US tells Societe Generale to improve anti-money laundering

(Refiles to fix typo in headline)

WASHINGTON, March 17 (Reuters) - French bank Societe Generale (SOGN.PA) on Tuesday agreed to beef up its anti-money laundering compliance policies at its New York branch, U.S. regulators said on Tuesday.

In an agreement with the Federal Reserve and the New York State Banking Department, SocGen agreed to designate an officer to coordinate written plans and policies to address "deficiencies" at the bank's New York branch..

The bank's board of directors also will review the effectiveness of its New York branch's governance and controls and then submit a report to bank supervisors of the findings, the Fed said.

With the help of an independent firm, the review will cover the period between Jan. 1, 2007, and Dec. 31, 2008, regulators said.

Among changes to the program the bank agreed to controls designed to make sure compliance requirements apply to accounts for non-U.S. persons, the Fed said.

(Reporting by John Poirier)