The arrests of father and son Afghan immigrants and other suspects last week returned the spotlight to the fight against terrorism.

And while reminding South Florida bankers that they play a critical role in preventing terrorists from using the country’s financial system to finance their mayhem, it also reignited the debate between bankers and regulators over how to balance the scrutiny — allowing terror plots to be detected while not so burdening honest customers that they take their business overseas.

While it’s not immediately known what role banking compliance laws played in uncovering the alleged plots exposed last week the arrests are a reminder that cooperation between bankers and law enforcement can be crucial to the success of any terror probe.

“There’s no question that the Bank Secrecy Act and the Patriot Act have put a significant burden in terms of costs and resources on banks to monitor accounts for suspicious activity,” said Ivan Garces, principal and director of forensic services at Miami accounting firm Kaufman Rossin. “But I do believe there has been some benefit.”

Banks often lack the specific intelligence to spot terrorist financing on their own but law enforcement officials often can’t assemble the pieces without the help of banks…