HSH Nordbank in settlement on money-laundering checks WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The local branch of Germany's HSH Nordbank AG HSH.UL will improve its anti-money laundering controls under an agreement with regulators released by the U.S. Federal Reserve on Thursday. The Fed and the New York State Department of Financial Services entered into a settlement with HSH Nordbank's New York branch that requires the bank to address problems with its anti-money laundering compliance and requirements to report suspicious customer activity. The settlement comes as regulators step up efforts to better police for illicit money flows. The Fed ordered Citigroup Inc (C.N) last week to improve its own compliance processes. Under the agreement, HSH Nordbank has 30 days to hire an independent consultant to review the New York branch's compliance with anti-money laundering laws. The review is expected to include as assessment of the bank's policies and procedures, the duties and authority of its compliance officers, and a review of its policies for identifying and reporting suspicious activity. After the review, the consultant is expected to help the bank develop and implement new policies, according to the settlement. Sixty days after, the bank must submit a report detailing the findings of the review and submit several improvement plans, including one to improve management oversight of its compliance program. Reporting by Aruna Viswanatha; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe