Open to opportunities

Melissa Montemayor

@melissamontemayor

Message

I investigate financial crime risk, sanctions alerts, and controls to improve monitoring accuracy.

United States

Message

What I'm looking for

I'm looking to apply my fraud, AML, sanctions, investigation, and risk-control experience to improve monitoring, reduce false positives, strengthen processes, and deliver clear investigative insights in a fast-paced environment.

I've led risk assessments and control improvements at Edward Jones, analyzing large datasets, identifying anomalies, and translating findings into actionable insights for leadership and auditors.

Previously at Wells Fargo and PwC, I investigated sanctions alerts, trade blocks, mortgage fraud, and entity risk using Bloomberg Terminal, LexisNexis, World-Check, SQL, Excel, and public records. I distinguish true matches from false positives, develop case narratives, and support escalation decisions.

Across financial services, consulting, and high-growth operations, I've built scalable monitoring processes, uncovered fraud and control breakdowns, and reduced manual review time by more than 40 hours per month. I'm a Certified Fraud Examiner and am currently pursuing CAMS certification.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Senior Risk & Controls Associate

Edward Jones

Jun 2023 - Jul 2026 (3 years 1 month)

Lead audit-like risk assessments of financial processes, identifying anomalies and control weaknesses. Partner with stakeholders to refine monitoring thresholds and deliver findings to leadership.

Risk Assessment Internal Controls Data Analysis Process Improvement Automation Stakeholder Management Oracle HCM

Lead Financial Crimes Officer

Wells Fargo

Jun 2020 - Jun 2023 (3 years)

Researched sanctions screening alerts and trade blocks, investigating entities using Bloomberg Terminal and external sources. Maintained sanctions data feeds and identified patterns in false positives.

Sanctions Screening Investigation Bloomberg Terminal SQL Excel Power Query Data Analysis Compliance

Senior Risk Analyst

PricewaterhouseCoopers

Jan 2019 - Jun 2020 (1 year 5 months)

Investigated mortgage fraud alerts and authored case narratives recommending SAR filing or case closure. Conducted detailed research using LexisNexis, World-Check, and public records.

Fraud Investigation SAR Filings LexisNexis World Check Data Analysis Process Improvement Automation

Special Projects Coordinator

AOS Specialty Contractors, Inc.

Jul 2005 - Jan 2019 (13 years 6 months)

Performed high-volume transaction monitoring and designed monitoring reports to detect anomalies. Uncovered discrepancies and internal fraud, building scalable processes and controls.

Transaction Monitoring Data Analysis Process Improvement Internal Controls Fraud Detection