Small Business News
Amex Increases Grants for 4th Historic Small Restaurant Program
by Kyle Burbank
American Express has launched its latest Backing Historic Small Restaurants Program — and has significantly increased the grant money up for grabs. About this year's Backing Historic Small Restaurants Program: For the fourth annual Backing Historic Small Restaurants Program, American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation have announced that it will not only double the number of grant recipients but also increase the total funding. This year, 50 historic... Pets
Costs of Pet Ownership: More of Our Actual Expenses with a Dog
by Kyle Burbank
Back in 2021, my wife and I decided to add a dog to our family. After a lengthy search, that summer, we brought Rigby home. Soon thereafter, I shared a post detailing the expenses we'd encountered as new pet owners. Now, as we mull the idea of potentially getting a "sibling" for Rigby, we've been thinking about what costs that would bring. While we're not ready for that quite yet,... FinTech News
Apex FinTech Solutions Acquires AdvisorArch
by Kyle Burbank
Apex FinTech Solutions, which provides clearing services and other solutions, has announced its latest acquisition. About the acquisition and AdvisorArch: Today, Apex FinTech Solutions revealed that it had acquired AdvisorArch — a company that Apex has partnered with since 2023. Terms of the deal were not readily disclosed. According to Apex, the acquisition will allow it to strengthen its platform and expand its digital advice tools. For example, it notes... Credit Card News
Amex Partners with Point.Me for Award Flight Search Portal
by Kyle Burbank
American Express has announced a new partnership that brings a new tool to cardmembers. About the partnership: Today, Amex revealed the launch of "Point.Me for Membership Rewards Points." This new platform — powered by Point.Me — will allow cardholders to search reward flight booking options across more than 150 airlines. In each case, these flights can be booked using Amex Membership Rewards points via transfer partners (and those partners' alliance... FinTech News
Oxygen Ending Banking Services, Pivoting to Health Solutions
by Kyle Burbank
The business and consumer neobank Oxygen has announced a "temporary" exit from banking services. About the closure: Oxygen has announced that it will be "pausing banking" and will shut down its current accounts. First, as of today, the Total Rewards Program will be discontinued. Effective March 16th, users will no longer be able to deposit money into their Oxygen account. Then, on March 21st, services such as Round Up Spare... Credit Score Guide
A Guide to Building Credit and Increasing Your Credit Scores
by Kyle Burbank
When it comes to credit, there’s some good news. The average credit score in the United States has been steadily rising in recent years, coming in at 715 in 2023. That may be because, today, consumers not only have more ways to access their credit reports and scores than ever before but also because there are an increasing number of options that Americans have for building credit in the first... FinTech News
TomoCredit Offering Proprietary TomoScore to Businesses
by Kyle Burbank
TomoCredit has announced that it will be bringing its unique creditworthiness model to more businesses. About TomoScore and the expansion: TomoScore is an underwriting model designed as an alternative to FICO or other traditional credit models. Among the factors Tomo's model looks at are cash flow as well as on-time payments for bills, regular income, monthly rent payments, and investments. By focusing on these elements, TomoScore allows those who are...