Awards and Honors, Business, Free News Articles

DocMagic’s Leah Sommerville Named to NMP’s 2020 Top 40 Under 40 Most Influential Mortgage Professionals List

TORRANCE, Calif. -- DocMagic, Inc., the premier provider of fully-compliant loan document preparation, regulatory compliance, and comprehensive eMortgage services, announced that Leah Sommerville, 33, a senior account executive on DocMagic's eClosing team, earned a spot on this year's Top 40 Under 40 award list provided by National Mortgage Professional (NMP) magazine.

The annual list comprises mortgage professionals who are under the age of 40 and are accomplished individuals that exemplify professionalism, perseverance, leadership, and excellence in their respective fields within the fast-moving mortgage industry. NMP received many nominations vying to be named one of the 40 honorees.

"I'm excited to be recognized by the judges at NMP as one of the 40 Most Influential Mortgage Professionals for 2020," said Sommerville. "This year presented multiple unique challenges with the start of the pandemic, social distancing requirements, stay-at-home orders, an unrelenting refi boom, new compliance rules, and more. It's also been a very gratifying year, as DocMagic was well-positioned to help our lender clients effectively manage those challenges with our document preparation solution and eClosing platform and we look forward to assisting them in 2021 as well."

Leah, an integral member of DocMagic's dedicated eClosing team, is focused on helping lender clients with their digital mortgage strategies. During the pandemic, she has been busy working with lenders that are rushing to implement DocMagic's single-source Total eClose™ platform. She utilizes her eClosing expertise, industry knowledge, and digital partner relationships to consistently implement best practices and adoption for lender eClosings-both with short and long-term technology implementations that give lenders the digital flexibility needed to be successful during the pandemic and also position them for future growth.

During her career Leah has helped drive the digital processes for over 400 organizations, increased eClosing adoption among relevant organizations by over 300%, and helped execute more than 8,000 eClosings to date. She has a highly consultative, solution-oriented approach to guide and advise lenders as they transition from a paper to digital mortgage world. Leah has forged numerous partnerships among lenders, settlement agents, attorneys, notaries, real estate agents, investors, warehouse lenders, and others in order to further digital mortgage initiatives that benefit the entire supply chain.

A full list of this years Top 40 Under 40 winners can be found in the December issue of National Mortgage Professional magazine: https://issuu.com/ambizmedia/docs/nmp_december_2020_issuu?fr=sMDJkZTIzOTExNjg.

About DocMagic:

DocMagic, Inc. is the leading provider of fully compliant document generation, automated compliance, eSignature and comprehensive eMortgage solutions for the mortgage industry. Founded in 1987 and headquartered in Torrance, Calif., DocMagic, Inc. develops award-winning software, mobile apps, processes, and web-based systems for the production and delivery of compliant loan document packages. The company's solutions connect industry participants, promote collaboration, and data integrity to execute precision-based digital lending transactions. The company's compliance experts and in-house legal staff consistently monitor legal and regulatory changes at both the federal and state levels to ensure accuracy. For more information on DocMagic, visit www.docmagic.com.

About NMP Magazine's '40 Most Influential Mortgage Professionals Under 40':

The annual list is comprised of mortgage professionals who are under the age of 40, as voted by their peers, who are accomplished individuals that carry the torch of professionalism, perseverance, leadership, excellence, and more - in their respective fields within the fast-moving mortgage industry. As with each year, NMP received many nominations, ultimately arriving at 40 official winners and identifying another 40 to watch that are mortgage professionals shaping the industry.

Media Contact:
Joe Bowerbank
Profundity Communications, Inc.
949-378-9685
jbowerbank@profunditymarketing.com

Social Media: @DocMagic #Top40Under40MortgageProfessionals #LeahSommerville #eClosingLeader

Related link: https://www.docmagic.com/

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Business, Free News Articles, Safety and Security Solutions

Treadstone 71 Releases Intelligence Advisory on Confirmed Iranian Influence Operations

HALF MOON BAY, Calif. -- Treadstone 71, LLC, the cyber intelligence and counterintelligence company, today released details of an Iranian intelligence-backed influence operation.

"The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) joint operation targeted Iranian dissident groups using a timely and coordinated campaign of disinformation. The IRGC Cyber Units triggered core team members with military precision aimed at the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) annual online conference," said Jeff Bardin, Chief Intelligence Officer at Treadstone 71.

"The IRGC, MOIS, and low-level Basij Cyber Units flooded Twitter with nearly one hundred twelve thousand tweets over sixty hours using hashtags and content intent on controlling the social media narrative."

Treadstone 71 observed IRGC Cyber Unit members playing an essential role in managing the campaign, ensuring specific hashtags trended in Iran and globally. At least nine other accounts belonging to IRGC Cyber Units helped expand the movement in different social environments. Core campaign members portrayed themselves as "monarchist," "reformist," or "regime change advocates" on various social media platforms.

Key features of the disguised social media accounts include young women personas attracting unsuspecting users for messaging expansion and potential collaboration.

Tactics shared by campaign members:

* Limited postings by campaign leadership designed to protect IRGC and MOIS social media accounts.

* Keywords used to trigger the influence operation.

* Hashtag repetition and cloning by nearly 25,000 Twitter users

* The use of bots and fake accounts with low followership.

* Core members using Twitter for a "Dunbar's Number" style net call notification to trigger the campaign.

* Anonymous Telegram bots for confidential communications.

Iranian Influence Operations Resources:

* Read blog post: https://cybershafarat.com/?p=21665

* Download full report: https://www.treadstone71.com/index.php/intel-briefs/irgcinfluenceops

Interested in speaking with Treadstone 71 about cyber intelligence and counterintelligence, trends, programs, training, and strategic analysis? Drop us an email at osint@treadstone71.com.

About Treadstone 71, LLC

Treadstone 71's Certified Threat Intelligence and CounterIntelligence Analyst Certifications and the Intelligence Roadmap are the industry's gold standards derived from academia, the intelligence community, and Treadstone 71's experience in building cyber and threat intelligence programs at Fortune 500 organizations worldwide. Treadstone 71 seamlessly extends your cyber threat intelligence teams using targeted adversary research and analysis as a service eliminating the risk and burden of internal organizations seeking to forecast and prevent malicious cyber activity against your assets.

Information: https://www.treadstone71.com/

Media Inquiries: info@treadstone71.com

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Business, Free News Articles

Tapcheck Joins the isolved Integration Marketplace as an Earned Wage Access Partner

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Tapcheck, a simple and easy-to-integrate financial wellness benefit that allows employers to give employees the ability to access their earned wages before payday, announces today that it is now a partner on the isolved Integration Marketplace.

isolved People Cloud is a comprehensive HCM (human capital management) platform that manages the end-to-end employee experience - from hire to retire - in a single source. Founded in 1986, isolved serves over 145,000 employers and 5 million employees. As a highly extensible solution, isolved Integration Marketplace helps employers enhance the solution even further through add-on modules like Tapcheck.

As a partner on the isolved Integration Marketplace, Tapcheck integrates into isolved's payroll module to easily provide isolved corporate customers a convenient and cost-free way to offer their workers same-day pay. The Tapcheck app is a clean and simple interface, allowing employees to quickly and securely access a percentage of the wages they've earned for the pay period for one flat charge similar to an ATM fee.

"isolved has been remarkably responsive to the growing number of Chief Human Resource Officers, Chief People Officers and other C-suite executives focused on finding new ways of enhancing the employee experience, building out an innovative HCM solution that connects with the changing dynamics and demographics of today's workforces," said Ron Gaver, Co-Founder and Vice President of Business Development for Tapcheck. "We're excited to become an integral and innovative option for employers and a flexible, easy-to-use, low-cost option for employees who might need to cover a bill that is due in the middle of a pay cycle, or another emergency expense right away without having to take on more credit card debt, overdraft fees or late fees, or high-interest personal loans."

Recent attention around and interest in the earned wage access category overall demonstrates the increasing desire for employers to deliver financial wellness benefits to their workforces. It also underscores a mindset shift that employees want the ability to easily and safely access their earned wages when they need them most without penalty.

"Whether it's same-day pay, scheduling or self-service, employees demand flexibility and for HR systems to work like their favorite social app or shopping site," said Kelli Rico, VP of Product Management and Training at isolved. "With the Tapcheck integration for isolved, employees get paid without delay and employers get to not only meet employees' changing expectations for real-time and digital options but also settle payroll quickly - particularly in a tough economic environment."

For more information about Tapcheck, visit https://www.tapcheck.com/.

About Tapcheck

Launched in 2019, Tapcheck's mission is to improve financial wellness, empower employees, and boost business performance. Tapcheck's on-demand pay solution improves retention, recruitment, productivity, employee wellness, and company culture at no cost or risk to the employer. For more information, visit https://www.tapcheck.com/.

About isolved

isolved is an employee experience leader, providing intuitive, people-first HCM technology. Our solutions are delivered directly or through our partner network to more than five million employees and 145,000 employers - who use them every day to boost performance, increase productivity, and accelerate results while reducing risk. Our HCM platform, isolved People Cloud, seamlessly connects and manages the employee journey across talent management, HR & payroll, workforce management and engagement management functions. No matter the industry, we help high-growth organizations employ, enable and empower their workforce by transforming employee experience for a better today and a better tomorrow. For more information, visit https://www.isolvedhcm.com/.

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Related link: https://www.tapcheck.com/

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Awards and Honors, Business, Education and Schools, Free News Articles, NonProfit and Charities

Dream A World Education Honored with Academics’ Choice Award

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Dream A World Education®, a Los Angeles-based non-profit that delivers virtual and in-classroom arts-based social-emotional learning to young children, announced that their Secrets of the Heart™ TV program has been honored with an Academics' Choice Award. The independent Academics' Choice Awards program and its seal of excellence are recognized worldwide by consumers and educational institutions as a mark of genuinely effective learning tools that stimulate the mind and provide potential for the student to fully develop higher order thinking skills.

Secrets of the Heart™ TV is an award-winning, web-based interactive learning platform for ages 4-8 that takes children on a journey of self-discovery as they learn to explore arts skills, world culture, diversity and the universal values that live within them. Children, families and teachers receive weekly lessons delivered by a diverse team of professional artists and animated characters who teach music, dance, theatre, drumming, puppetry, American Sign Language and more, with materials available in English and Spanish.

Secrets of the Heart TV has been released at a critical time to support the social-emotional learning for young children who have been negatively impacted during the pandemic. Due to COVID, millions of children have been disconnected from in-person education, which has had a pronounced impact on their mental wellbeing.

Dream A World Education focuses its attention on helping underserved communities, creating engaging programming to support young children and providing an avenue to empower them via self-expression through the arts. Since the pandemic began, Dream A World has started running virtual classroom programs across the United States, from California to Tennessee, and abroad in Hong Kong. All proceeds from Secrets of the Heart TV goes towards programming for underserved communities.

Grammy® Award-winning songwriter Bunny Hull is the founder of Dream A World Education®, serving over 40,000 families since 2008. The organization's mission is to offer underserved communities a lifeline to the empowering world of creativity, by providing transformative arts education programs to in-need communities, with programming that addresses the whole child. The Ripple Effect, a documentary short about the organization's work, garnered an Emmy® Award nomination in 2018.

Learn more at: https://dreamaworldedu.org/the-ripple-effect/

ABOUT DREAM A WORLD EDUCATION, INC.

Since 2008 Dream A World Education®, Inc. has delivered arts-based, social-emotional learning to over 40,000 families and children in early elementary grade levels, in underserved public schools across Los Angeles. Dream A World Education makes a meaningful difference in early childhood development through Secrets of the Heart™ enrichment programs designed to teach social-emotional learning and cultural diversity with exemplary arts programming. Through Secrets of the Heart school residencies and web-based Secrets of the Heart TV, our original and continuing goal is to reach primary schoolchildren everywhere, especially those in underserved schools and in low-income communities.

Learn more at: https://dreamaworldedu.org/

ABOUT ACADEMICS' CHOICE

Academics' Choice helps consumers find exceptional brain-boosting material. Academics' Choice is the only international awards program designed to bring increased recognition to publishers, manufacturers, independent authors and developers that aim to stimulate cognitive development. A volunteer panel of product-appropriate judges, including parents, educators, scientists, artists, doctors, nurses, librarians, students and children, evaluate submissions based on educational benefits such as higher-order thinking skills, character building, creative play, durability and originality. Only the genuine "mind-builders" are recognized with the coveted Academics' Choice Award.

MULTIMEDIA:

VIDEO (Vimeo): https://vimeo.com/445632561

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Related link: https://dreamaworldedu.org/

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Awards and Honors, Business, Free News Articles

HousingWire Honors DocMagic’s Brian D. Pannell with 2020 Tech Trendsetters Award

20-1207-Brian-D-Pannell-696x522.jpg -- DocMagic, Inc., the premier provider of fully-compliant loan document preparation, regulatory compliance, and comprehensive eMortgage services, announced that its chief eServices executive, Brian D. Pannell, has received HousingWire's 2020 Tech Trendsetters award. Now in its second year, the prestigious award recognizes the most impactful and innovative technology leaders serving the housing economy.

HousingWire's editorial board selected a total of 50 winners based on their professional success over the last 12 months, as well as their overall career accomplishments for both their companies and the industry sector they represent. Winners came from various sectors of tech within the housing economy, including residential mortgage lending, servicing, investing, construction, and real estate.

"Our Tech Trendsetters award recognizes a group of leaders who were critical to the outstanding performance of housing and real estate during this pandemic, finding innovative solutions when everything changed on a dime," said HousingWire Editor in Chief Sarah Wheeler. "We're very proud to celebrate their achievements and honor the impact they've had at such a crucial time."

Brian D. Pannell's solution-oriented approach has helped countless lending entities go "e," positioning them for long-term success and positively impacting their ability to serve their customers during the pandemic.

Brian has been key in driving facilitation, implementation, and industry adoption of multiple DocMagic solutions. One of those solutions is Total eClose(TM), DocMagic's award-winning, single-source eClosing platform that removes all paper from the closing process while leveraging the precision-based accuracy of the company's intelligent, dynamic document generation capabilities.

In addition, Brian has been hands-on in implementing DocMagic's eVault and eNote processes-not just for lenders but also for other members of the supply chain. For example, he worked on Secured Party and Master Servicer/Subservicer for the support of MERS, the Federal Home Loan Banks, Ginnie Mae, and the gap in servicing support that is seen for servicers that don't have their own eVaults.

"I am truly honored to have been named to HW's 2020 class of Tech Trendsetters," Pannell said. "This year has been one of the most challenging in my career given the influx of requests to implement many of our solutions throughout the pandemic and refi boom that is setting volume records. But seeing all the hard work pay off for DocMagic's clients and partners has been very gratifying, and receiving the Tech Trendsetters award at the end of this long year makes it all worthwhile."

In 2020, Brian also helped implement AutoPrep, a new technology that enables DocMagic's Total eClose platform to accept documents from any source by "e-enabling" them for paperless eClosings.

Brian has and continues to serve as an invaluable resource to the mortgage industry as a subject matter expert on end-to-end eMortgage automation, eSigning, eNotarization, eNotes, eVaults, eClosing, eWarehouse lending, and more. He has helped countless lenders, technology service providers, GSEs, and investors understand the immense value of going "e." He's played a key part in where digital mortgages are headed and serves as both a leader and educator to evangelize the industry-wide benefits for the many organizations he works with.

"In its second year, the 2020 Tech Trendsetters once again surpassed all expectations as the housing industry rose up to meet unprecedented challenges," HousingWire Magazine Editor Kelsey Ramírez said. "This year's Tech Trendsetters represent shapers whose innovative solutions continue to inspire the industry."

About DocMagic:

DocMagic, Inc. is the leading provider of fully compliant document generation, automated compliance, eSignature and comprehensive eMortgage solutions for the mortgage industry. Founded in 1987 and headquartered in Torrance, Calif., DocMagic, Inc. develops award-winning software, mobile apps, processes, and web-based systems for the production and delivery of compliant loan document packages. The company's solutions connect industry participants, promote collaboration, and data integrity to execute precision-based digital lending transactions. The company's compliance experts and in-house legal staff consistently monitor legal and regulatory changes at both the federal and state levels to ensure accuracy. For more information on DocMagic, visit https://www.docmagic.com/.

About HousingWire:

HousingWire is the most influential source of news and information for the U.S. mortgage and housing markets. Built on a foundation of independent and original journalism, HousingWire reaches over 60,000 newsletter subscribers daily and over 1.0 million unique visitors each month. Our audience of mortgage, real estate and fintech professionals rely on us to MoveMarkets Forward. Visit www.housingwire.com or www.solutions.housingwire.com to learn more.

Media Contact:
Joe Bowerbank
Profundity Communications, Inc.
949-378-9685
jbowerbank@profunditymarketing.com

Social Media: @DocMagic #BrianPannell #HWTechTrendsetters #eMortgageServices #TotalClose #AutoPrep

Related link: https://www.docmagic.com/

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Business, Entertainment, Free News Articles, Product Launches

KBLA Announces Talent Search for LA’s Newest Late Night Talk Show Team

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- LA's newest talk radio station, KBLA Talk 1580, is scheduling open on-air auditions for its 9 p.m. - 12 a.m. weekday host lineup. The station will discover and introduce to the Southern California talk radio market new voices yearning to be heard at this critical time.

"The all new "Unapologetically Progressive" KBLA Talk 1580 is conducting a citywide talent search for its late night talk show tandem," said Lyle Gregory, veteran LA talk radio producer and executive in charge of the talent search.

"This historic moment is pleading with us to lift up a new generation of young, insightful voices to contribute to a vibrant and productive conversation. For too long now, talk radio in this city has been all day, all night, all white. We are building a conversational talk radio station that sounds like our city looks," said Gregory.

"We are confident that our search will result in a new talk radio team that is whip-smart, imaginative and sharp-witted in discussing the current events and issues that matter to all fellow citizens."

KBLA will soon announce its official sign-on date, and will reveal the first slate of on-air audition teams when it introduces its All-Star daily talk lineup.

To receive information about the station's launch, please visit https://kblatalk1580.com/.

Talkers interested in the on-air host auditions need not have prior talk radio experience, and can learn more visiting KBLATALK1580.com.

About KBLA Talk 1580:

Recently announced by SmileyAudioMedia, "Unapologetically Progressive" KBLA Talk 1580 is LA's newest talk radio station, set to launch in Q1 2021. KBLA is a heritage station and the original home of the iconic KDAY. At 50,000 Watts day and night, KBLA serves a coverage area of nearly 12 million listeners.

Follow on social at:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kblatalk1580

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Advertising and Marketing, Alliances and Partnerships, Business, e-Commerce, Free News Articles, Funding and Investment, Software

Fanplayr Partners with PFG to Enhance E-Commerce Intelligence Solutions

PALO ALTO, Calif. -- Fanplayr, a leader in online behavioral personalization and AI for the past 10 years, recently closed a funding round from Partners for Growth (PFG) to support significant growth in its business and customer base.

PFG is pleased to announce the transaction with Fanplayr is an investment from its recently closed 6th global specialty lending fund, focused on providing growth capital solutions for emerging growth companies globally. PFG worked on the transaction from its offices in Australia and the San Francisco Bay Area, given Fanplayr's strong connections to both markets and consistent with the technology entrepreneurial activity and partnerships between businesses in Australia and San Francisco.

This financing will allow Fanplayr to continue to expand its client base as it acquires new customers as well as providing capital to invest in new growth markets such as the UK, the Netherlands, Mexico and Brazil.

Karthi Sepulohniam, Managing Director at PFG based in Sydney noted, "We are excited to have the opportunity to support Fanplayr's growth today and over the coming years, as they deliver e-commerce enablement and AI technology to global online businesses."

Fanplayr specializes in behavioral personalization and e-commerce enablement for online businesses in multiple verticals such as retail, travel, telco, entertainment, banking and B2B. Fanplayr Co-Founder and CEO Simon Yencken said of the PFG partnership, "It's exciting for Fanplayr to join forces with PFG and to add a global financing partner to the mix. PFG's funding will allow us to continue Fanplayr's growth with enterprise businesses in multiple markets and sectors."

Simon was introduced to PFG by Natasha Mandie, the managing director of EM Advisory, an advisor to technology companies throughout the world, and a resource with significant experience in the ASX IPO market. Simon was attracted to PFG's ability to structure a flexible financing package that allows Fanplayr to deploy capital to fund growth opportunities and respond to market changes and opportunities.

"During the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers have made a more permanent shift to online purchasing," said Simon Yencken. "We have seen a surge of e-commerce economic activity in retail, telecommunications, car companies, gambling and entertainment, to name a few. Increasingly, businesses are looking for global technology partners who can support them in the various geographies within which they operate. PFG was a perfect partner for us as we expand existing operations in Europe and APAC, while also establishing offices to meet demand in London, Sao Paulo, and Amsterdam and elsewhere."

Karthi Sepulohniam added, "We are pleased to be working with an entrepreneur of Simon's caliber. In addition to his leadership as CEO of Fanplayr, Simon has had previous success as Chairman and Board member at Aconex and is also currently a non-executive Board Member at Damstra Technology (ASX: DTC)."

Partners for Growth Fund VI has already supported emerging growth businesses in the U.S. and Australia since the initial close in late 2019 and will continue to invest in attractive technology markets globally over the coming years. Building from its home base in the San Francisco Bay Area, PFG has structured growth capital solutions for companies across North America, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand over the past two decades.

About Fanplayr

Fanplayr is a global leader in e-commerce behavioral data, using machine learning and AI to enable businesses to increase conversion rates and revenue, collect more leads, and retarget visitors with personalized recommendations during and after the shopping experience. Fanplayr is headquartered in Palo Alto, California with offices in New York, Buenos Aires, Mexico, Milan, London, Amsterdam, Melbourne and Tokyo.

Learn more at: https://www.fanplayr.com/

About Partners for Growth

Established in 2004, the firm's investment strategy dates to the mid-1980s when the co-founding partners managed the lending practice of technology investment bank Hambrecht & Quist, purchased by JPMorgan Chase in 1999. The PFG team provides custom debt solutions to revenue stage emerging growth companies leveraging decades of experience gained in structuring tailored debt facilities to support growth and expansion, working capital, and acquisition financing needs for over 200 portfolio companies globally since inception.

For more information, visit https://www.pfgrowth.com/.

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Books and Publishing, Business, Education and Schools, Entertainment, Free News Articles, Product Launches

The Vaccine for Racism, Inequality, and Hate Has Arrived in The Form of a New Children’s Book Series

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Author/Educator and Chiropractor based in Santa Monica, Dr. Todd Gewant, today announced the release of his 2nd book in the "What I Wish I Was Told" children's book series, "What I Wish I Was Told: Part 2: A Poetic Guide To Unite Us All" (ISBN: 979-8696235394).

Jane Elliott, renowned American diversity educator, endorsed "What I Wish I Was Told Part II," saying, "This book should be taught three times before college, and become the future bible of unification."

The book helps educators (primarily grades 4-12) and parents use illustrated poetry to promote and encourage dialogue with children around topics such as equality, acceptance, unity, and anti-racism. The included curriculum/activity guide helps young people explore their feelings, experiences, and opinions based on current societal issues of life.

"Poetry is an incredibly powerful tool for learning. Children will be taught how to write poetry and socialize appropriately, through the lenses of creative and free thinking, self-directed learning, and reading/writing comprehension. They will learn so much more of 'what I wish I was told' when I was young," says the author, Dr. Todd Gewant.

Each lesson in the book creates a highly unique platform for children to develop important qualities of self-esteem and an appreciation of diversity in all areas of life.

As stated by Dr. Todd, "We can help our children to become positive, caring, and creative adults through this curriculum."

Dr. Todd has been a frequent guest speaker at schools and social organizations, and has consulted with a variety of education administrators and teachers to develop a robust core curriculum around the true values of diversity.

Learn more about this original and timely journey of multicultural themes and modalities at https://whatiwishiwastold.com/.

Both books in the "What I Wish I Was Told" children's book series can be purchased on Dr. Todd's online shop or on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08KZ47BW9.

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*Caption: Cover, "What I Wish I Was Told: Part 2: A Poetic Guide To Unite Us All."

Related link: https://whatiwishiwastold.com/

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Business, Free News Articles, Software

MCTlive! Pool Optimizer Technology Sets New Bar for Best Execution Loan Sales

SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- Mortgage Capital Trading, Inc. (MCT®), a leading mortgage hedge advisory and secondary marketing software firm, debuted upgraded MCTlive! Pool Optimizer functionality at its MCT Exchange client conference last month. The technology enables secondary marketing managers to use actual cash window execution for optimization on each individual loan rather than using a dealer survey for spec pay-ups.

"Depending on loan sale size, the tool looks at millions of iterations of execution options while doing the optimization process on a specified set of loans, creating a factorial to compute the optimal pooling solution," said MCT COO, Phil Rasori. "When you have a large number of high balance loans and you're trying to fit them into the 10% de minimus rule, this will make the ideal allocations, whether a specific product or in a pool with high balance."

The MCTlive! Pool Optimizer involves both the cash window commitment process as well as MBS optimization, rather than solely MBS pooling or delivery, allowing for full pricing granularity specific to all available executions. The cloud-based, scalable technology infrastructure of MCTlive! supports analysis of the millions of possible combinations at unprecedented speed. Calculations are made on real-time spec pool pay-ups with MCT's API connectivity and sets a new standard when defining optimal pool allocations.

"The system reviews the open pipeline and accounts for all co-issue commitments across the three agencies, 50 aggregators and 10 co-issue buyers. With 'cross commitment optimization' you can check, for instance, Fannie direct against co-issue Servicing Marketplace, placing each loan in the best place," explained Andrew Rhodes, Director of Trading at MCT. "This upgraded functionality is a game-changer for the majority of lenders looking to do pool optimization across both cash window and MBS executions."

The new Pool Optimizer received a warm welcome at MCT Exchange, where nearly three hundred lenders and partners reacted to its virtual debut with eager anticipation. As one of the many tools in MCT's cloud-based capital markets software platform, MCTlive!, Pool Optimizer is now available to clients. Those interested in learning more about the MCTlive! Pool Optimizer features, benefits, or how to begin using the module are encouraged to contact MCT for more information: https://mct-trading.com/solutions/.

About MCT:

Founded in 2001, Mortgage Capital Trading, Inc. (MCT) has grown from a boutique mortgage pipeline hedging firm into the industry's leading provider of fully integrated capital markets services and technology. MCT offers an array of best-in-class services and software covering mortgage pipeline hedging, best execution loan sales, outsourced lock desk solutions, MSR portfolio valuations, business intelligence analytics, mark to market services, and an award-winning comprehensive capital markets software platform called MCTlive! MCT supports independent mortgage bankers, depositories, credit unions, warehouse lenders, and correspondent investors of all sizes.

Headquartered in San Diego, California, MCT also has offices in Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Dallas. MCT is well known for its team of capital markets experts and senior traders who continue to provide the boutique-style hands-on engagement clients love.

For more information, visit https://mct-trading.com/ or call (619) 543-5111.

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Media Only Contact:
Ian Miller
Chief Marketing Officer
Mortgage Capital Trading
619-618-7855
pr@mctrade.net

Related link: https://mct-trading.com/

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Business, Free News Articles, Insurance

Galway Insurance Holdings Secures Majority Interest from Harvest Partners with New Equity Investments from Oak Hill Capital and The Carlyle Group

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. -- Galway Insurance Holdings ("Galway"), the holding company for EPIC Brokers & Consultants ("EPIC") and JenCap Holdings ("JenCap"), which together represent one of the nation's largest insurance distribution firms, announced today that it has signed a definitive agreement with vehicles controlled by Harvest Partners, LP and its affiliates ("Harvest") for a majority interest of Galway.

Galway's existing private equity investors, Oak Hill Capital ("Oak Hill") and The Carlyle Group ("Carlyle"), will reinvest alongside the management team and employee shareholders, who will remain significant shareholders. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

In total, Galway manages over $7 billion of insurance premiums, employs over 3,100 associates and operates over 100 offices serving all 50 states. EPIC and JenCap are ranked as the 14th and 8th largest retail and specialty distribution brokers by Business Insurance magazine, respectively.

John Hahn, co-founder and Chairman of Galway, said, "We are thrilled with the outcome and are excited to welcome Harvest on as partners. To have them alongside Oak Hill and Carlyle presents us with a formidable group of investors highly supportive of our vision to continue to build a differentiated business within insurance distribution. This recapitalization provides us with the ability to be opportunistic in today's market; to grow and expand each of Galway's related specialty strategies around retail brokerage, risk management, wholesale brokerage, program administration and underwriting management."

EPIC CEO, Steve Denton said, "The addition of Harvest Partners and the ongoing commitment of both Oak Hill and Carlyle allows our retail platform to continue our exponential growth in all aspects of our business which now includes comprehensive, nationwide solutions across industry focused practices in employee benefits and property & casualty along with dedicated resources in areas like risk management, small commercial and private clients."

John Jennings, co-founder and CEO of JenCap, said, "This is exactly why we joined the Galway platform; the business dynamics of the holding company are extremely attractive for investors and will allow us to pursue our aggressive growth goals, while building out further specialty expertise and depth across our platform for our twelve thousand retail clients."

Jay Wilkins, COO and Partner of Harvest, said, "John, Steve and John have built an exceptional business with the support of Oak Hill and Carlyle that we look forward to continue aggressively growing" with Steve Carlson, Partner, adding "It is an optimal time to invest in such a strong team to capitalize on favorable dynamics in the insurance distribution space."

Steve Puccinelli, Managing Partner of Oak Hill said, "Since our original 2017 investment in EPIC, John Hahn and his top-tier team have more than tripled the business, significantly expanding that company's unique platform and successfully joining it with JenCap to create Galway in June of this year. We are excited to continue to partner with the Galway management team, as well as Harvest and Carlyle, to build the preeminent growth platform in insurance distribution."

John Redett, Managing Director and Head of Carlyle's Global Financial Services group, said, "We're proud of our long-standing partnership with John Hahn and the rest of the management team. John and the Galway team have done a fantastic job growing the business since we initially invested in 2013 and we believe Galway is positioned to capitalize on a number of strategic initiatives going forward. The addition of Harvest Partners and continued investment from Carlyle, Oak Hill Capital, and management further strengthens our tenured partnership and creates a strong alignment among all stakeholders."

Equity capital for the investment will come from funds managed by Harvest Partners, L.P., Oak Hill Partners Fund V, and Carlyle Global Financial Services Partners II and III.

The transaction is expected to be completed by the end of 2020, subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals.

Evercore Group LLC, Goldman Sachs & Co LLC and Morgan Stanley & Co LLC served as financial advisors to Galway. Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP served as legal counsel to Oak Hill and Galway. Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz served as legal counsel to Carlyle. Ropes and Gray LLP served as legal counsel to Harvest.

About EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants

EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants, now has more than 2,600 team members operating from more than 80 offices across the U.S., providing Property and Casualty, Employee Benefits, Specialty Programs, and Private Client solutions to EPIC clients. For more information on EPIC, visit: https://epicbrokers.com/.

About JenCap Holdings

JenCap Holdings is a premier national specialty insurance distribution platform that includes managing general agencies, specialty program administrators, and transactional wholesale brokers. JenCap has assembled a management team with the sector insight and experience to drive organic growth and strategic acquisitions leveraging technology and advanced data analytics. JenCap is headquartered in New York. For more information on JenCap, visit: https://jencapholdings.com/.

About Harvest Partners

Founded in 1981, Harvest Partners is an established New York-based private equity investment firm that focuses on investments in middle-market companies in the business services & consumer, healthcare, industrial services, and manufacturing and distribution sectors. This strategy leverages Harvest Partners' nearly 40 years of experience in financing organic and acquisition-oriented growth companies. For more information, please visit https://www.harvestpartners.com/.

About Oak Hill Capital

Oak Hill Capital is a private equity firm managing funds with approximately $15 billion of initial capital commitments and co-investments since inception. Over the past 34 years, Oak Hill Capital and its predecessors have invested in over 90 private equity transactions across broad segments of the U.S. and global economies. Oak Hill Capital applies an industry-focused, theme-based approach to investing in the following sectors: Media & Communications; Services; Industrials; and Consumer, Retail & Distribution. Oak Hill works actively in partnership with management to implement strategic and operational initiatives to create franchise value. For more information, please visit: https://oakhill.com/.

About The Carlyle Group

The Carlyle Group (NASDAQ: CG) is a global investment firm with deep industry expertise that deploys private capital across four business segments: Corporate Private Equity, Real Assets, Global Credit and Investment Solutions. With $230 billion of assets under management as of September 30, 2020, Carlyle's purpose is to invest wisely and create value on behalf of its investors, portfolio companies and the communities in which we live and invest. The Carlyle Group employs more than 1,800 people in 31 offices across six continents. For more information, please visit https://www.carlyle.com/.

Related link: https://www.epicbrokers.com/

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