be aware of some basic best practices for effective and successful screening. Garbage In – Garbage Out… Data integrity is crucial!  We’ve all heard the saying garbage…