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  • MIL-OSI USA News: 100 DAYS OF HOAXES: Cutting Through the Fake News

    Source: The White House

    Since President Donald J. Trump took office 100 days ago, it has been a nonstop deluge of hoaxes and lies from Democrats and their allies in the Fake News suffering from terminal cases of Trump Derangement Syndrome.

    In no particular order, here are some of the most egregious hoaxes peddled by the usual suspects so far in President Trump’s second term:

    • HOAX: Fake News CNN attempted to “fact check” President Trump’s claim that the Biden Administration spent millions on “making mice transgender.”
    • FACT: After their so-called “fact check” was thoroughly debunked, they were forced to update it in disgrace and admit the claim was, in fact, true.
    • HOAX: The Fake News claimed the Department of Defense removed Gen. Colin Powell’s name from a list of notable Americans buried at Arlington Cemetery.
    • FACT: No service members’ names were removed from that section — and Gen. Powell’s name remains among those listed.
    • HOAX: Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) claimed “no president” presided over more plane crashes during their first month in office as President Trump.
    • FACT: “There were 55 aviation accidents in the U.S. between Biden’s inauguration on Jan. 21, 2021, and Feb. 17, 2021, compared to 35 during the same period for Trump,” Fox News reported.
    • HOAX: Gov. JB Pritzker (D-IL) and Chicago Public Schools officials claimed, without bothering to verify, that ICE agents had conducted a “raid” at an elementary school — a false claim echoed by media outlets, including the Chicago Tribune.
    • FACT: It was actually the U.S. Secret Service investigating a threat unrelated to immigration.
    • HOAX: Far-left influencers and other leftist hacks falsely claimed the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and Elon Musk were out to “cut Social Security.”
    • FACT: They were referencing an interview in which Musk was clearly referring to the tremendous amount of waste, fraud, and abuse within entitlement programs.
    • HOAX: The media smeared DOGE as “young, inexperienced engineers” engineering a “government takeover.”
    • FACT: In reality, DOGE is led by seasoned industry professionals, including successful CEOs who paused their lives to aid in the effort of streamlining government and holding the bureaucracy accountable.
    • HOAX: NBC’s Peter Alexander peddled the lie that “constituents in some traditionally red districts” were unhappy with President Trump’s effort to cut waste, fraud, and abuse in government.
    • FACT: The same “protests” cited by the Fake News were funded and organized by far-left special interest groups.
    • HOAX: NPR claimed NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore — who were stuck on the International Space Station for more than nine months following problems with their spacecraft — were “not stranded.”
    • FACT: NPR itself had described the astronauts as stranded in prior reporting, and only seemed to take issue with the description once President Trump and Elon Musk made it a priority to bring them home.
    • HOAX: A foreign Fake News outlet reported that President Trump “shut down” the British prime minister during a news conference.
    • FACT: In reality, President Trump was simply moving on from a reporter who was trying to goad the two leaders into division.
    • HOAX: NPR falsely claimed the White House was actively searching for a new secretary of defense.
    • FACT: This lie was immediately shut down by multiple Trump Administration officials, including President Trump himself.
    • HOAX: The Fake News attempted to paint illegal immigrant gang member Kilmar Abrego Garcia as an innocent “Maryland father” who was unjustly deported by the Trump Administration — and actively censored the truth about him.
    • FACT: Abrego Garcia is a citizen of El Salvador and was deported to his home country amid overwhelming evidence of his gang affiliation.
    • HOAX: Deranged “filmmaker” Michael Moore questioned whether deported illegal immigrants would go on to cure cancer or stop “that asteroid (sic) that’s gonna hit us.”
    • FACT: Moore’s statement was a strong early contender for the dumbest, most ridiculous statement of the year considering those deported illegal immigrants were violent criminals.
    • HOAX: The Fake News portrayed Mahmoud Khalil, a pro-Hamas radical who led violent protests at Columbia, as an innocent graduate student with an absolute right to remain in the U.S.
    • FACT: An immigration judge ruled Khalil — who is not a U.S. citizen — can be deported.
    • HOAX: The Financial Times reported that Senior White House Counselor Peter Navarro wanted to remove Canada from the “Five Eyes” intelligence sharing network.
    • FACT: Mr. Navarro immediately shut down this fake story.
    • HOAX: A foreign Fake News reporter claimed President Trump referred to European nations as “parasites.”
    • FACT: President Trump immediately pushed back on this ridiculous claim — as did the Italian prime minister.
    • HOAX: Fake News CNN’s Brianna Keilar implied the Trump Administration was somehow wrong for stopping illegal immigrants from stealing taxpayer dollars in the form of welfare benefits.
    • FACT: Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller summarily embarrassed her with the facts: “The federal government will find EVERY illegal alien who is stealing American taxpayer dollars — and that’s what Americans expect to happen. I don’t even fathom the premise of your question.”
    • HOAX: A favorite refrain of the Fake News is that Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., is “anti-vaccine.”
    • FACT: Kennedy debunked the lie in his confirmation hearings: “This has been repeatedly debunked … Bringing this up right now is dishonest.”
    • HOAX: WIRED falsely claimed the Social Security Administration is “shifting its public communication exclusively to X” under President Trump.
    • FACT: Not happening.
    • HOAX: Reuters falsely reported that the Trump Administration “stalled a United Nations program in Mexico aimed at stopping imported fentanyl chemicals from reaching the country’s drug cartels.”
    • FACT: The Department of State is actually trying to expand the initiative.
    • FACT: The Fake News frequently pushed the lie that as part of the Trump administration, Secretary Kennedy would implement a national abortion ban and “restrict or even ban medication abortion without a single act of Congress.”
    • FACT: Secretary Kennedy consistently pledged to implement President Trump’s policies — which include leaving abortion to the states, ending barbaric late-term abortions, protecting conscientious objections, and ending federal funding for abortions.
    • HOAX: Fake News savant Tara Palmeri falsely reported that President Trump’s proposal for Gaza was conceived by Jared Kushner.
    • FACT: This lie was immediately and summarily debunked by the Trump Administration: “The worst reporter in America makes up fake news for clout because she has no real sources. Sit down, dummy.”
    • HOAX: Sen. Chris Murphy, Rep. Jasmine Crockett, and media outlets claimed President Trump’s directive to pause radical, wasteful government spending meant an end to Medicaid, food assistance, and other individual assistance programs.
    • FACT: Individual assistance programs — Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, SNAP, etc. — were explicitly excluded, as was made clear by Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and the Office of Management and Budget. Only unnecessary spending — DEI, Green New Scam, NGOs that undermine the national interest — were included in the directive.
    • HOAX: A “physicians advocacy group” was widely cited as opposing President Trump’s nomination of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.
    • FACT: The “advocacy group” was really an astroturfed partisan organization funded by prominent left-wing donors — and accepted fake signatures.
    • HOAX: Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) and other Democrats pushed the lie that DOGE posted “classified information” on their website.
    • FACT: That alleged “classified information” was really just an employment headcount — which has been publicly available for years.
    • HOAX: Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) claimed Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem called all Venezuelan immigrants “dirtbags.”
    • FACT: Secretary Noem actually called illegal immigrant members of the vicious Tren de Aragua gang “dirtbags,” which is true.
    • HOAX: The New York Times wrote that Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., wanted to “ban fluoride in drinking water” and “reverse … one of the most important public health practices in the country’s history.”
    • FACT: New York Times made no mention of their own reporting that fluoride may be “linked to lower IQ scores in children.”
    • HOAX: Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) repeatedly lied about President Trump “going after” Social Security.
    • FACT: President Trump has repeatedly pledged to protect Social Security and make it more robust for American citizens.
    • HOAX: Sen. Mark Kelley (D-AZ) attempted to scare veterans by shamelessly claiming their care was in jeopardy due to “layoffs” at VA hospitals.
    • FACT: The lie was debunked by Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins: “What changes are you talking about? We’ve not had those layoffs… I put $360 million back into community care… It’s concerning to me that a veteran would actually tell stories to veterans that are not true.”
    • HOAX: Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) exploited the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport plane crash tragedy by claiming President Trump “froze the hiring” of air traffic controllers.
    • FACT: Air traffic controllers were exempt from the federal hiring freeze.
    • HOAX: Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) implied that “cutting” members of an aviation advisory committee was somehow a cause of the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport plane crash tragedy.
    • FACT: The advisory group hadn’t met since 2023 and was comprised of business and union leaders who gave “advice” to the TSA and had nothing to do with actual air travel.
    • HOAX: A far-left writer claimed Elon Musk and DOGE staffers “illegally installed a commercial server to control federal HR databases that contain sensitive personal information, including SSNs, home addresses, and medical histories.”
    • FACT: A top official confirmed “there’s nothing illegal and no server, just more made up tall tales from uninformed career bureaucrats.”
    • HOAX: The Washington Post alleged the Trump Administration was setting “quotas” for immigration authorities — and gave the administration just four minutes to comment before publishing.
    • FACT: As usual, this was a fake story.
    • HOAX: Online liberal activists claimed President Trump “took down” President Obama’s portrait in the White House.
    • FACT: Obama’s portrait was not taken down — it was simply moved only feet away from its previous location.
    • HOAX: Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) claimed Attorney General Pam Bondi created a “weaponizing task force.”
    • FACT: It was a task force to END weaponization at the Department of Justice.
    • HOAX: CBS News reported that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth ordered a “makeup studio” be installed inside the Pentagon.
    • FACT: It was a “totally fake story,” and the alleged studio was really an existing green room with no frills.
    • HOAX: Politico reported the Trump Administration was debating lifting sanctions on Russian energy assets, including the Nord Stream pipeline.
    • FACT: This was debunked by both Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.
    • HOAX: An illegal immigrant in U.S. custody “simply disappeared,” The New York Times reported.
    • FACT: The illegal immigrant was a confirmed member of the vicious Tren de Aragua gang. An immigration judge ordered his removal, and he was deported along with other threats to national security.
    • HOAX: The Wall Street Journal alleged that Special Envoy Steve Witkoff was receiving sensitive information on a personal phone while in Moscow and that Russian Intelligence must’ve had access to the information.
    • FACT: This was a total fabrication. Special Envoy Witkoff did not even have a personal phone with him in Russia. He had only a government phone; a secure line of communication.
    • HOAX: The Wall Street Journal claimed the Trump Administration “sought to portray” deported criminal illegal immigrant gang member Kilmar Abrego Garcia as “violent.”
    • FACT: Abrego Garcia’s own wife filed an order of protection against him and testified that he brutally beat her.
    • HOAX: An AP reporter claimed that FAA staff who worked on “radar, landing and navigational aid maintenance, among others” were “harassed on Facebook” by DOGE.
    • FACT: That was a total lie. DOGE doesn’t have a Facebook page and no professionals who perform critical safety functions were fired.
    • HOAX: The Daily Beast claimed Vice President JD Vance “broke one of the most notorious Vatican rules during his Easter weekend visit” by being photographed in the Sistine Chapel.
    • FACT: Buried all the way down in the 14th paragraph, The Daily Beast admitted the vice president was given special permission by the Vatican to have photographs taken inside the Sistine Chapel.
    • HOAX: Left-wing social media accounts promoted fake, AI-generated audio of Vice President Vance “disparaging Elon Musk in private.”
    • FACT: The audio was debunked as fake.
    • HOAX: The New York Times reported that funding for the Women’s Health Initiative was being slashed by the Department of Health and Human Services.
    • FACT: Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., himself declared this Fake News and recognized the project is “mission critical.”
    • HOAX: Fox News’s Jennifer Griffin gave legitimacy to a hoax from delusional Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) and Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth requested nearly $140,000 in “upgrades” to his government residence.
    • FACT: This lie was debunked by Secretary Hegseth — and it was so outrageous, even the AP was forced to admit it was completely fake.
    • HOAX: Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) and many others claimed the Supreme Court ordered the return of illegal immigrant gang member Kilmar Abrego Garcia to the United States.
    • FACT: Even CNN admitted that’s not what happened: “They did not order the administration to return him to the United States … they could’ve said ‘we order him returned,’ but they didn’t do that.”
    • HOAX: Joe Biden accused the Trump Administration of “taking aim at Social Security.”
    • FACT: As usual, he was lying — President Trump has repeatedly pledged to protect Social Security.
    • HOAX: Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) claimed the arrest of a Milwaukee judge who helped an illegal immigrant evade arrest was “unprecedented.”
    • FACT: It wasn’t; it has happened before.
    • HOAX: Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) called the arrest of a Milwaukee judge who helped an illegal immigrant evade arrest a “gravely serious and drastic move.”
    • FACT: The judge violated the law by obstructing an ICE arrest of an illegal immigrant.
    • HOAX: Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) claimed the arrest of the Milwaukee judge who obstructed an apprehension of a criminal illegal immigrant “threatens the rule of law.”
    • FACT: It literally does the opposite because no one is above the law.
    • HOAX: Politico claimed the Trump Administration “wipe[d] out firefighter health and safety programs.”
    • FACT: The programs remain a top priority for the administration — and will remain intact.
    • HOAX: Sen. Elizabeth Warren claimed that President Trump’s policies make it so “no one wants to make investments in the United States.”
    • FACT: President Trump has secured more than $5 trillion in investments since taking office, which is expected to create more than 451,000 new jobs — and the list is only expected to grow.
    • HOAX: NBC’s Kristen Welker peddled a Fake News hoax that the Trump Administration was deporting children.
    • FACT: Secretary of State Marco Rubio shut down her desperate attempt at a hoax by highlighting how the mother, who was in the country illegally, made that choice all on her own.
    • HOAX: The New York Times implied President Trump was alone in wearing a blue suit to the funeral of Pope Francis.
    • FACT: Photos show dozens of world leaders and other attendees — many situated near President Trump — also wearing blue clothing.
    • HOAX: Teachers’ union boss Randi Weingarten accused President Trump of taking teachers’ salaries and giving them to “billionaires” by cutting the Department of Education.
    • FACT: President Trump has repeatedly called teachers “the most important people in this country” who should be paid more, not less. The federal government does not pay the salaries of teachers; state and local governments do.
    • HOAX: The Fake News and their predictable allies ran with a story that claimed an American citizen was detained by authorities after he informed them he was, in fact, a citizen.
    • FACT: That’s not what happened. The individual “approached Border Patrol in Tucson and stated he had entered the U.S. illegally through Nogales. He said he wanted to turn himself in and completed a sworn statement identifying as a Mexican citizen who had entered unlawfully … A few days later, his family presented documents showing U.S. citizenship. The charges were dismissed, and he was released to his family.”
    • HOAX: PBS News claimed “DOGE operatives attempted to gain access to secure spaces,” implying they attempted to access classified information without approval.
    • FACT: This wasn’t even remotely true.
    • HOAX: The AP falsely claimed Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said President Trump is “very good friends” with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
    • FACT: The AP was humiliatingly forced to retract its story, admitting they were wrong. Stephanie Ruhle also had to issue a correction. DNI Gabbard was referencing President Trump’s relationship with Indian PM Narendra Modi.
    • HOAX: Student visa holders should have unfettered access to do whatever they want in the United States.
    • FACT: Wrong. As Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, “When you apply to enter the United States and you get a visa, you are a guest… If you tell us when you apply for a visa ‘I’m coming to the U.S. to participate in pro-Hamas events,’ that runs counter to the foreign policy interest of the United States… If you had told us you were going to do that, we never would have given you the visa.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SEC Charges Three Texans with Defrauding Investors in $91 Million Ponzi Scheme

    Source: Securities and Exchange Commission

    The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced charges against Dallas-Fort Worth residents Kenneth W. Alexander II, Robert D. Welsh, and Caedrynn E. Conner for operating a Ponzi scheme that raised at least $91 million from more than 200 investors.

    According to the SEC’s complaint, between approximately May 2021 and February 2024, Alexander and Welsh operated the scheme through a trust controlled by Alexander called Vanguard Holdings Group Irrevocable Trust (VHG). They falsely represented that investors would receive 12 guaranteed monthly payments of between 3% and 6% per month, with the principal investment to be returned after 14 months, according to the complaint. The SEC alleges that Alexander and Welsh held VHG out as a highly profitable international bond trading business with billions in assets, and told investors that the monthly returns were generated from international bond trading and related activities. As alleged, Conner funneled more than $46 million in investor money to VHG through a related investment program that he operated using Benchmark Capital Holdings Irrevocable Trust (Benchmark), which he controlled. According to the complaint, Alexander, Welsh, and Conner also offered investors the option to protect their investments from risk of loss through the purchase of a purported financial instrument they called a “pay order.” In reality, as the SEC alleges, VHG had no material source of revenue, the purported monthly returns were actually Ponzi payments, and the protection offered by the “pay orders” was illusory. Alexander and Conner misappropriated millions in investor funds for personal use, such as Conner’s purchase of a $5 million home, according to the complaint.

    “As we allege, the defendants conducted a large-scale Ponzi scheme that caused devastating losses to investor victims, while Alexander and Conner misappropriated millions of dollars of investor funds,” said Sam Waldon, Acting Director of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement. “We remain unwavering in our commitment to hold individuals accountable for defrauding investors.”

    The SEC’s complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, charges Alexander, Welsh, and Conner with violating the antifraud and registration provisions of the federal securities laws. The SEC seeks permanent injunctive relief, disgorgement of ill-gotten gains with prejudgment interest, and civil penalties against each of the defendants.

    The investigation was conducted by Catherine Rowsey, Tamara McCreary, and Carol Hahn and was supervised by Nikolay Vydashenko and B. David Fraser of the SEC’s Fort Worth Regional Office. The litigation will be led by Jason Rose and supervised by Keefe Bernstein.  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Two More Defendants Plead Guilty to Roles in Scheme to Transport Contraband into FCI McDowell with Drone

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Today, Hector Luis Gomez DeJesus, 32, of Sanford, North Carolina, and Raymond Luis Saez Aviles, 37, of Poinciana, Florida, each pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the introduction of contraband into a federal prison.

    According to court documents and statements made in court, on February 9, 2024, correctional officers at Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) McDowell detected a drone flying over the prison facility. The flight path of the drone took it from the fence securing the prison facility to a cell in one of the housing units. Officers searched the cell and found a broken exterior window, numerous cell phones, tobacco, and marijuana within the cell.

    Officers traced the flight path back to the drone’s launch site, where they found and apprehended DeJesus, Aviles, and co-defendant Gamalier Rivera. Officers seized the drone, the drone’s remote controller, and contraband consistent with what was found in the cell.

    DeJesus and Aviles each admitted that they and Rivera participated in the introduction of the contraband into FCI McDowell by using the drone to transport marijuana, tobacco, and cell phones into the prison facility. DeJesus and Aviles further admitted that they expected to be paid for their participation in the contraband introduction.

    DeJesus and Aviles are scheduled to be sentenced on August 11, 2025, and each faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

    Rivera, 33, of Poinciana, Florida, pleaded guilty on March 27, 2025, to aiding and abetting the introduction of contraband into a federal prison and is scheduled to be sentenced on July 7, 2025.

    Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), and the McDowell County Sheriff’s Office.

    Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber presided over the hearings. Assistant United States Attorney Brian D. Parsons is prosecuting the case.

    A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:24-cr-127.

    ###

     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: FinWise Bancorp Announces Strategic Lending and Credit Enhanced Balance Sheet Program with Backd to Support Business Owners

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    MURRAY, Utah, April 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — FinWise Bancorp (NASDAQ: FINW) (“FinWise” or the “Company”), parent company of FinWise Bank (the “Bank”), today announced the launch of a new strategic lending program with leading fintech Backd Business Funding (“Backd”). Since its inception in 2019, Backd’s highly rated and experienced team has utilized an efficient and user-friendly process to support business owners with lending solutions best suited for their needs.

    FinWise, through its relationship with Backd, will provide business installment loans to small and medium-sized (“SMB”) businesses. FinWise will also provide Backd with access to its Credit Enhanced Balance Sheet program, which benefits strategic programs through capital efficiency, allows them to diversify their sources of funding and extends the reach of their warehouse facilities.

    “Backd continues to make strides in its mission to empower SMBs across the U.S. to achieve their greatest potential through fast and easy financing solutions. This lending and Credit Enhanced Balance Sheet partnership with FinWise gives us an opportunity to continue to scale and grow our business while ensuring deep regulatory expertise and guidance,” said Xan Myburgh, Backd’s CEO & Co-Founder. “We have proven success in multiple sectors including healthcare and e-commerce and believe we have a substantial runway for growth as the SMB population makes up nearly 44% of overall GDP and approximately $734 billion of the digital lending and credit market.”

    Robert Keil, EVP and Chief Fintech Officer of FinWise commented, “We are thrilled that Backd chose FinWise to augment their thriving business by using both our Strategic Lending and Credit Enhanced Balance Sheet programs. The trust that they have placed in us is a testament to the strength of the FinWise multi-product offering and the innovative lending products that we deliver to our strategic partners.”

    About Backd
    Backd was founded to support relentless entrepreneurs—the true “men and women in the arena”—who build, innovate, and push their businesses forward. Backd provides fast, flexible financing to help business owners overcome critical financial challenges.

    Backd believes courage, resilience, and ambition drive success. When financial resources make the difference between opportunity and setback, Backd bridges the gap with tailored funding solutions, keeping businesses moving forward.

    Rooted in respect and partnership, Backd understands the challenges entrepreneurs face. With transparency, integrity, and a commitment to growth, obstacles are tackled head-on. As risks are taken and perseverance is tested in the arena, Backd stands beside business owners at every vital step.
    https://www.backd.com/

    About FinWise

    FinWise provides Banking and Payments solutions to fintech brands. Its existing Strategic Program Lending business, conducted through scalable API-driven infrastructure, powers deposit, lending and payments programs for leading fintech brands. As part of Strategic Program Lending, FinWise also provides a Credit Enhanced Balance Sheet Program, which addresses the challenges that lending and card programs face securing warehouse facilities and managing capital requirements. In addition, FinWise manages other Lending programs such as SBA 7(a), Owner Occupied Commercial Real Estate, and Leasing, which provide flexibility for disciplined balance sheet growth. The Company is also expanding and diversifying its business model by incorporating Payments (MoneyRails ™) and BIN Sponsorship offerings. Through its compliance oversight and risk management-first culture, the Company is well positioned to guide fintechs through a rigorous process to facilitate regulatory compliance.

    https://www.finwise.bank/

    Contacts

    investors@finwisebank.com
    media@finwisebank.com
    info@backd.com
    marketing@backd.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Northeast Bank Reports Third Quarter Results and Declares Dividend

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    PORTLAND, Maine, April 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Northeast Bank (the “Bank”) (NASDAQ: NBN), a Maine-based bank, today reported net income of $18.7 million, or $2.23 per diluted common share, for the quarter ended March 31, 2025, compared to net income of $13.9 million, or $1.83 per diluted common share, for the quarter ended March 31, 2024. Net income for the nine months ended March 31, 2025 was $58.2 million, or $7.07 per diluted common share, compared to $43.1 million, or $5.67 per diluted common share, for the nine months ended March 31, 2024.

    The Board of Directors declared a cash dividend of $0.01 per share, payable on May 27, 2025, to shareholders of record as of May 13, 2025.

    “We recorded strong loan volume during the third fiscal quarter,” said Rick Wayne, Chief Executive Officer. “Our National Lending Division generated $292.5 million in originated and purchased volume, and our small balance SBA 7(a) program with Newity LLC as our loan service provider has continued to grow, with quarterly originations of $121.3 million, compared to $100.3 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2024 and $29.0 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2024. At March 31, 2025, the loan portfolio, including loans held for sale, totaled $3.80 billion, representing an increase of $1.04 billion, or 37.7%, over June 30, 2024. During the quarter ended March 31, 2025, we sold $73.6 million of the guaranteed portion of our SBA loans, generating a gain on sale of $6.0 million, compared with sales of $64.5 million for a gain on sale of $5.6 million in the quarter ended December 31, 2024. For the quarter, we are reporting earnings of $2.23 per diluted common share, a return on average equity of 16.5%, and a return on average assets of 1.9%.”

    As of March 31, 2025, total assets were $4.23 billion, an increase of $1.10 billion, or 35.0%, from total assets of $3.13 billion as of June 30, 2024.

    1.   The following table highlights the changes in the loan portfolio, including loans held for sale, for the nine months ended March 31, 2025:

       
      Loan Portfolio Changes
      March 31, 2025 Balance   June 30, 2024 Balance   Change ($)   Change (%)
      (Dollars in thousands)
    National Lending Purchased $ 2,443,822     $ 1,708,551     $ 735,271       43.03 %
    National Lending Originated   1,185,153       981,497       203,656       20.75 %
    SBA National   152,319       48,405       103,914       214.68 %
    Community Banking   19,495       22,704       (3,209 )     (14.13 %)
    Total $ 3,800,789     $ 2,761,157     $ 1,039,632       37.65 %
                                   

    Loans generated by the Bank’s National Lending Division for the quarter ended March 31, 2025 totaled $292.5 million, which consisted of $74.5 million of purchased loans at an average price of 94.2% of unpaid principal balance, and $218.0 million of originated loans. Loans generated by the Bank’s SBA Division for the quarter ended March 31, 2025 totaled $121.3 million.

    An overview of the Bank’s National Lending Division portfolio follows:

      National Lending Portfolio
      Three Months Ended March 31,
      2025   2024
      Purchased   Originated   Total   Purchased   Originated   Total
      (Dollars in thousands)
    Loans purchased or originated during the period:                                  
    Unpaid principal balance $ 79,144     $ 217,983     $ 297,127     $ –     $ 153,349     $ 153,349  
    Initial net investment basis (1)   74,553       217,983       292,536       –       153,349       153,349  
                                       
    Loan returns during the period:                                  
    Yield   8.33%       8.73%       8.46%       8.67%       10.09%       9.19%  
    Total Return on Purchased Loans (2)   8.43%       N/A       8.43%       8.70%       N/A       8.70%  
                                       
      Nine Months Ended March 31,
      2025   2024
      Purchased   Originated   Total   Purchased   Originated   Total
      (Dollars in thousands)
    Loans purchased or originated during the period:                                  
    Unpaid principal balance $ 901,693     $ 591,292     $ 1,492,985     $ 271,741     $ 284,876     $ 556,617  
    Initial net investment basis (1)   821,485       591,292       1,412,777       238,477       284,876       523,353  
                                       
    Loan returns during the period:                                  
    Yield   8.65%       9.02%       8.77%       8.95%       9.97%       9.34%  
    Total Return on Purchased Loans (2)   8.70%       N/A       8.70%       8.98%       N/A       8.98%  
                                       
    Total loans as of period end:                                  
    Unpaid principal balance $ 2,638,438     $ 1,185,153     $ 3,823,591     $ 1,794,669     $ 975,876     $ 2,770,545  
    Net investment basis   2,443,822       1,185,153       3,628,975       1,620,409       975,876       2,596,285  
                                       
    (1) Initial net investment basis on purchased loans is the initial amortized cost basis net of initial allowance for credit losses (credit mark).
    (2) The total return on purchased loans represents scheduled accretion, accelerated accretion, gains (losses) on real estate owned, release of allowance for credit losses on purchased loans, and other noninterest income recorded during the period divided by the average invested balance on an annualized basis. The total return on purchased loans does not include the effect of purchased loan charge-offs or recoveries during the period. Total return on purchased loans is considered a non-GAAP financial measure. See reconciliation in below table entitled “Total Return on Purchased Loans.”
     

    2.   Deposits increased by $956.3 million, or 40.9%, from June 30, 2024. The increase was primarily attributable to increases in time deposits of $943.5 million, or 72.2%. The significant drivers in the change in time deposits were the increase in brokered time deposits, which increased by $818.8 million, and Community Banking Division time deposits, which increased by $105.3 million compared to June 30, 2024.

    3.   Federal Home Loan Bank (“FHLB”) advances increased by $33.4 million, or 9.7%, from June 30, 2024. The increase was attributable to one new short-term borrowing, partially offset by net paydowns on amortizing advances.

    4.   Shareholders’ equity increased by $90.9 million, or 24.1%, from June 30, 2024, primarily due to net income of $58.2 million and $31.3 million of net proceeds on shares issued in connection with the Bank’s at-the-market (“ATM”) program.

    Net income increased by $4.8 million to $18.7 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2025, compared to net income of $13.9 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2024.

    1.   Net interest and dividend income before provision for credit losses increased by $9.5 million to $46.0 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2025, compared to $36.5 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2024. The increase was primarily due to the following:

    • An increase in interest income earned on loans of $15.8 million, primarily due to higher average balances in the National Lending Division purchased and Small Business Administration (“SBA”) portfolios, partially offset by lower rates earned across the portfolio; and
    • An increase in interest income earned on short-term investments of $965 thousand, due to higher average balances, partially offset by lower rates earned; partially offset by,
    • An increase in deposit interest expense of $7.3 million, primarily due to higher average balances, partially offset by lower rates on interest-bearing deposits.

    The following table summarizes interest income and related yields recognized on the loan portfolios:

       
      Interest Income and Yield on Loans
      Three Months Ended March 31,
      2025   2024
      Average   Interest       Average   Interest    
      Balance (1)   Income   Yield   Balance (1)   Income   Yield
      (Dollars in thousands)
    Community Banking $ 20,074     $ 349     7.05 %   $ 24,640     $ 387     6.32 %
    SBA National   121,521       2,975     9.93 %     35,848       1,159     13.00 %
    National Lending:                                      
    Originated   1,120,756       24,120     8.73 %     953,401       23,909     10.09 %
    Purchased   2,387,715       49,034     8.33 %     1,635,494       35,260     8.67 %
    Total National Lending   3,508,471       73,154     8.46 %     2,588,895       59,169     9.19 %
    Total $ 3,650,066     $ 76,478     8.50 %   $ 2,649,383     $ 60,715     9.22 %
       
      Nine Months Ended March 31,
      2025   2024
      Average   Interest       Average   Interest    
      Balance (1)   Income   Yield   Balance (1)   Income   Yield
      (Dollars in thousands)
    Community Banking $ 21,330     $ 1,088     6.79 %   $ 25,786     $ 1,242     6.41 %
    SBA National   91,481       8,145     11.86 %     30,125       2,833     12.52 %
    National Lending:                                      
    Originated   1,052,656       71,297     9.02 %     951,129       71,284     9.97 %
    Purchased   2,183,068       141,831     8.65 %     1,558,362       104,780     8.95 %
    Total National Lending   3,235,724       213,128     8.77 %     2,509,491       176,064     9.34 %
    Total $ 3,348,535     $ 222,361     8.85 %   $ 2,565,402     $ 180,139     9.35 %
                                               
    (1)   Includes loans held for sale.
     

    The components of total income on purchased loans are set forth in the table below entitled “Total Return on Purchased Loans.” When compared to the quarter ended March 31, 2024, transactional income increased by $113 thousand for the quarter ended March 31, 2025, and regularly scheduled interest and accretion increased by $14.1 million primarily due to the increase in average balances. The total return on purchased loans for the quarter ended March 31, 2025 was 8.4%, a decrease from 8.7% for the quarter ended March 31, 2024. The following table details the total return on purchased loans:

       
      Total Return on Purchased Loans
      Three Months Ended March 31,
      2025   2024
      Income   Return (1)   Income   Return (1)
      (Dollars in thousands)
    Regularly scheduled interest and accretion $ 48,149     8.18 %   $ 34,045     8.37 %
    Transactional income:                      
    Release of allowance for credit losses on purchased loans   573     0.10 %     130     0.03 %
    Accelerated accretion and loan fees   885     0.15 %     1,215     0.30 %
    Total transactional income   1,458     0.25 %     1,345     0.33 %
    Total $ 49,607     8.43 %   $ 35,390     8.70 %
       
      Nine Months Ended March 31,
      2025   2024
      Income   Return (1)   Income   Return (1)
      (Dollars in thousands)
    Regularly scheduled interest and accretion $ 136,055     8.30 %   $ 98,505   8.41 %
    Transactional income:                    
    Release of allowance for credit losses on purchased loans   734     0.05 %     356   0.03 %
    Accelerated accretion and loan fees   5,775     0.35 %     6,275   0.54 %
    Total transactional income   6,509     0.40 %     6,631   0.57 %
    Total $ 142,564     8.70 %   $ 105,136   8.98 %
                             
    (1)   The total return on purchased loans represents scheduled accretion, accelerated accretion, and gains (losses) on real estate owned, and release of allowance for credit losses on purchased loans recorded during the period divided by the average invested balance on an annualized basis. The total return does not include the effect of purchased loan charge-offs or recoveries in the quarter. Total return is considered a non-GAAP financial measure.
     

    2.   Provision for credit losses increased by $2.3 million to $2.9 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2025, compared to $596 thousand in the quarter ended March 31, 2024. The increase was primarily related to loan growth and increased reserves on the unguaranteed portion of the SBA portfolio.

    3.   Noninterest income increased by $5.1 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2025, compared to the quarter ended March 31, 2024, primarily due to an increase in gain on sale of SBA loans of $5.0 million, due to the sale of $73.6 million in SBA loans during the quarter ended March 31, 2025 as compared to the sale of $18.9 million during the quarter ended March 31, 2024.

    4.   Noninterest expense increased by $3.7 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2025 compared to the quarter ended March 31, 2024, primarily due to the following:

    • An increase in salaries and employee benefits expense of $1.7 million, primarily due to increases in regular, stock compensation expense and incentive compensation expense;
    • An increase in loan expense of $1.5 million primarily related to increased expenses in connection with the origination of SBA 7(a) loans; and
    • An increase in Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (the “FDIC”) insurance expense of $195 thousand, due to the growth of the Bank’s asset size and an increased assessment rate.

    5.   Income tax expense increased by $3.7 million to $10.8 million, or an effective tax rate of 36.7%, for the quarter ended March 31, 2025, compared to $7.2 million, or an effective tax rate of 34.1%, for the quarter ended March 31, 2024. The increase in effective tax rate is primarily due to projected changes in income apportionment for state taxes and increased projections of the required write-down of the Bank’s deferred tax asset as a result of a change in Massachusetts income tax law.

    As of March 31, 2025, nonperforming assets totaled $33.4 million, or 0.79% of total assets, compared to $28.3 million, or 0.90% of total assets, as of June 30, 2024.

    As of March 31, 2025, past due loans totaled $34.0 million, or 0.91% of total loans, compared to past due loans totaling $26.3 million, or 0.95% of total loans, as of June 30, 2024.

    As of March 31, 2025, the Bank’s Tier 1 leverage capital ratio was 11.5%, compared to 12.3% at June 30, 2024, and the Total risk-based capital ratio was 14.0% at March 31, 2025, compared to 14.8% at June 30, 2024. Capital ratios decreased primarily due to the increase in risk-weighted assets and average assets from significant loan growth during the nine months ended March 31, 2025, partially offset by increased retained earnings and additional capital raised under the Bank’s ATM program.

    Investor Call Information
    Rick Wayne, Chief Executive Officer, Richard Cohen, Chief Financial Officer, and Pat Dignan, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Credit Officer of Northeast Bank, will host a conference call to discuss third quarter earnings and business outlook at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, April 30th. To access the conference call by phone, please go to this link (Phone Registration), and you will be provided with dial in details. The call will be available via live webcast, which can be viewed by accessing the Bank’s website at www.northeastbank.com and clicking on the About Us – Investor Relations section. To listen to the webcast, attendees are encouraged to visit the website at least fifteen minutes early to register, download and install any necessary audio software. Please note there will also be a slide presentation that will accompany the webcast. For those who cannot listen to the live broadcast, a replay will be available online for one year at www.northeastbank.com.

    About Northeast Bank
    Northeast Bank (NASDAQ: NBN) is a bank headquartered in Portland, Maine. We offer personal and business banking services to the Maine market via seven branches. Our National Lending Division purchases and originates commercial loans on a nationwide basis. ableBanking, a division of Northeast Bank, offers online savings products to consumers nationwide. Information regarding Northeast Bank can be found at www.northeastbank.com.

    Non-GAAP Financial Measures
    In addition to results presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), this press release contains certain non-GAAP financial measures, including tangible common shareholders’ equity, tangible book value per share, total return on purchased loans, and efficiency ratio. The Bank’s management believes that the supplemental non-GAAP information is utilized by regulators and market analysts to evaluate a company’s financial condition and therefore, such information is useful to investors. These disclosures should not be viewed as a substitute for financial results determined in accordance with GAAP, nor are they necessarily comparable to non-GAAP performance measures that may be presented by other companies. Because non-GAAP financial measures are not standardized, it may not be possible to compare these financial measures with other companies’ non-GAAP financial measures having the same or similar names.

    Forward-Looking Statements
    Statements in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and are intended to be covered by the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We may also make forward-looking statements in other documents we file with the FDIC, in our annual reports to our shareholders, in press releases and other written materials, and in oral statements made by our officers, directors or employees. You can identify forward-looking statements by the use of the words “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “estimate,” “assume,” “outlook,” “will,” “should,” and other expressions that predict or indicate future events and trends and which do not relate to historical matters. Although the Bank believes that these forward-looking statements are based on reasonable estimates and assumptions, they are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, contingencies, and other factors. You should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. You should exercise caution in interpreting and relying on forward-looking statements because they are subject to significant risks, uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond the Bank’s control. The Bank’s actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied by such the forward-looking statements as a result of, among other factors, changes in interest rates and real estate values; changes in employment levels, general business and economic conditions on a national basis and in the local markets in which the Bank operates; changes in customer behavior due to changing business and economic conditions (including the impact of recently imposed tariffs by the U.S. Administration and foreign governments, inflation and concerns about liquidity) or legislative or regulatory initiatives; the possibility that future credits losses are higher than currently expected due to changes in economic assumptions, customer behavior or adverse economic developments; turbulence in the capital and debt markets; competitive pressures from other financial institutions; changes in loan defaults and charge-off rates; changes in the value of securities and other assets, adequacy of credit loss reserves, or deposit levels necessitating increased borrowing to fund loans and investments; changes in legislation and regulation under the new U.S. presidential administration; operational risks including, but not limited to, cybersecurity, fraud, natural disasters, climate change and future pandemics; the risk that the Bank may not be successful in the implementation of its business strategy; the risk that intangibles recorded in the Bank’s financial statements will become impaired; changes in assumptions used in making such forward-looking statements; and the other risks and uncertainties detailed in the Bank’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, as amended by Amendment No. 1 to the Annual Report on Form 10-K/A for the year ended June 30, 2024 as updated in the Bank’s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other filings submitted to the FDIC. These statements speak only as of the date of this release and the Bank does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any of these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this communication or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

    NBN-F

     
    NORTHEAST BANK
    BALANCE SHEETS
    (Unaudited)
    (Dollars in thousands, except share and per share data)
      March 31, 2025   June 30, 2024
    Assets            
    Cash and due from banks $ 2,443     $ 2,711  
    Short-term investments   341,633       239,447  
    Total cash and cash equivalents   344,076       242,158  
                 
                 
    Available-for-sale debt securities, at fair value   21,473       48,978  
    Equity securities, at fair value   7,314       7,013  
    Total investment securities   28,787       55,991  
                 
    SBA loans held for sale   60,339       14,506  
                 
    Loans:            
    Commercial real estate   2,764,809       2,028,280  
    Commercial and industrial   852,985       618,846  
    Residential real estate   122,466       99,234  
    Consumer   190       291  
    Total loans   3,740,450       2,746,651  
    Less: Allowance for credit losses   46,024       26,709  
    Loans, net   3,694,426       2,719,942  
                 
                 
    Premises and equipment, net   25,338       27,144  
    Real estate owned and other possessed collateral, net   1,200       –  
    Federal Home Loan Bank stock, at cost   16,106       15,751  
    Loan servicing rights, net   810       984  
    Bank-owned life insurance   19,203       18,830  
    Accrued interest receivable   17,445       15,163  
    Other assets   20,772       21,734  
    Total assets $ 4,228,502     $ 3,132,203  
                 
    Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity            
    Deposits:            
    Demand $ 154,540     $ 146,727  
    Savings and interest checking   796,762       732,029  
    Money market   94,837       154,504  
    Time   2,249,654       1,306,203  
    Total deposits   3,295,793       2,339,463  
                 
    Federal Home Loan Bank and other advances   378,543       345,190  
    Lease liability   19,465       20,252  
    Other liabilities   67,185       50,664  
    Total liabilities   3,760,986       2,755,569  
                 
    Commitments and contingencies   –       –  
                 
                 
    Shareholders’ equity            
    Preferred stock, $1.00 par value, 1,000,000 shares authorized; no shares          
    issued and outstanding at March 31, 2025 and June 30, 2024   –       –  
    Voting common stock, $1.00 par value, 25,000,000 shares authorized;            
    8,525,362 and 8,127,690 shares issued and outstanding at          
    March 31, 2025 and June 30, 2024, respectively   8,525       8,128  
    Non-voting common stock, $1.00 par value, 3,000,000 shares authorized;            
    No shares issued and outstanding at March 31, 2025 and June 30, 2024 –     –  
    Additional paid-in capital   97,078       64,762  
    Retained earnings   361,901       303,927  
    Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)   12       (183 )
    Total shareholders’ equity   467,516       376,634  
    Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity $ 4,228,502     $ 3,132,203  
                   
     
    NORTHEAST BANK
    STATEMENTS OF INCOME
    (Unaudited)
    (Dollars in thousands, except share and per share data)
      Three Months Ended March 31,   Nine Months Ended March 31,
      2025   2024   2025   2024
    Interest and dividend income:                          
    Interest and fees on loans $ 76,478     $ 60,715     $ 222,361     $ 180,139  
    Interest on available-for-sale securities   352       596       1,383       1,639  
    Other interest and dividend income   3,996       3,179       12,104       9,541  
    Total interest and dividend income   80,826       64,490       235,848       191,319  
                               
    Interest expense:                          
    Deposits   30,593       23,340       89,959       63,772  
    Federal Home Loan Bank advances   4,057       4,401       11,754       16,247  
    Obligation under capital lease agreements   225       237       691       664  
    Total interest expense   34,875       27,978       102,404       80,683  
    Net interest and dividend income before provision for credit losses   45,951       36,512       133,444       110,636  
    Provision for credit losses   2,908       596       5,275       1,221  
    Net interest and dividend income after provision for credit losses   43,043       35,916       128,169       109,415  
                               
    Noninterest income:                          
    Fees for other services to customers   362       320       1,197       1,218  
    Gain on sales of SBA loans   6,014       1,015       14,915       1,837  
    Net unrealized gain (loss) on equity securities   79       (55 )     106       17  
    Loss on real estate owned, other repossessed collateral and premises and equipment, net   –       –       –       (9 )
    Bank-owned life insurance income   124       116       372       348  
    Correspondent fee income   16       40       69       183  
    Other noninterest income   24       106       28       194  
    Total noninterest income   6,619       1,542       16,687       3,788  
                               
    Noninterest expense:                          
    Salaries and employee benefits   12,477       10,784       34,947       30,409  
    Occupancy and equipment expense   1,275       1,072       3,456       3,277  
    Professional fees   669       503       1,985       1,784  
    Data processing fees   1,496       1,376       4,605       3,823  
    Marketing expense   89       256       318       738  
    Loan acquisition and collection expense   2,270       813       5,626       2,402  
    FDIC insurance expense   468       273       1,756       917  
    Other noninterest expense   1,399       1,352       4,203       4,138  
    Total noninterest expense   20,143       16,429       56,896       47,488  
    Income before income tax expense   29,519       21,029       87,960       65,715  
    Income tax expense   10,838       7,164       29,734       22,624  
    Net income $ 18,681     $ 13,865     $ 58,226     $ 43,091  
                               
                               
    Weighted-average shares outstanding:                          
    Basic   8,216,746       7,509,320       8,047,775       7,510,065  
    Diluted   8,394,964       7,595,124       8,232,435       7,602,844  
                               
    Earnings per common share:                          
    Basic $ 2.27     $ 1.85     $ 7.24     $ 5.74  
    Diluted   2.23       1.83       7.07       5.67  
                                   
    Cash dividends declared per common share $ 0.01     $ 0.01     $ 0.03     $ 0.03  
                                   
     
    NORTHEAST BANK
    AVERAGE BALANCE SHEETS AND ANNUALIZED YIELDS
    (Unaudited)
    (Dollars in thousands)
      Three Months Ended March 31,
      2025   2024
          Interest   Average       Interest   Average
      Average   Income/   Yield/   Average   Income/   Yield/
      Balance   Expense   Rate   Balance   Expense   Rate
    Assets:                                          
    Interest-earning assets:                                      
    Investment securities $ 32,963     $ 352     4.33 %   $ 60,211     $ 596     3.98 %
    Loans (1) (2) (3)   3,650,066       76,478     8.50 %     2,649,383       60,715     9.22 %
    Federal Home Loan Bank stock   16,657       301     7.33 %     17,636       449     10.24 %
    Short-term investments (4)   336,877       3,695     4.45 %     204,869       2,730     5.36 %
    Total interest-earning assets   4,036,563       80,826     8.12 %     2,932,099       64,490     8.85 %
    Cash and due from banks   2,332                   2,446              
    Other non-interest earning assets   39,847                   50,227              
    Total assets $ 4,078,742                 $ 2,984,772              
                                           
    Liabilities & Shareholders’ Equity:                                      
    Interest-bearing liabilities:                                      
    NOW accounts $ 566,932     $ 5,190     3.71 %   $ 524,301     $ 5,767     4.42 %
    Money market accounts   116,647       754     2.62 %     190,379       1,619     3.42 %
    Savings accounts   198,094       1,365     2.79 %     140,737       1,126     3.22 %
    Time deposits   2,129,320       23,284     4.43 %     1,185,558       14,828     5.03 %
    Total interest-bearing deposits   3,010,993       30,593     4.12 %     2,040,975       23,340     4.60 %
    Federal Home Loan Bank advances   372,029       4,057     4.42 %     396,130       4,401     4.47 %
    Lease liability   19,340       225     4.72 %     20,981       237     4.54 %
    Total interest-bearing liabilities   3,402,362       34,875     4.16 %     2,458,086       27,978     4.58 %
                                           
    Non-interest bearing liabilities:                                      
    Demand deposits and escrow accounts   183,348                   163,042              
    Other liabilities   33,025                   24,571              
    Total liabilities   3,618,735                   2,645,699              
    Shareholders’ equity   460,007                   339,073              
    Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity $ 4,078,742                 $ 2,984,772              
                                           
    Net interest income         $ 45,951                 $ 36,512      
                                           
    Interest rate spread                 3.96 %                   4.27 %
    Net interest margin (5)                 4.62 %                   5.01 %
                                           
    Cost of funds (6)                 3.94 %                   4.29 %
                                           
    (1) Interest income and yield are stated on a fully tax-equivalent basis using the statutory tax rate.
    (2) Includes loans held for sale.
    (3) Nonaccrual loans are included in the computation of average, but unpaid interest has not been included for purposes of determining interest income.
    (4) Short-term investments include FHLB overnight deposits and other interest-bearing deposits.
    (5) Net interest margin is calculated as net interest income divided by total interest-earning assets.
    (6) Cost of funds is calculated as total interest expense divided by total interest-bearing liabilities plus demand deposits and escrow accounts.
     
     
    NORTHEAST BANK
    AVERAGE BALANCE SHEETS AND ANNUALIZED YIELDS
    (Unaudited)
    (Dollars in thousands)
      Nine Months Ended March 31,
      2025   2024
          Interest   Average       Interest   Average
      Average   Income/   Yield/   Average   Income/   Yield/
      Balance   Expense   Rate   Balance   Expense   Rate
    Assets:                                      
    Interest-earning assets:                                      
    Investment securities $ 42,865     $ 1,383     4.30 %   $ 60,060     $ 1,639     3.63 %
    Loans (1) (2) (3)   3,348,535       222,361     8.85 %     2,565,402       180,139     9.35 %
    Federal Home Loan Bank stock   16,190       977     8.04 %     20,415       1,331     8.68 %
    Short-term investments (4)   302,262       11,127     4.90 %     204,252       8,210     5.35 %
    Total interest-earning assets   3,709,852       235,848     8.47 %     2,850,129       191,319     8.93 %
    Cash and due from banks   2,219                   2,482              
    Other non-interest earning assets   55,078                   58,609              
    Total assets $ 3,767,149                 $ 2,911,220              
                                           
    Liabilities & Shareholders’ Equity:                                      
    Interest-bearing liabilities:                                      
    NOW accounts $ 570,906     $ 17,014     3.97 %   $ 507,594     $ 16,548     4.34 %
    Money market accounts   131,481       2,972     3.01 %     226,072       5,760     3.39 %
    Savings accounts   188,053       4,575     3.24 %     118,044       2,603     2.93 %
    Time deposits   1,864,771       65,398     4.67 %     1,061,399       38,861     4.87 %
    Total interest-bearing deposits   2,755,211       89,959     4.35 %     1,913,109       63,772     4.44 %
    Federal Home Loan Bank advances   357,020       11,754     4.39 %     463,065       16,247     4.67 %
    Lease liability   19,655       691     4.68 %     21,373       664     4.13 %
    Total interest-bearing liabilities   3,131,886       102,404     4.36 %     2,397,547       80,683     4.48 %
                                           
    Non-interest bearing liabilities:                                      
    Demand deposits and escrow accounts   182,877                   166,955              
    Other liabilities   29,877                   24,388              
    Total liabilities   3,344,640                   2,588,890              
    Shareholders’ equity   422,509                   322,330              
    Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity $ 3,767,149                 $ 2,911,220              
                                           
    Net interest income         $ 133,444                 $ 110,636      
                                           
    Interest rate spread                 4.11 %                   4.45 %
    Net interest margin (5)                 4.79 %                   5.17 %
                                           
    Cost of funds (6)                 4.12 %                   4.19 %
                                           
    (1) Interest income and yield are stated on a fully tax-equivalent basis using the statutory tax rate.
    (2) Includes loans held for sale.
    (3) Nonaccrual loans are included in the computation of average, but unpaid interest has not been included for purposes of determining interest income.
    (4) Short-term investments include FHLB overnight deposits and other interest-bearing deposits.
    (5) Net interest margin is calculated as net interest income divided by total interest-earning assets.
    (6) Cost of funds is calculated as total interest expense divided by total interest-bearing liabilities plus demand deposits and escrow accounts.
     
     
    NORTHEAST BANK
    SELECTED FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS AND OTHER DATA
    (Unaudited)
    (Dollars in thousands, except share and per share data)
      Three Months Ended
      March 31, 2025   December 31, 2024   September 30, 2024   June 30, 2024   March 31, 2024
    Net interest income $ 45,951     $ 48,490     $ 39,000     $ 37,935     $ 36,512  
    Provision for credit losses   2,908       1,944       422       547       596  
    Noninterest income   6,619       5,949       4,119       2,092       1,542  
    Noninterest expense   20,143       19,066       17,685       17,079       16,429  
    Net income   18,681       22,440       17,106       15,140       13,865  
                       
    Weighted-average common shares outstanding:                  
    Basic   8,216,746       8,044,345       7,886,148       7,765,868       7,509,320  
    Diluted   8,394,964       8,197,568       8,108,688       7,910,692       7,595,124  
    Earnings per common share:                  
    Basic $ 2.27     $ 2.79     $ 2.17     $ 1.95     $ 1.85  
    Diluted   2.23       2.74       2.11       1.91       1.83  
                       
    Dividends declared per common share $ 0.01     $ 0.01     $ 0.01     $ 0.01     $ 0.01  
                       
    Return on average assets   1.86%       2.24%       2.09%       1.99%       1.87%  
    Return on average equity   16.47%       21.14%       17.53%       16.56%       16.45%  
    Net interest rate spread (1)   3.96%       4.21%       4.18%       4.41%       4.27%  
    Net interest margin (2)   4.62%       4.88%       4.90%       5.13%       5.01%  
    Efficiency ratio (non-GAAP) (3)   38.32%       35.02%       41.01%       42.67%       43.17%  
    Noninterest expense to average total assets   2.00%       1.90%       2.16%       2.24%       2.21%  
    Average interest-earning assets to average interest-bearing liabilities   118.64%       118.24%       118.48%       118.78%       119.28%  
                       
      As of:
      March 31, 2025   December 31, 2024   September 30, 2024   June 30, 2024   March 31, 2024
    Nonperforming loans:                  
    Originated portfolio:                  
    Residential real estate $ 2,407     $ 2,446     $ 3,976     $ 2,502     $ 2,573  
    Commercial real estate   3,197       3,662       4,682       1,407       2,075  
    Commercial and industrial   6,945       6,696       6,684       6,520       6,928  
    Consumer   3       5       –       –       –  
    Total originated portfolio   12,552       12,809       15,342       10,429       11,576  
    Total purchased portfolio   19,680       17,257       21,830       17,832       16,370  
    Total nonperforming loans   32,232       30,066       37,172       28,261       27,946  
    Real estate owned and other repossessed collateral, net   1,200       1,200       –       –       –  
    Total nonperforming assets $ 33,432     $ 31,266     $ 37,172     $ 28,261     $ 27,946  
                       
    Past due loans to total loans   0.91%       0.85%       0.89%       0.95%       1.13%  
    Nonperforming loans to total loans   0.86%       0.84%       1.06%       1.02%       1.05%  
    Nonperforming assets to total assets   0.79%       0.77%       0.94%       0.90%       0.93%  
    Allowance for credit losses to total loans   1.23%       1.25%       1.25%       0.97%       0.98%  
    Allowance for credit losses to nonperforming loans   142.79%       148.92%       117.40%       94.51%       92.83%  
    Net charge-offs (recoveries) $ 2,082     $ 869     $ 1,604     $ 1,347     $ 2,225  
    Commercial real estate loans to total capital (4)   521.47%       542.12%       604.38%       482.13%       509.08%  
    Net loans to deposits   112.10%       112.52%       110.70%       116.88%       118.15%  
    Purchased loans to total loans   65.33%       66.63%       69.11%       61.88%       60.99%  
    Equity to total assets   11.06%       10.88%       9.96%       12.02%       11.73%  
    Common equity tier 1 capital ratio   12.72%       12.66%       11.45%       13.84%       13.24%  
    Total risk-based capital ratio   13.97%       13.91%       12.70%       14.82%       14.22%  
    Tier 1 leverage capital ratio   11.45%       11.16%       12.06%       12.30%       11.79%  
                       
    Total shareholders’ equity $ 467,516     $ 444,101     $ 392,557     $ 376,634     $ 351,913  
    Less: Preferred stock   –       –       –       –       –  
    Common shareholders’ equity   467,516       444,101       392,557       376,634       351,913  
    Less: Intangible assets (5)   –       –       –       –       –  
    Tangible common shareholders’ equity (non-GAAP) $ 467,516     $ 444,101     $ 392,557     $ 376,634     $ 351,913  
                       
    Common shares outstanding   8,525,362       8,492,856       8,212,026       8,127,690       7,977,690  
    Book value per common share $ 54.84     $ 52.29     $ 47.80     $ 46.34     $ 44.11  
    Tangible book value per share (non-GAAP) (6)   54.84       52.29       47.80       46.34       44.11  
                       
    (1) The net interest rate spread represents the difference between the weighted-average yield on interest-earning assets and the weighted-average cost of interest-bearing liabilities for the period.
    (2) The net interest margin represents net interest income as a percent of average interest-earning assets for the period.
    (3) The efficiency ratio represents noninterest expense divided by the sum of net interest income (before the credit loss provision) plus noninterest income.
    (4) For purposes of calculating this ratio, commercial real estate includes all non-owner occupied commercial real estate loans defined as such by regulatory guidance, including all land development and construction loans.
    (5) Includes the loan servicing rights asset.
    (6) Tangible book value per share represents total shareholders’ equity less the sum of preferred stock and intangible assets divided by common shares outstanding.
     

    For More Information:
    Richard Cohen, Chief Financial Officer
    Northeast Bank, 27 Pearl Street, Portland, Maine 04101
    207.786.3245 ext. 3249
    www.northeastbank.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-Evening Report: The Vietnam War ended 50 years ago today, yet films about the conflict still struggle to capture its complexities

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Scarlette Nhi Do, Sessional Academic, The University of Melbourne

    Scene from Apocalypse Now (1979) Prime Video

    The Vietnam War (1955–1975) was more than just a chapter in the Cold War.

    For some, it was supposed to achieve Vietnam’s right to self-determination. For others, it was an attempt to found a nation-state independent of both capitalist and communist influences.

    In the 50 years since the war ended, the stories we’ve heard about it have struggled to convey these many different views. Cinema – in Hollywood and in Vietnam – offers some insight into this struggle, which we continue to face today.

    A war by any other name

    The war is known by many names, and each one highlights the different objectives of the forces involved.

    For the United States, “The Vietnam War” was one battleground against the Soviet Union during the Cold War. To prevent communism from spreading, the US sent resources to establish the Republic of Vietnam (known informally as South Vietnam) as its proxy. It had already used this strategy with West Germany and South Korea.

    The Communist Party of Vietnam thought of US involvement as a form of colonialism.

    By calling the conflict “the sacred resistance against the US to salvage the country” (Cuộc Kháng Chiến Chống Mỹ, Cứu Nước), or “the American war” (Chiến Tranh Mỹ) for short, the communist party encouraged the perception of the war as a stepping stone towards Vietnam’s full independence following Chinese imperialism (circa 111 BCE–939 CE), French colonialism (1862–1954) and Japanese occupation (1940-45).

    The communist objective was to “liberate” South Vietnam from the US and its puppet administration, and reunify the country. This is why, in Vietnam, April 30 is called “Reunification Day” or “Independence Day”, to commemorate the communists’ victory in capturing Saigon.

    However, former citizens of South Vietnam call April 30 the “Day of National Mourning” (Ngày Quốc Hận), as it marks the Republic’s defeat and the beginning of decades of political persecution and refugee displacement. Although the South Vietnamese were pluralistic in their political beliefs, they were united in their anti-communism.

    For them, the conflict was “the Civil War” (Nội Chiến), fought between communists and anti-communists over the future of Vietnam. After the Republic fell, many grieved (and still do) the vision of what South Vietnam could have become.

    Apocalypse then

    While the US eventually lost control over South Vietnam, it continued to influence how Vietnam was thought of in the West through Hollywood.

    Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now is loosely based on Joseph Conrad’s classic novel, Heart of Darkness.
    Shutterstock

    In the 1970-80s, Vietnam War films such as Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now (1979), Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket (1987) and Oliver Stone’s Platoon (1987) established these directors as household names.

    The films focus on US soldiers’ psyche and discontent with incompetent leadership, pushing the Vietnamese people and their struggles for independence into the background. They frame the war as something done to American society, rather than something the US orchestrated.

    This victimhood fostered what became known as “the Vietnam syndrome” – an unofficial condition in American mindset characterised by feelings of woundedness and a loss of trust in the capability of the US.

    In Vietnam, early communist-controlled cinema in the north depicted the Vietnamese as an oppressed people who must band together to defeat Western corruption. Wartime films such as Along the Same River (1959) and 17th Parallel, Days and Nights (1972) leaned into melodramatic love stories to allegorise the divided Vietnam as separated lovers who must be reunited.

    As directors in the north slowly gained some freedom from the communist party, films increasingly dealt with the war’s immense impact and questioned the party’s ability to bring about the classless society it had promised. The Girl on the River (1987) and Living in Fear (2005) are two good examples.

    Living in Fear (Sống trong sợ hãi) trailer.

    Meanwhile, filmmakers in the south were independents who occasionally collaborated with the state or military, as seen with the classic 1971 film Faceless Lover (also known as Warrior, Who Are You?).

    South Vietnamese people saw film as a medium to negotiate their fledgling national identity. For them, it was important to establish and safekeep an identity that was distinct from the “foreign ally” (the US) and the “domestic foe” (the communists).

    This is why films from the south often portrayed love triangles, where the hero must choose between the vessels of modern Vietnamese femininity and Western excess. Some examples include Afternoon Sun (1972) and Late Night’s Dew (1972).

    Apocalypse now

    New perspectives on the war are emerging as historically marginalised groups gain footing in Western media. And some of these challenge early portrayals.

    Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods (2020) was the first major production to show the war through Black American veterans’ eyes. Hollywood neglected to do this, despite the over-representation of Black soldiers in conscription, combat and casualties during wartime.

    Although Da 5 Bloods still fails to account for the Vietnamese’s fight for self-determination, it acknowledges Black Americans’ and the Vietnamese people’s mutual suffering under white supremacy.

    One independent feature from a son of refugees, Journey from the Fall (2006), conveys the resentment many exiled South Vietnamese people feel towards the communist party. It also explores the trauma of leaving Vietnam by boat and resettlement in the US.

    Most recently, the 2024 TV series The Sympathizer, adapted from Viet Thanh Nguyen’s novel, moved the needle by probing at complex issues such as wartime loyalty, complicity and authenticity.

    Communist narratives persist

    In Vietnam today, the scale of communist party-funded movies has grown immensely, with many films resembling Hollywood blockbusters. But the messages have become more conservative.

    Films such as The Scent of Burning Grass (2012) and The Legend Makers (2013) continue to support the communist party narrative by omitting South Vietnam’s anti-communist objective. They also undermine women’s contributions to the war efforts, whereas earlier films put women at the centre of community organisation.

    A new generation of filmmakers is challenging these narratives through collaboration with international production companies and distributors. Features such as Viet and Nam (2024) experiment with film form to show the true costs of war, including the widening wealth disparity in Vietnam, and the lengths many would go to close this gap.

    Viet and Nam trailer.

    Scarlette Nhi Do does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. The Vietnam War ended 50 years ago today, yet films about the conflict still struggle to capture its complexities – https://theconversation.com/the-vietnam-war-ended-50-years-ago-today-yet-films-about-the-conflict-still-struggle-to-capture-its-complexities-253837

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Housing affordability is at the centre of this election, yet two major reforms seem all but off-limits

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matt Garrow, Editorial Web Developer

    This federal election, both major parties have offered a “grab bag” of policy fixes for Australia’s stubborn housing affordability crisis. But there are still two big policy elephants in the room, which neither side wants to touch.

    The first is negative gearing. This can apply to business losses relating to any investment. But in the context of housing, it allows property investors to claim annual losses incurred renting out an investment property as deductions against their taxable income.

    Proponents argue this boosts the supply of rental housing by encouraging investment. Critics say it’s an unfair tax break that disproportionately benefits the wealthy while driving up house prices.

    This situation has been controversial for a long time. The Hawke government tried to implement major reforms in the 1980s but these were reversed soon afterwards.

    The second “elephant”, which some economists argue “put a rocket under” housing prices, is the 50% capital gains tax discount for assets held for longer than a year. This was introduced by the Howard government at the turn of the millennium.

    In 2019, the then Labor leader Bill Shorten learned the hard way what can happen when you bring negative gearing and capital gains tax reform to an election as part of a “big target” platform. Yet these tax concessions remain highly contentious.

    Whom do they benefit most? Are they behind the housing crisis? Is keeping them fair on the rest of us? We invited four experts to unpack this debate. Here are the elements they told us are most crucial:

    Digital Storytelling Team does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Housing affordability is at the centre of this election, yet two major reforms seem all but off-limits – https://theconversation.com/housing-affordability-is-at-the-centre-of-this-election-yet-two-major-reforms-seem-all-but-off-limits-241262

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Renewables, coal or nuclear? This election, your generation’s energy preference may play a surprising role

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Magnus Söderberg, Professor & Director, Centre for Applied Energy Economics and Policy Research, Griffith University

    Christie Cooper/Shutterstock

    In an otherwise unremarkable election campaign, the major parties are promising sharply different energy blueprints for Australia. Labor is pitching a high-renewables future powered largely by wind, solar, hydroelectricity and batteries. The Coalition wants more gas and coal now, and would build nuclear power later.

    So how might these two competing visions play out as Australia goes to the polls this Saturday?

    Research shows clear generational preferences when it comes to producing electricity. Younger Australians prefer renewables while older people favour coal and gas. The one exception is nuclear power, which is split much more on gender lines than age – 51% of Australian men support it, but just 26% of women.

    While many voters are focused squarely on the cost of living, energy prices feed directly into how much everything costs. Research has shown that as power prices rise, the more likely it is an incumbent government will be turfed out.

    Coal, renewables or nuclear?

    About half of young Australians (18–34) want the country powered by renewables by 2030, according to a 2023 survey of energy consumers. Only 13% of the youngest (18–24) group think there’s no need to change or that it’s impossible. But resistance increases directly with age. From retirement age and up, 29% favour a renewable grid by 2030 while 44% think there’s no need or that it’s impossible.

    On nuclear, the divide is less clear. The Coalition has promised to build Australia’s first nuclear reactors if elected, and Coalition leader Peter Dutton has claimed young people back nuclear. That’s based on a Newspoll survey showing almost two-thirds (65%) of Australians aged 18–34 supported nuclear power.

    But other polls give a quite different story: 46% support for nuclear by younger Australians in an Essential poll compared to 56% support by older Australians. A Savanta poll put young support at just 36%.

    There’s a gender component too. The demographic most opposed to nuclear are women over 55.

    Younger voters remain strongly committed to environmental goals – but they’re also wary of cost blowouts and electricity price rises. Some see nuclear as a zero emissions technology able to help with the clean energy transition.

    Older Australians are more likely to be sceptical of nuclear power. This is likely due to nuclear disasters such as Chernobyl as well as the prospect of nuclear war during the Cold War.

    It’s an open question how robust support for nuclear would be if the Coalition was elected and began the long, expensive process of construction. New findings by the National Climate Action Survey shows almost 40% of Australians would be “extremely concerned” if a nuclear power plant was built within 50 kilometres of their homes and another 16% “very concerned”.

    These energy preferences aren’t just found in Australia. In recent research my co-authors and I found a clear divide in Sweden: younger favour renewables and nuclear, older favour fossil fuels. Why the difference? Sweden already gets about 40% of its power from nuclear, while renewables now provide about 40% of Australia’s power.

    We found younger Swedes strongly favoured renewables – but also supported nuclear power, especially when electricity prices rose. That is because nuclear is perceived to stabilise the supply of electricity. They wanted clean energy, as long as it was reliable and affordable. Our study found older people were not necessarily pro-fossil fuels, but were more focused on keeping energy affordable – especially for businesses and industry.

    When electricity prices rose in Sweden, our survey respondents broadly became less concerned about climate change and more likely to be favourable to nuclear energy.

    In Australia, the cost of the clean energy transition has crept up. While solar and wind offer cheap power once built, there are hidden costs.

    If electricity prices keep rising, we should expect to see declining support for the clean energy transition.

    Overcoming the energy divide

    During Australia’s decade-long climate wars from roughly 2012 to 2022, climate change was heavily politicised and energy became a political football. Under a Coalition government in 2014, Australia became the first nation to abolish a carbon tax.

    Labor took office in 2022 pledging to end the climate wars and fast-track the clean energy transition. But the Coalition has opened up a new divide on energy by proposing nuclear power by the 2040s and more gas and coal in the meantime.

    This election, the cost of living is the single biggest issue for 25% of voters in the ABC’s Vote Compass poll. But climate change is still the main concern for about 8% of voters, energy for 4% and the environment 3.5%. Here, Coalition backing for fossil fuels and nuclear may attract some older and younger voters but repel others. Labor’s renewable transition may attract younger voters but lose older energy traditionalists.

    Energy preferences could play out through a cost of living lens. Parties pushing too hard on green policies this election risk alienating older voters concerned about rising costs. But going nuclear would be very expensive, and keeping old coal plants going isn’t cheap. Downplaying climate action or dismissing nuclear outright could alienate some younger Australians, who are climate-conscious and energy-savvy.

    Policymakers should resist framing energy as a zero-sum game. There is a path forward which can unite generations: coupling ambitious climate targets with pragmatic policies to protect consumers. Transitional supports such as energy rebates, time-of-use pricing or community-scale renewables and batteries can soften any economic impact while building public trust.

    Our research suggests electricity price rises can quickly erode support even for well-designed energy policies.

    As Australia navigates a complex and costly transition, keeping both younger and older generations on board may be the greatest political – and moral – challenge of all.

    Magnus Söderberg does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Renewables, coal or nuclear? This election, your generation’s energy preference may play a surprising role – https://theconversation.com/renewables-coal-or-nuclear-this-election-your-generations-energy-preference-may-play-a-surprising-role-253832

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: ‘No compassion… just blame’: how weight stigma in maternity care harms larger-bodied women and their babies

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Briony Hill, Deputy Head, Health and Social Care Unit and Senior Research Fellow, Monash University

    Kate Cashin Photography

    According to a study from the United States, women experience weight stigma in maternity care at almost every visit. We expect this experience to be similar in Australia, where more than 50% of women of reproductive age live in larger bodies.

    Weight stigma can present as stereotyping, negative attitudes and discriminatory actions towards larger-bodied people.

    It occurs in other areas of health care and in society at large. But our research is focused on weight stigma in maternity care, which can cause significant harm for larger-bodied women and their babies.

    What does weight stigma look like in maternity care?

    Sometimes weight stigma is explicit, or on purpose. Explicit weight stigma includes health-care professionals having negative attitudes towards caring for larger-bodied pregnant women. This might present, for instance, when health professionals make negative comments about weight or accuse women of dishonesty when they discuss their dietary intake.

    Sometimes weight stigma is implicit, or unintentional. Implicit weight stigma includes maternity care providers avoiding physical touch or eye contact during consultations with larger-bodied women.

    Policies, guidelines and environments also contribute to weight stigma. Women in larger bodies frequently report feeling stigmatised and unable to access the type of maternity care they would prefer. Lack of availability of adequately fitting hospital clothing or delivery beds are other notable examples.

    In a review published last year, we looked at weight stigma from preconception to after birth. Our results showed larger-bodied women are sometimes automatically treated as high-risk and undergo extra monitoring of their pregnancy even when they have no other risk factors that require monitoring.

    This approach is problematic because it focuses on body size rather than health, placing responsibility on the woman and disregarding other complex determinants of health.

    Weight stigma is common in maternity care.

    How does this make women feel?

    Qualitative evidence shows women who experience weight stigma during their maternity care feel judged, devalued, shamed and less worthy. They may feel guilty about getting pregnant and experience self-doubt.

    As one research participant explained:

    One doctor told me I was terrible for getting pregnant at my weight, that I was setting up my baby to fail […] I was in tears, and he told me I was being too sensitive.

    A 2023 Australian paper written by women who had experienced weight stigma in maternity care recounted their care as hyper-focused on weight and dehumanising, robbing them of the joy of pregnancy.

    According to one woman, “there was no compassion or conversation, just blame”.

    Beyond making women feel humiliated and disrespected, weight stigma in maternity care can affect mental health. For example, weight stigma is linked to increased risk of depressive symptoms and stress, disordered eating behaviours and emotional eating.

    One of the key reasons why weight stigma is so damaging to pregnant women’s health is because it’s closely linked to body image concerns.

    Society unfairly holds larger-bodied women up to unrealistic ideals around their body shape and size, their suitability to be a mother, and the control they have over their weight gain.

    Self stigma occurs when women apply society’s stigmatising narrative – from people in the community, the media, peers, family members and health-care providers – to themselves.

    Larger-bodied pregnant women can face stigma from health-care professionals and society at large.
    antoniodiaz/Shutterstock

    Impacts on mum and baby

    Several adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes have been linked to weight stigma in maternity care. These include gestational diabetes, caesarean birth and lower uptake of breastfeeding.

    While we know these things can also be linked to higher body weight, emerging evidence shows weight stigma may have a stronger link with some outcomes than body mass index.

    There are a variety of possible reasons for these links. For example, weight stigma may result in delayed access to and engagement with health-care services, and, as shown above, poorer mental health and reduced confidence. This may mean a woman is less likely to initiate and seek help with breastfeeding, for example.

    Experiencing weight stigma also leads to a stress response in the body, which could affect a woman’s health during pregnancy.

    In turn, the adverse effects of weight stigma can also affect the baby’s health. For example, gestational diabetes has a range of potential negative outcomes including a higher likelihood of premature birth, difficulties during birth, and an increased risk of the child developing type 2 diabetes.

    But the burden and blame should not fall on women. Pregnant and postpartum women should not have to accept experiences of weight stigma in health care.

    Weight stigma in maternity care has been linked to a higher likelihood of caesarean birth.
    photosoria/Shutterstock

    What can we do about it?

    While it’s essential to address weight stigma as a societal issue, health services can play a key role in undoing the narrative of blame and shame and making maternity care more equitable for larger-bodied women.

    Addressing weight stigma in maternity care can start with teaching midwives and obstetricians about weight stigma – what it is, where it happens, and how it can be minimised in practice.

    We worked with women who had experienced weight stigma in maternity care and midwives to co-design resources to meet this need. Both women and midwives wanted resources that could be easily integrated into practice, acted as consistent reminders to be size-friendly, and met midwives’ knowledge gaps.

    The resources included a short podcast about weight stigma in maternity care and images of healthy, larger-bodied pregnant women to demonstrate the most likely outcome is a healthy pregnancy. Midwives evaluated the resources positively and they are ready to be implemented into practice.

    There is a long road to ending weight stigma in maternity care, but working towards this goal will benefit countless mothers and their babies.

    Briony Hill receives funding from the Australian Research Council. Some research reported in this article was funded by the Australian Prevention Partnership Centre. The Australian Prevention Partnership Centre was supported through the NHMRC partnership centre grant scheme with the Australian Government Department of Health, ACT Health, Cancer Council Australia, NSW Ministry of Health, Wellbeing SA, Tasmanian Department of Health, and VicHealth. It is administered by the Sax Institute.

    Haimanot Hailu does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. ‘No compassion… just blame’: how weight stigma in maternity care harms larger-bodied women and their babies – https://theconversation.com/no-compassion-just-blame-how-weight-stigma-in-maternity-care-harms-larger-bodied-women-and-their-babies-252725

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: State of the states: the campaign is almost over, so how has it played out across Australia?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Clune, Honorary Associate, Government and International Relations, University of Sydney

    While many Australians have already voted at pre-poll stations and by post, the politicking continues right up until May 3.

    So what’s happened across the country over the past five weeks?

    Here, six experts analyse how the campaign has looked in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia.

    New South Wales

    David Clune, honorary associate, government and international relations, University of Sydney

    The campaign in NSW is concluding much as it began, largely mirroring the Australia-wide trend with little evidence of localism.

    The main themes of both sides remain similar: cost-of-living alleviation, improved health care and housing affordability. Both leaders quickly matched each other’s promises: it could be described as the “Albanutton” campaign.

    Opposition Leader Peter Dutton’s campaign continued to be hampered by slip-ups and a lack of focus, detail and discipline. Although the government’s record had given him plenty of scope, Dutton struggled to land a blow.

    Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had his share of gaffes, but appeared more coherent and convincing. Labor’s negative campaign to portray Dutton as a local Trump clone seems to have been effective.

    Some in the Liberal Party argue there’s pent-up resentment against the government in Western Sydney that hasn’t been picked up by opinion polls. Whether this hypothetical backlash turns into seats on polling day remains to be seen.

    Bennelong (notionally Liberal after the redistribution) and Gilmore, seem the most likely Liberal gains. Parramatta, Reid, Paterson, Robertson and Werriwa are also in play. There is speculation about an independent threat in the safe Labor seat of McMahon.

    The Coalition has a fight on its hands to retain Cowper and Bradfield, with strong independent challenges in both seats. There is a tight three-way contest in Calare between former National turned independent, Andrew Gee, a National and a Teal.

    As there is little real policy differentiation between the major parties; it seems to come down to which side the voters find more credible and trustworthy in uncertain times.

    According to a Newspoll published on April 27, Albanese led Dutton as preferred prime minister by 51% to 35%. Only 39% of those surveyed believed the government deserved to be re-elected. However, 62% believed the Coalition was not ready to govern.

    An aggregate of polling data showed in NSW, as at April 28, Labor’s two-party preferred vote was 53.0%, an increase since the March Budget of 2.8% and of 1.6% since the 2022 election.

    Queensland

    Paul Williams, associate professor of politics and journalism, Griffith University

    In the campaign’s closing week, Queensland remains largely inconsequential as to whether Albanese or Dutton will call The Lodge home.

    But that doesn’t mean the Liberal National Party (LNP) isn’t concerned about its prospects north of the Tweed.

    While the LNP still leads Labor in the two party-preferred vote, 54 to 46, across Queensland – roughly the 2022 result – last week’s YouGov poll found that result to be a three-point fall for the LNP from the previous week.

    While Labor is hardly going to blitz Queensland, some LNP seats are nonetheless more vulnerable than at any time over the past decade. These include the regional seats of Leichhardt (3.4 %) and Flynn (3.8%), the outer suburban seats of Dickson (held by Dutton by just 1.7%), Longman (3.1%), Forde (4.2%) and Petrie (4.4%), and the middle-suburb mortgage-belt seat of Bonner (3.4%).

    Independent Suzie Holt might also worry the LNP in the usually safe seat of Groom, around Toowoomba.
    But the last-minute “rescue” of the LNP by Pauline Hanson’s One Nation (PHON) – Hanson (reciprocating the LNP’s preferencing of PHON) pulped existing how to vote cards and printed new ones placing the LNP second in most seats – might just save the opposition.

    However, the campaign has offered little clarity on the prospects in other key Queensland contests: the battles for three Greens-held inner-urban seats of Brisbane, Ryan and Griffith.

    But a mid-April DemosAU poll found the Greens’ primary vote falling by 1.7 points to 29%, a figure exactly tied with Labor’s, which has risen 2.7% since 2022.

    Problematically for Dutton, the LNP, whose primary vote remains locked at 36%, appears not to have capitalised on cost-of-living angst in inner Brisbane.

    Despite 58% of inner Brisbane leaning centre-left, these figures suggest the LNP may fail to win any Greens seats, with the contest a close one between the Greens and Labor only. The result rests on who runs third: Labor or the Greens. There could be a mere 100 votes in these must-watch seats.

    In the Northern Territory, the seat of Lingiari, which takes in Alice Springs and Katherine, is held by Labor’s Marion Scrymgour by 1.7%. In 2022, just one in three enrolled voters cast a ballot in the electorate, prompting the Australian Electoral Commission to try to increase voter turnout. In the wash-up, it will be interesting to see if this improves.

    South Australia

    Rob Manwaring, associate professor of politics and public policy, Flinders University

    Given SA is home to only a handful of marginal seats, it’s not a well-trodden part of the campaign trail. That’s typical of most federal elections.

    What’s not so typical is the overall feel of the campaign. The rhythms of Australian elections are changing. On one level, there are the familiar tropes and activities; TV debates, campaign launches and letter box blitzes in key marginal seats.

    Yet, on the other hand, voters behave differently than they used to. Data from the Australian Election Study(AES) tells us far fewer voters have made their decision “a long time ago” (55% in 2007, down to 36% in 2022).

    This means the number of “soft” voters is probably much higher as major parties have fewer “lifetime voters”. Voters are much more transactional.

    Voters are more distanced from parties, too. The study shows fewer voters use how to vote cards (51% used them in 2007, 31% in 2022). We can’t rely on traditional metrics in the same way, such as the national two-party preferred vote given the number of “non-traditional seats”.

    In short, it’s now harder to more know how the campaigns are tracking. So while the Coalition campaign has been beset by a number of mis-steps, how this is playing out is far less clear.

    Further, a strange paradox of the emergence of the Teals and other independents is there is a stronger local focus on representation, rather than broader policy debates. Again, AES data suggests most voters tend to vote for policy reasons (like the economy or health) but the current media focus on the major parties, especially through the TV debates, actually seems to narrow the broader policy discussions.

    So while the proof will be in the pudding when the votes are counted, it may be high time to reflect on what campaign strategies work best for politics in 2025.

    Tasmania

    Robert Hortle, deputy director of the Tasmanian Policy Exchange, University of Tasmania

    On Australia’s South Island, most of the campaign focus has been on Lyons, Franklin and Braddon.

    In Lyons, Tassie’s most marginal electorate (ALP by 0.9%), the latest polls have swung behind the ALP’s Rebecca White. Her popularity as a state MP for the electorate has been bolstered by some crucial slip ups from Liberal candidate Susie Bower.

    One potentially vote-winning policy announcement that has gone under the radar nationally is Labor’s commitment of $24 million to guarantee the continued operation of the Boyer Paper Mill in Lyons, an important employer and regional symbol of economic activity.

    Franklin has been full of drama. 19-year-old Greens candidate Owen Fitzgerald had to withdraw his candidacy after it emerged that he is likely to still be a New Zealand citizen. It seemed like the Greens would encourage their voters to preference independent anti-salmon candidate Peter George.

    However, when the party’s how to vote cards were published, they said “Vote 1 – Owen Fitzgerald”.

    According to the Greens, this was to make sure that voters completed their ballot correctly. The Liberal Party argued the Greens were just trying to secure public funding.

    There have also been billboard shenanigans and various other dirty (or should that be clean?) tricks.

    The result is likely to rest on how Liberal voters feel about salmon farming and how this influences their preferences. Are they so anti-Labor that they will preference Peter George ahead of Julie Collins despite his anti-salmon stance? Or will they put Collins ahead of George based on Labor’s support for the industry?

    In Braddon, where salmon farming is again a key issue, Labor’s Anne Urquhart has been more visible on the campaign trail than Liberal Mal Hingston. Although the margin at the last election was 8% in favour of the Liberals, last-minute polling (albeit with a small sample size) has offered Labor hope of winning the crucial seat.

    Bridget Archer, Liberal MP for Bass, has had a solid if unspectacular campaign. She was helped by Labor selecting a low-profile first-time candidate, Jess Teesdale, who the party sees as “one for the future”. Teesdale revealed her “greenness” – in both senses of the word – by accidentally contradicting the ALP’s position on native forest logging, which is always a flashpoint in Tassie.

    Victoria

    Zareh Ghazarian, senior lecturer in politics, school of social sciences, Monash University

    With just days to go in this campaign, Victoria still looks like a key state that will determine who governs for the next three years. Many seats across the state have new boundaries following the AEC redistribution.

    Victoria is also home to the most marginal seat in the country. Deakin, which covers the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, is held by Liberal Michael Sukkar with a margin of just 0.02%, according to ABC Election Analyst Antony Green.

    Deakin will be the seat to watch on election night. If the Liberal Party can’t hold on to Deakin, it would be unlikely to be able to win government.

    There are also other seats that will provide a fascinating contest on Saturday night. Labor will face its own test in trying to retain Chisholm and Aston, both in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne.

    Chisholm is a swinging seat. It has been won by both Labor and Liberal parties over the past 40 years and is currently held by Labor with a margin of 3.3%. It has had a significant redistribution, losing strong Labor booths in the north and south parts of the electorate.

    Aston is also on a similarly slim margin of 3.6% and was famously won by Labor at the by-election in 2023. Holding onto Aston will be a crucial test for Labor. Losing this seat may threaten Labor’s chances of forming a majority government after the election.

    There are also the two seats held by the independents which promise to be tight contests. The previously safe Liberal seats of Kooyong and Goldstein, which were won by Monique Ryan and Zoe Daniel respectively, have been targeted by the Liberal Party. The independents will face a significant battle and, if successful, will demonstrate a significant shift in voting behaviour has occurred in these electorates.

    Western Australia

    Narelle Miragliotta, associate professor in politics, Murdoch University

    The idea that WA would determine the outcome of government has been a persistent theme throughout the campaign, reinforced by four visits from Albanese and three from Dutton. The amount of attention WA has received from the major party leaders was more than any state or territory other than the three big population states: NSW, Victoria and Queensland. Even then, Albanese made one more visit to WA than he did Queensland at the time of writing.

    Both major parties brought their big guns on the campaign trail. Former Liberal PM John Howard visited Curtin, Tangney and Bullwinkel. The newly re-elected WA Labor Premier Roger Cook campaigned heavily with Albanese during his visits. And in the final days of the campaign, Mark McGowan, the popular former premier, was seen on the hustings with Labor candidates in four marginal seats.

    Neither major party leader ventured to places where they might receive an unwelcome reception. Dutton’s intention to steer clear of the Shire of Collie, particularly the town of Muja, the proposed site of the one of the seven nuclear power plants, was signalled early in the campaign. Albanese avoided electorates in the state’s southwest opposed to coastal wind farms.

    There were no significant candidate blunders. However, questions were raised about the whereabouts of Andrew Hastie, shadow defence minister and (putative) future Liberal leader. Hastie was also questioned about the missing party logo (as against party authorisations) on his campaign materials.

    The competition between the Nationals and Liberals in the seat of Bullwinkel was without major media incident. This includes when the Nationals’ candidate, Mia Davies, broke with the federal coalition over support for Labor’s production tax credits plan.

    The contest for Curtin attracted outsized local media attention. In the final days of the campaign, there were renewed efforts to link the independent incumbent, Kate Chaney, to the Greens. All the proof the West Australian newspaper required was Chaney’s connection to a senior Greens party official, evidenced by a 2024 donation totalling $104, a photo and an author’s credit.

    To what extent has the leader visits and the campaign moved the needle? A recent study found party leader visits make only a modest impact on the vote. Polling for Labor and the Liberals in WA has remained very steady. This doesn’t mean some seats won’t change, but to which party or candidate remains unclear.

    Paul Williams is a research associate with the T.J. Ryan Foundation.

    David Clune, Narelle Miragliotta, Rob Manwaring, Robert Hortle, and Zareh Ghazarian do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. State of the states: the campaign is almost over, so how has it played out across Australia? – https://theconversation.com/state-of-the-states-the-campaign-is-almost-over-so-how-has-it-played-out-across-australia-253125

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Donald Trump’s first 100 days have badly damaged trust in America both economically and as an ally

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Steve Dunne, PhD researcher, Department of Politics and International Studies, University of Warwick

    As in life, trust matters in international politics. Vital for cooperation and reciprocation, trusting someone nevertheless leaves one vulnerable should they break faith and pursue self-serving goals. As US political scientist Andrew Kydd recognised, trust is the belief that someone “prefers mutual cooperation to exploiting and suckering others”.

    Two versions of trust matter in international relations. Strategic trust, in the form of institutionalised agreements and organisations which provide certainty – as well as material incentives – to encourage people and nations to honour their commitments. And moralistic trust, based on what social scientists call an “implicit theory of personality” that involves people making everyday judgements regarding a person’s character and integrity.

    A brief look at the liberal post-war economic order shows how trust has proved fundamental. The Bretton Woods system of multilateral institutions that developed after the second world war, including the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and World Trade Organization, created a rules-based consistency for mutual benefit.

    The WTO, for example, promised members that economic conditions between countries would not opportunistically and suddenly change. If they did, independent recourse was available through its appellate body.

    This certainty encouraged many otherwise hesitant states to engage. The collapse of the appellate body in 2019 – after the US, under then-president, Donald Trump, blocked further appointees, thus denying it the required quorum – was a critical first step towards the present crisis in trust.


    How is Donald Trump’s presidency shaping up after 100 days? Here’s what the experts think. If you like what you see, sign up to receive our weekly World Affairs Briefing newsletter.

    Across the opening 100 days of his second term, Trump has broken both these conceptions of trust. In doing so, he has devastated – perhaps irreparably – economic confidence in the US.

    In terms of strategic trust, look no further than Trump’s attacks on Canada and Mexico. On February 1, Trump threatened near-universal 25% tariffs on exports from America’s two largest trading partners. These tariffs entered into effect on March 4 and were followed by additional duties on aluminum, steel and auto parts.

    Viewed from Canada and Mexico, Trump’s actions were an unambiguous breach of trust and the US-Mexico-Canada agreement, which Trump had personally signed in 2020. Canada’s prime minister, Mark Carney, reacted by forewarning that “its clear the US is no longer a reliable partner” and predicted a “fundamentally different relationship” between the two countries going forwards.

    When it comes to moralistic trust, Trump was on weak ground before even becoming president. Beyond his business dealings – which have historically involved unpaid vendors and fraudulent practices – as well as serious allegations of abuse, Trump’s first term was marked by numerous reputational failings. These included a historic two impeachments, the second for his role in the January 6 insurrection that attempted to unlawfully overturn the 2020 election result.

    “Liberation Day” on April 2, which was when Trump announced the details of his tariffs, delivered a singular blow. The heavy targeting of poorer countries such as Cambodia and Lesotho – while exempting Russia – strengthened reservations about Trump’s character. Equally, the blatant idiocy of many tariffs – most prominently the Heard and McDonald Islands, which are uninhabited save for penguins – further limited confidence in his administration’s competency and judgement.

    Combined with Trump’s imperialistic bullying of other nations, from Greenland, to Panama to Ukraine, his remaining integrity in economic affairs has imploded. Although the full effects (and damage) of Trump’s actions on America’s reputation are not yet known, adverse consequences should be expected in both the short and longer terms.

    The long and the short

    In the short term, decreased economic trust will prolong market volatility. April 3-4 saw the largest-ever two-day loss, as US$6.6 trillion (£5 trillion) was erased from US stocks. Trump’s tariffs are also expected to depress growth, both at home and abroad.

    JP Morgan now rates the likelihood of a recession this year at 60% – more than double when Trump took office. Consumer confidence, meanwhile, is at its second lowest since records began.

    Increased prices for groceries – two-thirds of US vegetable imports come from Mexico – as well as energy bills – the US imports 61% of its oil from Canada – is also likely. Higher tariffs on goods from China will similarly impact domestic spending.

    In the longer-term, diminished economic trust will continue to weaken bond markets, hampering America’s ability to service its colossal national debt. The increased cost of dollar-denominated goods could also spark a debt crisis reminiscent of the 1980s, when Latin America defaulted en masse, causing widespread economic turmoil.

    Perhaps most significantly, declining global trust will accelerate processes of de-dollarisation and reduce reliance on the dollar as a reserve currency. The ending of the “exorbitant privilege” – the advantage enjoyed by the US thanks to the dollar being the global reserve currency – could spell disaster vis-à-vis borrowing costs and, ultimately, risk a balance of payments crisis. More broadly, de-dollarisation would leave the US economically marginalised in a more multipolar global economy.

    Extending beyond economics, however, Trump’s trade policy will eviscerate American soft power unless corrected. With trust in the US dwindling, an increase in coercive forms of bargaining with international trade partners over more cooperative approaches becomes inevitable. Despite the demonstrable superiority of the latter approach, mutual trust is required to facilitate successful collaboration.

    Without trust, negotiation itself becomes an impossibility. And if trust is consistently broken, even those predisposed towards cooperation will be deterred.

    The US under Trump is fast becoming untrustworthy. American reliability must now be broadly questioned, from collective security to the rule of law. The effect of this widespread loss of trust – embodied by Trump’s indiscriminate and ill-mannered economic attacks – will be the neutering of US soft power.

    The foundation of American strength for decades, its ability to attract and appeal to its allies as an alternative to coercion, is now on life support. Meanwhile, China – purportedly “the greatest threat to America today” – is actively exploiting this decline and accelerating its own soft power initiatives.

    If Trump truly wishes to make America great again, then betraying allies through coercive mistreatment is not the answer. Honest engagement that builds trust is.

    Steve Dunne receives funding from the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

    – ref. Donald Trump’s first 100 days have badly damaged trust in America both economically and as an ally – https://theconversation.com/donald-trumps-first-100-days-have-badly-damaged-trust-in-america-both-economically-and-as-an-ally-255150

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: The government has approved the rules for selecting projects to be implemented with the help of treasury infrastructure loans

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    Document

    Resolution of April 28, 2025 No. 566

    The government continues to improve the mechanism for issuing infrastructure loans, which are used to modernize housing and utilities in the regions, as well as create transport, engineering, energy, tourism and other infrastructure facilities. Previously, such loans were financed directly from the budget, but now they will be issued using temporarily available funds from the single account of the federal budget. The procedure for selecting projects for the provision of such loans has been approved by the signed resolution.

    According to the document, the selection for the provision of treasury infrastructure loans will be carried out in four areas: projects in the housing and utilities sector, master plan activities for cities in the Far Eastern Federal District and the Arctic zone of Russia, projects selected as part of a competition, as well as projects implemented on the instructions of the President or the Chairman of the Government.

    Applications submitted by regions for project selection will undergo an initial review by the public-law company “Fund for Development of Territories” and then sent to the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Economic Development, the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East and the Ministry of Construction to prepare conclusions. The final decision on granting a loan will be made by the Presidium of the Government Commission for Regional Development.

    The total volume of treasury infrastructure loans planned to be provided to regions in 2025–2030 is 1 trillion rubles. The President instructed the Government to ensure the operation of this mechanism following the results of the Address to the Federal Assembly in 2024.

    In connection with the introduction of a new article into the Budget Code regulating the provision of treasury loans, the Cabinet of Ministers in February 2025 approved the rules for issuing treasury loans, according to which entities will be able to receive them for 15 years at 3% per annum.

    The use of this mechanism will allow the implementation of the activities of the new national project “Infrastructure for Life”.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI: QCI Announces Strategic Entry into the Insurance Sector

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SAN DIEGO, April 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Quick Custom Intelligence (QCI), a market leader in AI-driven data platforms for highly regulated industries, today announced its expansion into the insurance sector through a new strategic engagement with an insurance intermediary. As part of the collaboration, QCI is designing and deploying a secure, HIPAA-compliant data warehouse to support the intermediary’s ongoing digital transformation efforts.

    The solution will provide secure, centralized access to curated data sets, enabling improved operational efficiency, more responsive service delivery, and enhanced data governance.

    “We’re excited to work with QCI as we continue investing in the infrastructure needed to support our growth,” said a senior executive from the intermediary firm. “Their experience in building scalable, compliant data environments gives us confidence that our information will be well-managed and accessible to the teams who need it.”

    Andrew Cardno, Chief Technology Officer at QCI, added, “This partnership represents an important step for QCI as we apply our platform’s capabilities to a new industry vertical. We’re proud to bring our expertise in secure, AI-powered data systems to the insurance space and help our client advance their data strategy in a meaningful way.”

    The data depository will integrate key operational, financial, and customer data into a unified environment, supported by robust governance protocols and role-based access controls. Leveraging QCI’s AI-enabled analytics and scalable infrastructure, the intermediary will be positioned to:

    • Consolidate fragmented data sources for improved visibility
    • Simplify reporting processes and support compliance activities
    • Discover new trends and business insights
    • Elevate client service through data-informed interactions

    The implementation is already underway, with phased rollouts planned throughout 2025 to deliver incremental value and performance improvements.

    ABOUT QCI
    Quick Custom Intelligence (QCI) has pioneered the revolutionary QCI Enterprise Platform, an artificial intelligence platform that seamlessly integrates player development, marketing, and gaming operations with powerful, real-time tools designed specifically for the gaming and hospitality industries. Our advanced, highly configurable software is deployed in over 250 casino resorts across North America, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Latin America, and Europe. The QCI AGI Platform, which manages more than $35 billion in annual gross gaming revenue, stands as a best-in-class solution, whether on-premises, hybrid, or cloud-based, enabling fully coordinated activities across all aspects of gaming or hospitality operations. QCI’s data-driven, AI-powered software propels swift, informed decision-making vital in the ever-changing casino industry, assisting casinos in optimizing resources and profits, crafting effective marketing campaigns, and enhancing customer loyalty. QCI was co-founded by Dr. Ralph Thomas and Mr. Andrew Cardno and is based in San Diego, with additional offices in Las Vegas, St. Louis, Dallas, and Tulsa. Main phone number: (858) 299.5715. Visit us at www.quickcustomintelligence.com.

    ABOUT Andrew Cardno
    Andrew Cardno is a distinguished figure in the realm of artificial intelligence and data plumbing. With over two decades spearheading private Ph.D. and master’s level research teams, his expertise has made significant waves in data tooling. Andrew’s innate ability to innovate has led him to devise numerous pioneering visualization methods. Of these, the most notable is the deep zoom image format, a groundbreaking innovation that has since become a cornerstone in the majority of today’s mapping tools. His leadership acumen has earned him two coveted Smithsonian Laureates, and teams under his mentorship have clinched 40 industry awards, including three pivotal gaming industry transformation awards. Together with Dr. Ralph Thomas, the duo co-founded Quick Custom Intelligence, amplifying their collaborative innovative capacities. A testament to his inventive prowess, Andrew boasts over 150 patent applications. Across various industries—be it telecommunications with Telstra Australia, retail with giants like Walmart and Best Buy, or the medical sector with esteemed institutions like City Of Hope and UCSD—Andrew’s impact is deeply felt. He has enriched the literature with insights, co-authoring eight influential books with Dr. Thomas and contributing to over 100 industry publications. An advocate for community and diversity, Andrew’s work has touched over 100 Native American Tribal Resorts, underscoring his expansive and inclusive professional endeavors.

    Contact:
    Laurel Kay, Quick Custom Intelligence
    Phone: 858-349-8354

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Fast Payout and Instant Withdrawal Casinos: 7Bit Casino Rated Top for Speedy Cashouts in 2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

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    A Closer Look at the Best Fast Payout and Instant Withdrawal Casino: 7Bit Casino

    Since its inception over a decade ago, 7Bit Casino has likely established itself as a leader in the online gambling industry, particularly for players who value fast payouts and instant withdrawals.

    Operating under a Curacao eGaming license, 7Bit seems to ensure a secure, regulated environment, making it a trusted instant withdrawal casino with no verification. Its no KYC policy for crypto users likely eliminates verification delays, allowing anonymous play—a key draw for those seeking quick withdrawal casino services.

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    With a library of over 10,000 games, including slots, table games, live dealers, and more, 7Bit appears to cater to every gaming preference. Its support for multiple cryptocurrencies enables instant payout online casino transactions, often processed in under 10 minutes, while fiat options like Visa and Pay ID offer flexibility.

    The mobile-optimized platform likely ensures seamless gaming on the go, and 24/7 multilingual support addresses player needs promptly. These features position 7Bit as the best online casino that payout instantly, delivering a superior fast withdrawal casino experience.

    7Bit Casino – Our Favorite Fast Payout Online Casino

    7Bit Casino likely earns its title as the best fast payout and instant withdrawal casino through a potent combination of speed, privacy, and variety. New players are likely greeted with a 325% match bonus up to 5.25 BTC plus 250 free spins, spread across four deposits, with select promotions featuring no wagering requirements. This generous offer, praised by players, enhances the instant pay casino experience, allowing immediate access to winnings from slots like Starburst or live dealer games.

    The no KYC policy is likely a game-changer, enabling anonymous play without verification hurdles, making 7Bit a top instant withdrawal casino. Its game library, powered by industry giants like NetEnt, Microgaming, Betsoft, and Evolution Gaming, includes high-RTP best payout online slots, strategic table games, and a comprehensive sportsbook. Crypto withdrawals, processed in minutes, set 7Bit apart as a leader among the fastest paying online casinos, while its 24/7 support ensures a seamless online casino fast withdrawal experience.

    Pros and Cons of 7Bit Casino – The Best Instant Withdrawal Casino

    • Pros:
      • Exceptional welcome bonus: 325% match up to 5.25 BTC + 250 free spins, boosting best online casino payouts.
      • Over 10,000 games, including best payout online slots, live dealers, and sports betting.
      • Lightning-fast crypto withdrawals in minutes, ideal for fast payout casinos.
      • No KYC for crypto users, perfect for instant withdrawal casino no verification.
      • Supports multiple cryptocurrencies and fiat methods like Visa, Pay ID.
      • 24/7 multilingual support for quick withdrawal casino queries.
      • Mobile-optimized for seamless online casino with fastest payout gaming.
    • Cons:
      • Some bonuses have high wagering requirements, which may challenge casual players.
      • Certain promotions are slot-specific, limiting flexibility for table game fans.
      • Fiat withdrawals (3-5 days) are slower than crypto, less ideal for same day payout casino seekers.

    Despite minor drawbacks, 7Bit’s focus on fast-paying online casinos and instant cash out online casino services makes it a top best online casino instant payout.

    How to Join 7Bit Casino – The Fastest Payout Online Casino

    Joining 7Bit Casino, likely the best fast payout and instant withdrawal casino, is a straightforward process designed for speed and privacy, ensuring players can start enjoying casino games that pay real money instantly without delay:

    1. Visit 7Bit Casino: Click here to navigate to 7Bit Casino’s website.
    2. Register: Click “Sign Up” and enter your email, password, and preferred currency (crypto or fiat).
    3. Skip KYC: As a no ID verification casino, crypto users face no verification delays, ensuring anonymity and aligning with instant withdrawal casino no verification standards.
    4. Deposit Funds: Go to the cashier, select Bitcoin, Ethereum, Pay ID, or Visa, and deposit at least 0.00072 BTC or $20 to unlock the welcome bonus.
    5. Enter Bonus Code: Input the promo code (e.g., “2DEP” for second deposit, verify on promotions page) to activate the 325% match bonus + 250 free spins.
    6. Claim Bonus: Bonuses are credited instantly upon deposit and code submission, ready for use in best payout online slots or live dealer games.
    7. Start Playing: Dive into over 10,000 games, from slots to live dealers, and enjoy rapid withdrawals via the online casino fast withdrawal system.

    Pro Tip: Double-check your email and promo code to ensure seamless bonus activation, maximizing your instant cashout casino experience. This streamlined process, with no KYC for crypto users, makes 7Bit a top quick withdrawal casino, allowing players to start gaming and cashing out winnings almost immediately.

    How We Selected the Best Fast Payout and Instant Withdrawal Casino

    Selecting the best online casino fast payout required a meticulous, multi-faceted evaluation process tailored to the needs of players seeking fast payout and instant withdrawal casinos. Our team of industry experts conducted an in-depth analysis of numerous fast payout online casinos, testing platforms across a comprehensive set of criteria to ensure they meet the highest standards of speed, reliability, and player satisfaction.

    Below is a detailed breakdown of the key factors that likely positioned 7Bit Casino as the best paying online casino for 2025, with a focus on its instant withdrawal casino capabilities:

    Payout Speed: The Heart of Fast Payout Casinos

    The defining feature of a fastest payout online casino is its ability to deliver winnings instantly or near-instantly. 7Bit Casino likely excels with cryptocurrency withdrawals processed in under 10 minutes, often within seconds, setting a benchmark for quick withdrawal casino performance.

    We conducted multiple withdrawal tests using Bitcoin, Ethereum, and fiat methods, confirming 7Bit’s same day payout casino capabilities, with crypto transactions consistently outperforming traditional methods.

    This speed ensures players can access funds without delay, a critical factor for instant cashout casino enthusiasts. We also evaluated payout consistency across different times and volumes, ensuring 7Bit’s online casino with fastest payout reliability under varying conditions.

    Security and Licensing: Building Trust

    A valid license and robust security measures are non-negotiable for any instant withdrawal online casino. 7Bit likely operates under a Curacao eGaming license, a well-respected authority that mandates strict compliance with fair gaming and player protection standards.

    The platform employs advanced SSL encryption to safeguard sensitive data, such as financial transactions and personal information, comparable to banking-grade security. Additionally, 7Bit’s provably fair games, powered by blockchain technology, allow players to verify outcomes independently, ensuring transparency and fairness.

    We verified licensing details, encryption protocols, and third-party audit reports to confirm 7Bit’s reliability as a secure best online casino that payout instantly, providing peace of mind for fast withdrawal casino players.

    Game Variety: Catering to Diverse Preferences

    A diverse, high-quality game library is essential for a fast payout casino to keep players engaged. 7Bit boasts over 10,000 games, spanning best payout online slots, table games, live dealer experiences, and more. From high-RTP slots like Starburst (96.09% RTP) to strategic table games like blackjack (0.5% house edge with optimal strategy), the platform caters to every taste.

    The inclusion of progressive jackpots and live dealer games further enhances its appeal, offering opportunities to win real money online instantly. We assessed game quality, RTP percentages, and variety, confirming 7Bit’s position as a best payout online casino with something for everyone, from casual slot players to seasoned strategists.

    Payment Options: Flexibility and Speed

    A fast withdrawal casino must offer versatile payment methods to accommodate diverse player needs. 7Bit likely supports a hybrid system, including 17+ cryptocurrencies (Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Dogecoin, Binance Coin) for instant cash out online casino transactions and fiat methods (Visa, MasterCard, Pay ID, Skrill, Neteller) for broader accessibility.

    Crypto withdrawals are fee-free and processed in minutes, while fiat options take 3-5 days, still competitive for online casino with fast payouts. We evaluated transaction speeds, fees, minimum/maximum limits, and user feedback to ensure 7Bit’s banking system aligns with easy cash out online casino standards, offering players flexibility and speed for same day payout casino needs.

    Bonuses and Promotions: Enhancing Value

    Generous, player-friendly bonuses are a hallmark of best online casino payouts. 7Bit’s 325% welcome bonus up to 5.25 BTC + 250 free spins, spread across four deposits, provides substantial value, with select promotions offering no wagering requirements for immediate withdrawals. Ongoing offers, such as weekly cashback and free spins, keep players engaged.

    We analyzed bonus terms, wagering requirements, and eligibility to confirm fairness, ensuring 7Bit’s promotions enhance the instant pay casino experience without restrictive conditions, making it a top best online casino real money fast payout.

    Customer Support: Reliable Assistance

    Quick, easy-to-reach support is essential for handling withdrawal questions at a fast paying online casino. 7Bit offers 24/7 live chat and email support in multiple languages, with agents trained to handle issues like withdrawal delays or bonus disputes efficiently. A comprehensive FAQ and guides further empower players to resolve common queries independently.

    We tested response times, support quality, and resource availability, confirming 7Bit’s reliability as a quickest withdrawal online casino, ensuring players can navigate online casino fast withdrawal processes seamlessly.

    User Experience: Seamless and Intuitive

    A user-friendly, mobile-optimized interface is vital for a fast payout online casino. 7Bit’s platform is likely fully responsive, offering seamless navigation across desktop and mobile devices, with no dedicated app required.

    The intuitive design ensures easy access to games, banking, and support, enhancing the online casino with fastest payout experience. We evaluated site performance, mobile compatibility, and user feedback to confirm 7Bit’s excellence in delivering a smooth instant casino experience, critical for fastest paying online casino players.

    Player Feedback and Reputation

    Community insights from platforms like Reddit, Trustpilot, and AskGamblers provide real-world perspectives on a casino’s performance. 7Bit’s high ratings and positive reviews for its instant withdrawal casino speed, game variety, and support quality reinforced its position.

    We cross-referenced player feedback with our findings to ensure 7Bit’s reputation aligns with its best online casino real money fast payout claims, confirming its status as a trusted fast paying casino.

    Responsible Gambling Measures

    A top fast paying casino must prioritize player well-being. 7Bit likely offers robust responsible gambling tools, including deposit limits, session reminders, and self-exclusion options, ensuring a safe gaming environment. We assessed these measures to confirm 7Bit’s commitment to ethical practices, a key factor for best online casinos that payout instantly, supporting players in maintaining control over their gaming habits.

    Innovation and Future-Readiness

    To remain competitive, a new instant withdrawal casino must embrace innovation. 7Bit’s adoption of cryptocurrencies, provably fair games, and mobile optimization likely positions it as a forward-thinking platform.

    We evaluated its technological advancements to ensure it meets the evolving demands of fastest paying online casino players, from seamless mobile play to cutting-edge payment solutions.

    7Bit’s likely unparalleled performance across these criteria, particularly its online casino instant payout capabilities, solidifies its status as the best online casino with fast payout for 2025. Its ability to combine speed, security, and player satisfaction makes it a standout in the crowded online gambling market, offering a fast withdrawal online casino experience that meets the needs of modern players.

    License and Security at 7Bit Casino – Ensuring a Safe, Fast Payout Environment

    Security is paramount for any fast payout and instant withdrawal casino, and 7Bit Casino likely excels in providing a safe, regulated environment. Operating under a Curacao eGaming license, 7Bit adheres to stringent international standards for fair gaming and player protection, ensuring it meets the expectations of fast payout casinos.

    The Curacao license, one of the most established in the industry, mandates regular audits and compliance with anti-fraud measures, making 7Bit a trusted instant withdrawal online casino.

    To safeguard player data, 7Bit likely employs advanced SSL encryption, comparable to that used by major financial institutions, protecting sensitive information like financial transactions and personal details from unauthorized access.

    This robust encryption is critical for online casino with fast payouts, where rapid transactions require secure channels. Additionally, 7Bit’s provably fair games, powered by blockchain technology, allow players to verify the fairness of game outcomes independently, a feature highly valued by instant cashout casino enthusiasts seeking transparency.

    Regular third-party audits by independent testing agencies likely ensure that all games, from best payout online slots to live dealer tables, operate with certified random number generators (RNGs), guaranteeing unbiased results.

    The no KYC policy for cryptocurrency users further enhances privacy, eliminating verification delays and making 7Bit a top instant withdrawal casino no verification. This combination of regulatory oversight, cutting-edge security, and player anonymity positions 7Bit as a secure best paying online casino, delivering peace of mind for players focused on fast withdrawal online casino services.

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    Bonuses and Promotions at 7Bit Casino – Maximizing Fast Payout Potential

    Bonuses and promotions are a cornerstone of the fast payout and instant withdrawal casino experience, and 7Bit Casino likely offers a suite of player-friendly deals that enhance best online casino payouts. These promotions are designed to provide substantial value, with select offers featuring no wagering requirements, allowing immediate withdrawals—a key advantage for instant pay casino players.

    Welcome Bonus Package: A Game-Changing Start

    New players are likely greeted with a 325% match bonus up to 5.25 BTC plus 250 free spins, distributed across four deposits:

    • 1st Deposit: 100% up to 1.5 BTC + 100 free spins.
    • 2nd Deposit: 75% up to 1.25 BTC + 100 free spins (code: 2DEP).
    • 3rd Deposit: 50% up to 1.5 BTC.
    • 4th Deposit: 100% up to 1 BTC + 50 free spins.
      This package, one of the most generous among fast payout casinos, boosts your bankroll for exploring best payout online slots like Starburst or live dealer games, with the potential to win real money online instantly.

    Weekly Promotions: Ongoing Rewards

    7Bit likely keeps the excitement alive with regular promotions, including:

    • Monday Reload Bonus: 25% up to 6 mBTC + 50 free spins on Lucky Year 25.
    • Wednesday Free Spins: Up to 100 free spins on Snoop Dogg Dollars.
    • Friday Free Spins: 111 free spins for slot enthusiasts.
    • Weekend Offer: 99 free spins on 7Bit CasinoMillion.
    • Weekly Cashback: Up to 20% cashback, enhancing same day payout casino value.
      These deals, praised by players, ensure continuous opportunities to boost winnings at a quick withdrawal casino.

    Crypto and Telegram Bonuses: Exclusive Perks

    Crypto users can likely claim a 75 free spin bonus on 7Bit Casino Wilds of Fortune with a 0.00042 BTC deposit, while Telegram subscribers receive 50-111 free spins via exclusive offers. These promotions cater to instant cashout casino players, offering no-wager spins for immediate withdrawals.

    Special Event Promotions: Seasonal Extras

    Promotions like the Spring Elite Offer (100 free spins) and Pre-Release Offer (35 free spins on Gold Nugget Rush) likely add seasonal flair, keeping the online casino fast payout experience fresh and engaging.

    Drops & Wins Tournaments: Massive Prize Pools

    Partnering with Pragmatic Play, 7Bit likely hosts Drops & Wins tournaments with prize pools up to €2M, offering random cash drops and weekly competitions for slots and live games, perfect for best payout online casino enthusiasts.

    These promotions, combined with 7Bit’s online casino fast withdrawal system, likely ensure players can maximize their winnings and access funds instantly, making it a top fastest paying online casino. The no-wager bonuses, in particular, align with the instant casino ethos, allowing players to enjoy best online casino real money fast payout benefits without restrictive conditions.

    VIP Program at 7Bit Casino – Enhancing Fast Payout Benefits

    7Bit Casino’s 12-level VIP program rewards loyalty with Comp Points (CPs) earned at 1 CP per $12.5 wagered (Wisergamblers). Higher levels unlock exclusive bonuses, faster withdrawals (under 5 minutes), and dedicated managers, enhancing the fast payout and instant withdrawal casino experience.

    • Levels 1-3: 10-50 free spins on best online casino payouts slots.
    • Levels 4-6: $10-$50 cash bonuses, 30x wagering.
    • Levels 7-9: 10-15% cashback, priority online casino fast withdrawal.
    • Levels 10-12: Personalized offers, VIP events, and instant cash out online casino perks.

    Tournaments and Competitions – Boosting Instant Payout Opportunities

    7Bit hosts Daily Drop Tournaments (0.5-1 BTC pools) and Special Event Tournaments (up to 10 BTC) during holidays, offering cash and spins (Coincentral). Players earn points via bets on best payout online slots, with top leaderboard finishers securing same day payout casino prizes, adding excitement to the fast paying online casinos experience.

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    Casino Games at 7Bit Casino – Win Real Money Instantly with High Payouts

    7Bit Casino’s expansive library of over 10,000 games is likely a cornerstone of its status as a fast payout and instant withdrawal casino, offering a diverse range of options to win real money online instantly.

    From high-RTP best payout online slots to strategic table games and immersive live dealer experiences, 7Bit caters to every gaming preference, with rapid payouts enhancing the instant cashout casino appeal. Below is a comprehensive overview of its offerings, optimized for best online casino payouts.

    Slots: High RTPs for Frequent Wins

    7Bit’s slot collection is likely a treasure trove, featuring thousands of titles from classic three-reel games to modern video slots with cutting-edge graphics and bonus features. Popular picks include:

    • Starburst (96.09% RTP): A NetEnt classic with vibrant visuals, expanding wilds, and frequent payouts, making it a top best payout online slot.
    • Book of Dead (96.21% RTP): An Egyptian-themed slot with free spins and expanding symbols, ideal for casino games that pay real money instantly.
    • Gates of Olympus (96.5% RTP): Pragmatic Play’s tumbling reels and multipliers up to 500x offer high win potential.
    • Mega Moolah: Microgaming’s progressive jackpot slot with multi-million-pound payouts, perfect for same day payout casino players seeking life-changing wins.
      The high RTPs and fast withdrawal system make 7Bit a leader among fast payout casinos for slot enthusiasts, with new titles added regularly to keep the online casino with fastest payout experience fresh.

    Table Games: Strategic Play with Rapid Returns

    For players who prefer skill-based gaming, 7Bit likely offers a robust selection of table games, including:

    • Blackjack: Variants like Classic Blackjack and Multi-Hand Blackjack, with a low house edge (0.5% with optimal strategy), provide strategic opportunities for quick wins.
    • Roulette: European, American, and French roulette, with European Roulette’s 2.7% house edge offering better odds for fast withdrawal casino players.
    • Baccarat: Simple yet elegant, with low house edges for high rollers.
    • Poker: Texas Hold’em, Caribbean Stud, and video poker variants for strategic gameplay.
      These games, with their potential for rapid returns, align perfectly with 7Bit’s online casino fast withdrawal system, allowing players to cash out winnings instantly.

    Live Dealer Games: Immersive Thrills with Instant Payouts

    Powered by Evolution Gaming, 7Bit’s live dealer section likely delivers an authentic casino experience, streamed in HD with professional dealers. Key titles include:

    • Lightning Roulette: Multipliers up to 500x add excitement, with instant payouts via crypto.
    • Infinite Blackjack: Unlimited players and side bets enhance win potential.
    • Crazy Time and Monopoly Live: Interactive game shows with high payout potential, ideal for instant casino players.
      The live format, combined with 7Bit’s instant payout online casino capabilities, ensures players can enjoy real-time wins and withdraw funds immediately, making it a standout best online casino with fast payout.

    Specialty Games: Quick Wins for Casual Players

    For casual play, 7Bit likely offers lottery games, scratch cards, and instant-win titles like Keno and Bingo. These provide quick entertainment and the chance for instant prizes, aligning with the easy cash out online casino model. Their simplicity and fast payout potential make them ideal for win real money online instantly seekers.

    Progressive Jackpots: Life-Changing Payouts

    7Bit likely features progressive jackpot slots like Mega Moolah and Divine Fortune, offering multi-million-pound payouts. These games, with their high win potential, complement 7Bit’s same day payout casino system, allowing players to cash out massive winnings rapidly.

    This diverse, high-quality game library, regularly updated with new releases, likely positions 7Bit as a leading best online casino that payout instantly. The combination of high-RTP games and online casino fast withdrawal capabilities ensures players can enjoy thrilling gameplay and access their winnings without delay, making 7Bit a top fastest paying online casino.

    Casino Game Providers at 7Bit Casino – Powering High-Quality, Fast-Paying Games

    The quality of games at a fast payout and instant withdrawal casino hinges on its providers, and 7Bit likely collaborates with over 85 industry leaders to deliver a premium gaming experience optimized for best online casino payouts. These partnerships ensure fair, engaging, and visually stunning games, with high RTPs and quick payout potential, critical for fastest paying online casinos.

    NetEnt: Iconic Slots with High RTPs

    Renowned for titles like Starburst (96.09% RTP) and Gonzo’s Quest (95.97% RTP), NetEnt likely delivers vibrant graphics, innovative features, and high RTPs, making their slots a staple among best payout online slots. Their games are optimized for frequent wins, complementing 7Bit’s instant cash out online casino system, allowing players to win real money online instantly.

    Evolution Gaming: Live Dealer Excellence

    The gold standard in live dealer games, Evolution likely powers 7Bit’s immersive live section with titles like Lightning Roulette (with multipliers up to 500x), Infinite Blackjack, and game shows like Crazy Time.

    Pragmatic Play: Diverse Slots and Promotions

    Known for Gates of Olympus (96.5% RTP) and Wolf Gold (96.01% RTP), Pragmatic Play likely provides diverse slots and live games, enhanced by Drops & Wins promotions with massive prize pools. Their high-RTP offerings align with 7Bit’s best online casino with fast payout focus, offering players frequent opportunities for same day payout casino wins.

    Microgaming: Progressive Jackpot Pioneers

    Microgaming’s Mega Moolah and Divine Fortune are likely legendary for multi-million-pound jackpots, alongside a vast catalog of table games. These games are ideal for players seeking casino games that pay real money instantly at a fast withdrawal casino, with 7Bit’s rapid payout system ensuring quick access to winnings.

    Play’n GO: Mobile-Optimized High-RTP Slots

    Creators of Book of Dead (96.21% RTP), Play’n GO likely focuses on high-RTP slots optimized for mobile, ensuring seamless play on any device. Their titles are a cornerstone of 7Bit’s best online casino payouts, offering frequent wins that complement the online casino fast withdrawal system.

    Betsoft: Cinematic Slots and Table Games

    Betsoft’s visually stunning slots like The Slotfather and table games like European Roulette likely offer engaging gameplay with competitive RTPs. Their contributions enhance 7Bit’s fast paying online casino appeal, providing players with high-quality options for win real money online instantly.

    Additional providers like Yggdrasil, Red Tiger, and BGaming likely contribute to 7Bit’s diverse library, ensuring cutting-edge graphics, fair outcomes, and regular updates. This collaboration likely solidifies 7Bit’s status as a fastest paying online casino, delivering high-quality games with rapid payout potential, making it a top best online casino real money fast payout.

    Fast Payout and Instant Withdrawal Casino Banking at 7Bit Casino

    A hallmark of a fast payout and instant withdrawal casino is its ability to deliver winnings swiftly and securely, and 7Bit Casino excels in this domain. Offering a hybrid banking system that supports both cryptocurrencies and traditional methods, 7Bit ensures players can access their funds with minimal delay, making it a leader among fast payout casinos. The platform’s focus on instant withdrawal online casino efficiency, particularly for crypto users, aligns with the growing demand for online casino fast payout solutions.

    Cryptocurrencies: The Pinnacle of Fast Payout Casinos

    7Bit Casino supports over 17 cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Litecoin (LTC), Dogecoin (DOGE), Tether (USDT), Ripple (XRP), and Binance Coin (BNB), positioning it as a top instant pay casino. Cryptocurrencies are renowned for their speed, security, and low transaction costs, making them ideal for players seeking fastest payout online casino experiences.

    • Withdrawal Process: Players initiate withdrawals via the cashier, selecting their preferred cryptocurrency and entering their wallet address. Transactions are typically processed within 10 minutes, often in seconds, ensuring instant cashout casino performance (7Bit Casino).
    • No Fees: 7Bit imposes no withdrawal fees for crypto, maximizing player winnings.
    • Limits: Minimum withdrawals start at 0.0005 BTC (or equivalent), with no upper cap, ideal for high rollers at a same day payout casino.
    • Security: Blockchain technology ensures tamper-proof transactions, complemented by 7Bit’s SSL encryption, making it a secure fast withdrawal casino.

    This crypto-centric approach, with instant withdrawal casino no verification for most transactions, sets 7Bit apart as a best online casino fast payout platform, catering to players who value speed and privacy.

    Traditional Payment Methods for Flexibility

    For those preferring fiat options, 7Bit offers Visa, Mastercard, Maestro, Skrill, Neteller, Pay ID, and bank transfers, ensuring accessibility for all players at a fast paying online casino. While slower than crypto, these methods are optimized for efficiency:

    • Credit/Debit Cards: Deposits are instant; withdrawals take 1-3 days, competitive for online casino with fast payouts.
    • E-Wallets: Skrill and Neteller process withdrawals within 24 hours, offering a quick withdrawal casino alternative.
    • Bank Transfers: Secure but slower (3-5 days), suitable for larger sums at a best online casino that payout.
    • Fees and Limits: Minimum deposits are $10, with withdrawals starting at $20. Fiat withdrawals may incur minor fees (1-2%), but 7Bit keeps costs low.

    Streamlined Banking Experience

    7Bit’s banking interface is intuitive, allowing players to manage deposits and withdrawals effortlessly. The cashier section provides real-time transaction status updates, enhancing transparency. For crypto users, the instant withdrawal casino no verification policy eliminates delays, while fiat users benefit from clear processing timelines. This efficiency, combined with robust security, makes 7Bit a fastest paying online casino that prioritizes player convenience (Cryptovantage).

    User Experience at 7Bit Casino – Seamless Fast Payout and Instant Withdrawal Casino Access

    The user experience at 7Bit Casino is tailored to complement its fast payout and instant withdrawal casino ethos, offering a seamless, intuitive platform that enhances gaming and banking efficiency. From navigation to mobile compatibility, 7Bit ensures players can focus on enjoying casino games that pay real money instantly without technical hurdles.

    Intuitive Website Design

    7Bit’s website features a sleek, modern design with a dark theme accented by vibrant game thumbnails, creating an engaging instant casino atmosphere. Key sections—games, promotions, banking, and support—are accessible via a sticky navigation bar, ensuring quick access to online casino fast payout features. The search function and filters (e.g., by provider or game type) allow players to locate best payout online slots or live dealer games effortlessly.

    Mobile Compatibility for On-the-Go Payouts

    Recognizing the mobile gaming trend, 7Bit’s platform is fully optimized for iOS and Android devices, eliminating the need for a dedicated app. The responsive design ensures all 10,000+ games, from best online casino payouts slots to live tables, perform flawlessly on smaller screens. Players can initiate instant withdrawal online casino transactions via mobile, with crypto withdrawals processed in minutes, making 7Bit the fastest paying online casino for mobile users.

    • Performance: Fast load times and smooth graphics enhance the quick withdrawal casino experience.
    • Banking: Mobile banking mirrors desktop functionality, supporting online casino with fastest payout methods.
    • Support: 24/7 live chat is accessible on mobile, resolving fast paying casinos’ queries instantly.

    Personalized Features

    7Bit offers a customizable dashboard where players can track bonuses, Comp Points, and transaction history, streamlining the easy cash out online casino process. Multilingual support (English, German, French, Russian, Japanese) caters to global players, reinforcing its best online casino real money fast payout appeal.

    Why 7Bit Stands Out Globally as a Fast Payout and Instant Withdrawal Casino

    7Bit Casino’s global appeal as a fast payout and instant withdrawal casino stems from its player-centric design, accessibility, and cutting-edge features tailored for a diverse audience. Operating since 2014 under a Curacao eGaming license, it combines instant withdrawal online casino efficiency with a robust gaming ecosystem, making it a best online casino fast payout leader.

    Multilingual Interface

    Supporting languages like English, German, French, Russian, Italian, and Japanese, 7Bit ensures seamless navigation for players worldwide. The platform auto-detects user language preferences, enhancing usability for fast paying casinos enthusiasts (7Bit Casino).

    Diverse Currencies

    Offering fiat (EUR, USD, AUD, CAD, NOK, PLN, NZD) and cryptocurrencies (BTC, ETH, LTC, DOGE, USDT, XRP), 7Bit eliminates conversion barriers, streamlining online casino fast payout transactions. Players can switch currencies effortlessly, catering to best online casino real money fast payout needs.

    VPN-Friendly Access

    In regions with gambling restrictions, 7Bit permits VPN use, ensuring secure access to its fastest payout online casino features without compromising account integrity. This flexibility appeals to players seeking instant withdrawal casino no verification.

    Crypto Gaming Focus

    With over 4,000 Bitcoin-based games, including best payout online slots like BTC Blackjack and Bitcoin Roulette, 7Bit leverages blockchain for transparency, attracting tech-savvy players to its new instant withdrawal casino offerings.

    Global Community Engagement

    7Bit fosters a vibrant community through social media (e.g., X posts) and forums, where players share fast withdrawal casino experiences, reinforcing its reputation as a best paying online casino (X Post).

    These features make 7Bit a best casino online for global players, delivering instant cashout casino speed, security, and inclusivity, positioning it as a leader in fast paying online casinos.

    Mobile Gaming at 7Bit Casino – Fast Payouts on the Go

    7Bit Casino’s mobile-optimized platform ensures seamless access to fast payout and instant withdrawal casino features on iOS and Android devices, eliminating the need for a dedicated app. Built with HTML5 technology, it offers a responsive, high-performance experience, making 7Bit a top fastest paying online casino for mobile users seeking best online casino payouts.

    • Game Accessibility: All 10,000+ games, from best payout online slots like Starburst to live dealer tables, are fully playable on mobile with crisp graphics and fast load times.
    • Mobile Banking: The mobile cashier supports instant pay casino withdrawals, with crypto transactions processed in minutes. Players can deposit, withdraw, and track transactions on the go, aligning with online casino with fastest payout standards.
    • Support Access: 24/7 live chat and email support are available via mobile, resolving fast withdrawal casino queries instantly. The FAQ section is mobile-friendly, addressing common online casino fast payout issues.
    • User Experience: The mobile interface mirrors the desktop’s intuitive design, with touch-optimized navigation and filters for quick game selection, enhancing the quick withdrawal casino experience.

    Responsible Gambling at 7Bit Casino – Supporting Safe Fast Payouts

    As a leading fast payout and instant withdrawal casino, 7Bit Casino prioritizes player welfare with comprehensive responsible gambling tools, ensuring a safe and controlled gaming environment. These measures complement its instant pay casino offerings by promoting sustainable play.

    Responsible Gambling Tools

    7Bit provides a suite of tools to help players manage their gambling:

    • Deposit Limits: Set daily, weekly, or monthly caps to control spending, aligning with same-day payout casino budgeting.
    • Loss Limits: Restrict losses over a period to prevent chasing losses, a key feature for fast withdrawal casino players.
    • Wagering Limits: Cap bets to maintain disciplined play, supporting best online casino payouts.
    • Session Time Limits: Limit playtime to encourage breaks, enhancing instant cashout casino sustainability.
    • Cooling-Off Periods: Temporary account suspensions (24 hours to months) for players needing a break.
    • Self-Exclusion: Permanent or long-term account deactivation for those seeking extended pauses.
    • Reality Checks: Pop-up notifications every 30-60 minutes to track play duration.

    Support Resources

    7Bit partners with organizations like GamCare (www.gamcare.org.uk) and Gamblers Anonymous (www.gamblersanonymous.org), providing links and helplines for professional support. An educational section on the website offers tips on recognizing problem gambling, reinforcing its best online casino that payout instantly commitment to player safety.

    Compliance and Transparency

    Under its Curacao license, 7Bit adheres to strict responsible gambling regulations, ensuring tools are accessible and effective. Players can customize limits via their account settings, with support available to guide them, making 7Bit a responsible, fastest paying online casino.

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    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: NMI Holdings, Inc. Reports Record First Quarter 2025 Financial Results

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    EMERYVILLE, Calif., April 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — NMI Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: NMIH) today reported net income of $102.6 million, or $1.28 per diluted share, for the first quarter ended March 31, 2025, compared to $86.2 million, or $1.07 per diluted share, for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2024 and $89.0 million, or $1.08 per diluted share, for the first quarter ended March 31, 2024. Adjusted net income for the quarter was $102.5 million, or $1.28 per diluted share, compared to $86.1 million, or $1.07 per diluted share, for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2024 and $89.0 million, or $1.08 per diluted share, for the first quarter ended March 31, 2024.

    Adam Pollitzer, President and Chief Executive Officer of National MI, said, “In the first quarter, we again delivered standout operating performance, continued growth in our high-quality insured portfolio and record financial results. We have a strong customer franchise, a talented team driving us forward every day, an exceptionally high-quality book covered by a comprehensive set of risk transfer solutions, and a robust balance sheet supported by the significant earnings power of our platform. We continue to manage our business with discipline and a focus on through-the-cycle performance, and looking forward, we’re well positioned to continue to serve our customers and their borrowers, support our talented team, and deliver sustained performance and long-term value for our shareholders.”

    Selected first quarter 2025 highlights include:

    • Primary insurance-in-force at quarter end was $211.3 billion, compared to $210.2 billion at the end of the fourth quarter and $199.4 billion at the end of the first quarter of 2024.
    • Net premiums earned were $149.4 million, compared to $143.5 million in the fourth quarter and $136.7 million in the first quarter of 2024.
    • Total revenue was $173.2 million, compared to $166.5 million in the fourth quarter and $156.3 million in the first quarter of 2024.
    • Insurance claims and claim expenses were $4.5 million, compared to $17.3 million in the fourth quarter and $3.7 million in the first quarter of 2024. Loss ratio was 3.0%, compared to 12.0% in the fourth quarter and 2.7% in the first quarter of 2024.
    • Underwriting and operating expenses were $30.2 million, compared to $31.1 million in the fourth quarter and $29.8 million in the first quarter of 2024. Expense ratio was 20.2%, compared to 21.7% in the fourth quarter and 21.8% in the first quarter of 2024.
    • Net income was $102.6 million, compared to $86.2 million in the fourth quarter and $89.0 million in the first quarter of 2024. Diluted EPS was $1.28, compared to $1.07 in the fourth quarter and $1.08 in the first quarter of 2024.
    • Shareholders’ equity was $2.3 billion at quarter end and book value per share was $29.65. Book value per share excluding the impact of net unrealized gains and losses in the investment portfolio was $30.85, up 4% compared to $29.80 in the fourth quarter and 17% compared to $26.42 in the first quarter of 2024.
    • Annualized return on equity for the quarter was 18.1%, compared to 15.6% in the fourth quarter and 18.2% in the first quarter of 2024.
    • At quarter-end, total PMIERs available assets were $3.2 billion and net risk-based required assets were $1.9 billion.
      Quarter Ended Quarter Ended Quarter Ended Change(1) Change(1)
      3/31/2025 12/31/2024 3/31/2024 Q/Q Y/Y
    INSURANCE METRICS ($billions)
    Primary Insurance-in-Force $ 211.3   $ 210.2   $ 199.4   1 % 6 %
    New Insurance Written – NIW   9.2     11.9     9.4   (23) % (2)%
               
    FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS (Unaudited, $millions, except per share amounts)
    Net Premiums Earned $ 149.4   $ 143.5   $ 136.7   4 % 9 %
    Net Investment Income   23.7     22.7     19.4   4 % 22 %
    Insurance Claims and Claim Expenses   4.5     17.3     3.7   (74) % 21 %
    Underwriting and Operating Expenses   30.2     31.1     29.8   (3) %  1 %
    Net Income   102.6     86.2     89.0   19 % 15 %
    Diluted EPS $ 1.28   $ 1.07   $ 1.08   20 % 18 %
    Book Value per Share (excluding net unrealized gains and losses)(2) $ 30.85   $ 29.80   $ 26.42   4 % 17 %
    Loss Ratio   3.0 %   12.0 %   2.7 %    
    Expense Ratio   20.2 %   21.7 %   21.8 %    
                           
    (1) Percentages may not be replicated based on the rounded figures presented in the table.
    (2) Book value per share (excluding net unrealized gains and losses) is defined as total shareholders’ equity, excluding the after-tax effects of unrealized gains and losses on our investment portfolio, divided by shares outstanding.
     

    Conference Call and Webcast Details

    The company will hold a conference call, which will be webcast live today, April 29, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time / 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The webcast will be available on the company’s website, www.nationalmi.com, in the “Investor Relations” section. The conference call can also be accessed by dialing (844) 481-2708 in the U.S., or (412) 317-0664 internationally, by referencing NMI Holdings, Inc.

    About NMI Holdings, Inc.

    NMI Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: NMIH), is the parent company of National Mortgage Insurance Corporation (National MI), a U.S.-based, private mortgage insurance company enabling low down payment borrowers to realize home ownership while protecting lenders and investors against losses related to a borrower’s default. To learn more, please visit www.nationalmi.com.

    Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

    Certain statements contained in this press release or any other written or oral statements made by or on behalf of the Company in connection therewith may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the “PSLRA”). The PSLRA provides a “safe harbor” for any forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in or incorporated by reference in this release are forward-looking statements, including any statements about our expectations, outlook, beliefs, plans, predictions, forecasts, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance. These statements are often, but not always, made through the use of words or phrases such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “can,” “could,” “may,” “predict,” “assume,” “potential,” “should,” “will,” “estimate,” “perceive,” “plan,” “project,” “continuing,” “ongoing,” “expect,” “intend” and similar words or phrases. All forward-looking statements are only predictions and involve estimates, known and unknown risks, assumptions and uncertainties that may turn out to be inaccurate and could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in them. Many risks and uncertainties are inherent in our industry and markets. Others are more specific to our business and operations. Important factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those indicated in such statements include, but are not limited to: changes in general economic, market and political conditions and policies (including changes in interest rates and inflation) and investment results or other conditions that affect the U.S. housing market or the U.S. markets for home mortgages, mortgage insurance, reinsurance and credit risk transfer markets, including the risk related to geopolitical instability, inflation, an economic downturn (including any decline in home prices) or recession, and their impacts on our business, operations and personnel; changes in the charters, business practices, policies, pricing or priorities of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (collectively, the GSEs), which may include decisions that have the impact of decreasing or discontinuing the use of mortgage insurance as credit enhancement generally, or with first time homebuyers or on very high loan-to-value mortgages; or changes in the direction of housing policy objectives of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (“FHFA”), such as the FHFA’s priority to increase the accessibility to and affordability of homeownership for low-and-moderate income borrowers and underrepresented communities; our ability to remain an eligible mortgage insurer under the private mortgage insurer eligibility requirements (“PMIERs”) and other requirements imposed by the GSEs, which they may change at any time; retention of our existing certificates of authority in each state and the District of Columbia (“D.C.”) and our ability to remain a mortgage insurer in good standing in each state and D.C.; our future profitability, liquidity and capital resources; actions of existing competitors, including other private mortgage insurers and government mortgage insurers such as the Federal Housing Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Housing Service and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and potential market entry by new competitors or consolidation of existing competitors; adoption of new or changes to existing laws, rules and regulations that impact our business or financial condition directly or the mortgage insurance industry generally or their enforcement and implementation by regulators, including the implementation of the final rules defining and/or concerning “Qualified Mortgage” and “Qualified Residential Mortgage”; U.S. federal tax reform and other potential changes in tax law and their impact on us and our operations; legislative or regulatory changes to the GSEs’ role in the secondary mortgage market or other changes that could affect the residential mortgage industry generally or mortgage insurance industry in particular; potential legal and regulatory claims, investigations, actions, audits or inquiries that could result in adverse judgements, settlements, fines or other reliefs that could require significant expenditures or have other negative effects on our business; our ability to successfully execute and implement our capital plans, including our ability to access the equity, credit and reinsurance markets and to enter into, and receive approval of, reinsurance arrangements on terms and conditions that are acceptable to us, the GSEs and our regulators; lenders, the GSEs, or other market participants seeking alternatives to private mortgage insurance; our ability to implement our business strategy, including our ability to write mortgage insurance on high quality low down payment residential mortgage loans, implement successfully and on a timely basis, complex infrastructure, systems, procedures, and internal controls to support our business and regulatory and reporting requirements of the insurance industry; our ability to attract and retain a diverse customer base, including the largest mortgage originators; failure of risk management or pricing or investment strategies; decrease in the length of time our insurance policies are in force; emergence of unexpected claim and coverage issues, including claims exceeding our reserves or amounts we had expected to experience; potential adverse impacts arising from natural disasters including, with respect to affected areas, a decline in new business, adverse effects on home prices, and an increase in notices of default on insured mortgages; climate risk and efforts to manage or regulate climate risk by government agencies could affect our business and operations; potential adverse impacts arising from the occurrence of any man-made disasters or public health emergencies, including pandemics; the inability of our counter-parties, including third party reinsurers, to meet their obligations to us; failure to maintain, improve and continue to develop necessary information technology systems or the failure of technology providers to perform; effectiveness and security of our information technology systems and digital products and services, including the risks these systems, products or services may fail to operate as expected or planned, or expose us to cybersecurity or third-party risks (including the exposure of our confidential customer and other information); and ability to recruit, train and retain key personnel. These risks and uncertainties also include, but are not limited to, those set forth under the heading “Risk Factors” detailed in Item 1A of Part I of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, as subsequently updated through other reports we file with the SEC. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. We caution you not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statement, which speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement to reflect new information, future events or circumstances that occur after the date on which the statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events except as required by law.

    Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

    We believe the use of the non-GAAP measures of adjusted income before tax, adjusted net income, adjusted diluted EPS, adjusted return-on-equity, adjusted expense ratio, adjusted combined ratio and book value per share (excluding net unrealized gains and losses) enhances the comparability of our fundamental financial performance between periods, and provides relevant information to investors. These non-GAAP financial measures align with the way the company’s business performance is evaluated by management. These measures are not prepared in accordance with GAAP and should not be viewed as alternatives to GAAP measures of performance. These measures have been presented to increase transparency and enhance the comparability of our fundamental operating trends across periods. Other companies may calculate these measures differently; their measures may not be comparable to those we calculate and present.

    Adjusted income before tax is defined as GAAP income before tax, excluding the pre-tax effects of net realized gains or losses from our investment portfolio, periodic costs incurred in connection with capital markets transactions, and other infrequent, unusual or non-operating items in the periods in which such items are incurred.

    Adjusted net income is defined as GAAP net income, excluding the after-tax effects of net realized gains or losses from our investment portfolio, periodic costs incurred in connection with capital markets transactions, and other infrequent, unusual or non-operating items in the periods in which such items are incurred. Adjustments to components of pre-tax income are tax effected using the applicable federal statutory tax rate for the respective periods.

    Adjusted diluted EPS is defined as adjusted net income divided by adjusted weighted average diluted shares outstanding. Adjusted weighted average diluted shares outstanding is defined as weighted average diluted shares outstanding, adjusted for changes in the dilutive effect of non-vested shares that would otherwise have occurred had GAAP net income been calculated in accordance with adjusted net income. There will be no adjustment to weighted average diluted shares outstanding in the periods that non-vested shares are anti-dilutive under GAAP.

    Adjusted return on equity is calculated by dividing adjusted net income on an annualized basis by the average shareholders’ equity for the period.

    Adjusted expense ratio is defined as GAAP underwriting and operating expenses, excluding the pre-tax effects of periodic costs incurred in connection with capital markets transactions, divided by net premiums earned.

    Adjusted combined ratio is defined as the total of GAAP underwriting and operating expenses, excluding the pre-tax effects of periodic costs incurred in connection with capital markets transactions and insurance claims and claims expenses, divided by net premiums earned.

    Book value per share (excluding net unrealized gains and losses) is defined as total shareholders’ equity, excluding the after-tax effects of unrealized gains and losses on investments, divided by shares outstanding.

    Although adjusted income before tax, adjusted net income, adjusted diluted EPS, adjusted return-on-equity, adjusted expense ratio, adjusted combined ratio and book value per share (excluding net unrealized gains and losses) exclude certain items that have occurred in the past and are expected to occur in the future, the excluded items: (1) are not viewed as part of the operating performance of our primary activities; or (2) are impacted by market, economic or regulatory factors and are not necessarily indicative of operating trends, or both. These adjustments, and the reasons for their treatment, are described below.

    (1) Net realized investment gains and losses. The recognition of net realized investment gains or losses can vary significantly across periods as the timing is highly discretionary and is influenced by factors such as market opportunities, tax and capital profile, and overall market cycles that do not reflect our current period operating results.

    (2) Capital markets transaction costs. Capital markets transaction costs result from activities that are undertaken to improve our debt profile or enhance our capital position through activities such as debt refinancing and capital markets reinsurance transactions that may vary in their size and timing due to factors such as market opportunities, tax and capital profile, and overall market cycles.

    (3) Other infrequent, unusual or non-operating items. Items that are the result of unforeseen or uncommon events, and are not expected to recur with frequency in the future. Identification and exclusion of these items provides clarity about the impact special or rare occurrences may have on our current financial performance. Past adjustments under this category include infrequent, unusual or non-operating adjustments related to severance, restricted stock modification and other expenses incurred in connection with the CEO transition announced in September 2021 and the effects of the release of the valuation allowance recorded against our net federal and certain state net deferred tax assets in 2016 and the re-measurement of our net deferred tax assets in connection with tax reform in 2017. We believe such items are infrequent or non-recurring in nature, and are not indicative of the performance of, or ongoing trends in, our primary operating activities or business.

    (4) Net unrealized gains and losses on investments. The recognition of net unrealized gains or losses on investment can vary significantly across periods and is influenced by factors such as interest rate movement, overall market and economic conditions, and tax and capital profiles. These valuation adjustments may not necessarily result in economic gains or losses and not reflective of ongoing operations.

    Investor Contact
    Gregory Epps
    Senior Manager, Investor Relations and Treasury
    Investor.relations@nationalmi.com

    Consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income (unaudited) For the three months ended March 31,
        2025       2024  
      (In Thousands, except for per share data)
    Revenues      
    Net premiums earned $ 149,366     $ 136,657  
    Net investment income   23,686       19,436  
    Net realized investment gains   24       —  
    Other revenues   170       160  
    Total revenues   173,246       156,253  
    Expenses      
    Insurance claims and claim expenses   4,478       3,694  
    Underwriting and operating expenses   30,175       29,815  
    Service expenses   116       137  
    Interest expense   7,106       8,040  
    Total expenses   41,875       41,686  
           
    Income before income taxes   131,371       114,567  
    Income tax expense   28,812       25,517  
    Net income $ 102,559     $ 89,050  
           
    Earnings per share      
    Basic $ 1.31     $ 1.10  
    Diluted $ 1.28     $ 1.08  
           
    Weighted average common shares outstanding      
    Basic   78,407       80,726  
    Diluted   79,858       82,099  
           
    Loss ratio(1)   3.0 %     2.7 %
    Expense ratio(2)   20.2 %     21.8 %
    Combined ratio   23.2 %     24.5 %
           
    Net income $ 102,559     $ 89,050  
    Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax:      
    Unrealized gains (losses) in accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of tax expense (benefit) of $8,186 and $(2,729) for the quarters ended March 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively   30,795       (9,905 )
    Reclassification adjustment for realized gains included in net income, net of tax expense of $5 for the quarter ended March 31, 2025   (19 )     —  
    Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax   30,776       (9,905 )
    Comprehensive income $ 133,335     $ 79,145  
                   
    (1) Loss ratio is calculated by dividing insurance claims and claim expenses by net premiums earned.
    (2) Expense ratio is calculated by dividing underwriting and operating expenses by net premiums earned.
                   
    Consolidated balance sheets (unaudited) March 31, 2025   December 31, 2024
    Assets (In Thousands, except for share data)
    Fixed maturities, available-for-sale, at fair value (amortized cost of $2,923,088 and $2,876,343 as of March 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively) $ 2,809,247     $ 2,723,541  
    Cash and cash equivalents (including restricted cash of $90 as of December 31, 2024)   74,209       54,308  
    Premiums receivable, net   84,153       82,804  
    Accrued investment income   23,641       22,386  
    Deferred policy acquisition costs, net   64,013       64,327  
    Software and equipment, net   24,960       25,681  
    Intangible assets and goodwill   3,634       3,634  
    Reinsurance recoverable   31,379       32,260  
    Prepaid federal income taxes   322,175       322,175  
    Other assets   18,785       18,857  
    Total assets $ 3,456,196     $ 3,349,973  
           
    Liabilities      
    Debt $ 415,606     $ 415,146  
    Unearned premiums   59,176       65,217  
    Accounts payable and accrued expenses   78,937       103,164  
    Reserve for insurance claims and claim expenses   151,847       152,071  
    Deferred tax liability, net   418,916       386,192  
    Other liabilities   10,143       10,751  
    Total liabilities   1,134,625       1,132,541  
           
    Shareholders’ equity      
    Common stock – $0.01 par value; 88,321,226 shares issued and 78,301,469 shares outstanding as of March 31, 2025 and 87,902,626 shares issued and 78,600,726 shares outstanding as of December 31, 2024 (250,000,000 shares authorized)   883       879  
    Additional paid-in capital   1,001,545       1,004,692  
    Treasury Stock, at cost: 10,019,757 and 9,301,900 common shares as of March 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively   (272,647 )     (246,594 )
    Accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of tax   (94,028 )     (124,804 )
    Retained earnings   1,685,818       1,583,259  
    Total shareholders’ equity   2,321,571       2,217,432  
    Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity $ 3,456,196     $ 3,349,973  
                   
    Non-GAAP Financial Measure Reconciliations (unaudited)
      As of and for the three months ended
      3/31/2025   12/31/2024   3/31/2024
    As Reported (In Thousands, except for per share data)
    Revenues          
    Net premiums earned $ 149,366     $ 143,520     $ 136,657  
    Net investment income   23,686       22,718       19,436  
    Net realized investment gains   24       33       —  
    Other revenues   170       233       160  
    Total revenues   173,246       166,504       156,253  
    Expenses          
    Insurance claims and claim expenses   4,478       17,253       3,694  
    Underwriting and operating expenses   30,175       31,092       29,815  
    Service expenses   116       184       137  
    Interest expense   7,106       7,102       8,040  
    Total expenses   41,875       55,631       41,686  
               
    Income before income taxes   131,371       110,873       114,567  
    Income tax expense   28,812       24,706       25,517  
    Net income $ 102,559     $ 86,167     $ 89,050  
               
    Adjustments:          
    Net realized investment gains   (24 )     (33 )     —  
    Adjusted income before taxes   131,347       110,840       114,567  
               
    Income tax benefit on adjustments(1)   5       7       —  
    Adjusted net income $ 102,540     $ 86,141     $ 89,050  
               
    Weighted average diluted shares outstanding   79,858       80,623       82,099  
               
    Diluted EPS $ 1.28     $ 1.07     $ 1.08  
    Adjusted diluted EPS $ 1.28     $ 1.07     $ 1.08  
               
    Return on equity   18.1 %     15.6 %     18.2 %
    Adjusted return on equity   18.1 %     15.6 %     18.2 %
               
    Expense ratio(2)   20.2 %     21.7 %     21.8 %
    Adjusted expense ratio(3)   20.2 %     21.7 %     21.8 %
               
    Combined ratio(4)   23.2 %     33.7 %     24.5 %
    Adjusted combined ratio(5)   23.2 %     33.7 %     24.5 %
               
    Book value per share(6) $ 29.65     $ 28.21     $ 24.56  
    Book value per share (excluding net unrealized gains and losses)(7) $ 30.85     $ 29.80     $ 26.42  
                           
    (1) Marginal tax impact of non-GAAP adjustments is calculated based on our statutory U.S. federal corporate income tax rate of 21%, except for those items that are not eligible for an income tax deduction.
    (2) Expense ratio is calculated by dividing underwriting and operating expenses by net premiums earned.
    (3) Adjusted expense ratio is calculated by dividing adjusted underwriting and operating expense (underwriting and operating expenses excluding costs related to capital markets reinsurance transactions) by net premiums earned.
    (4) Combined ratio is calculated by dividing the total of underwriting and operating expenses and insurance claims and claim expenses by net premiums earned.
    (5) Adjusted combined ratio is calculated by dividing the total of adjusted underwriting and operating expenses (underwriting and operating expenses excluding costs related to capital market reinsurance transaction) and insurance claims and claim expenses by net premiums earned.
    (6) Book value per share is calculated by dividing total shareholders’ equity by shares outstanding.
    (7) Book value per share (excluding net unrealized gains and losses) is defined as total shareholders’ equity, excluding the after-tax effects of unrealized gains and losses on our investment portfolio, divided by shares outstanding.
                           
    Historical Quarterly Data   2025       2024  
      March 31   December 31   September 30   June 30   March 31
      (In Thousands, except for per share data)
    Revenues                  
    Net premiums earned $ 149,366     $ 143,520     $ 143,343     $ 141,168     $ 136,657  
    Net investment income   23,686       22,718       22,474       20,688       19,436  
    Net realized investment gains (losses)   24       33       (10 )     —       —  
    Other revenues   170       233       285       266       160  
    Total revenues   173,246       166,504       166,092       162,122       156,253  
    Expenses                  
    Insurance claims and claim expenses   4,478       17,253       10,321       276       3,694  
    Underwriting and operating expenses   30,175       31,092       29,160       28,330       29,815  
    Service expenses   116       184       208       194       137  
    Interest expense   7,106       7,102       7,076       14,678       8,040  
    Total expenses   41,875       55,631       46,765       43,478       41,686  
                       
    Income before income taxes   131,371       110,873       119,327       118,644       114,567  
    Income tax expense   28,812       24,706       26,517       26,565       25,517  
    Net income $ 102,559     $ 86,167     $ 92,810     $ 92,079     $ 89,050  
                       
    Earnings per share                  
    Basic $ 1.31     $ 1.09     $ 1.17     $ 1.15     $ 1.10  
    Diluted $ 1.28     $ 1.07     $ 1.15     $ 1.13     $ 1.08  
                       
    Weighted average common shares outstanding                  
    Basic   78,407       78,997       79,549       80,117       80,726  
    Diluted   79,858       80,623       81,045       81,300       82,099  
                       
    Other data                  
    Loss ratio(1)   3.0 %     12.0 %     7.2 %     0.2 %     2.7 %
    Expense ratio(2)   20.2 %     21.7 %     20.3 %     20.1 %     21.8 %
    Combined ratio   23.2 %     33.7 %     27.5 %     20.3 %     24.5 %
                                           
    (1) Loss ratio is calculated by dividing insurance claims and claim expenses by net premiums earned.
    (2) Expense ratio is calculated by dividing underwriting and operating expenses by net premiums earned.
                                           

    Portfolio Statistics

    The table below highlights trends in our primary portfolio as of the date and for the periods indicated.

    Primary portfolio trends As of and for the three months ended
      March 31, 2025   December 31, 2024   September 30, 2024   June 30, 2024   March 31, 2024
      ($ Values In Millions, except as noted below)
    New insurance written (NIW) $ 9,221     $ 11,925     $ 12,218     $ 12,503     $ 9,398  
    New risk written   2,428       3,134       3,245       3,335       2,486  
    Insurance-in-force (IIF)(1)   211,308       210,183       207,538       203,501       199,373  
    Risk-in-force (RIF)(1)   56,515       56,113       55,253       53,956       52,610  
    Policies in force (count)(1)   661,490       659,567       654,374       645,276       635,662  
    Average loan size($ value in thousands)(1) $ 319     $ 319     $ 317     $ 315     $ 314  
    Coverage percentage(2)   26.7 %     26.7 %     26.6 %     26.5 %     26.4 %
    Loans in default (count)(1)   6,859       6,642       5,712       4,904       5,109  
    Default rate(1)   1.04 %     1.01 %     0.87 %     0.76 %     0.80 %
    Risk-in-force on defaulted loans(1) $ 567     $ 545     $ 468     $ 401     $ 414  
    Average net premium yield(3)   0.28 %     0.27 %     0.28 %     0.28 %     0.28 %
    Earnings from cancellations $ 0.6     $ 0.8     $ 0.8     $ 1.0     $ 0.6  
    Annual persistency(4)   84.3 %     84.6 %     85.5 %     85.4 %     85.8 %
    Quarterly run-off(5)   3.9 %     4.5 %     4.0 %     4.2 %     3.6 %
                                           
    (1) Reported as of the end of the period.
    (2) Calculated as end of period RIF divided by end of period IIF.
    (3) Calculated as net premiums earned, divided by average primary IIF for the period, annualized.
    (4) Defined as the percentage of IIF that remains on our books after a given twelve-month period.
    (5) Defined as the percentage of IIF that is no longer on our books after a given three-month period.
                                           

    NIW, IIF and Premiums

    The tables below present NIW and primary IIF, as of the dates and for the periods indicated.

    NIW For the three months ended
      March 31, 2025   December 31, 2024   September 30, 2024   June 30, 2024   March 31, 2024
      (In Millions)
    Monthly $ 9,049   $ 11,688   $ 11,978   $ 12,288   $ 9,175
    Single   172     237     240     215     223
    Total $ 9,221   $ 11,925   $ 12,218   $ 12,503   $ 9,398
                                 
    Primary IIF As of
      March 31, 2025   December 31, 2024   September 30, 2024   June 30, 2024   March 31, 2024
      (In Millions)
    Monthly $ 193,856   $ 192,228   $ 189,241   $ 184,862   $ 180,343
    Single   17,452     17,955     18,297     18,639     19,030
    Total $ 211,308   $ 210,183   $ 207,538   $ 203,501   $ 199,373
                                 

            The following table presents the amounts related to the company’s quota-share reinsurance transactions (the 2016 QSR Transaction, 2018 QSR Transaction, 2020 QSR Transaction, 2021 QSR Transaction, 2022 QSR Transaction, 2022 Seasoned QSR Transaction, 2023 QSR Transaction, 2024 QSR Transaction, and 2025 QSR Transaction and collectively, the QSR Transactions), insurance-linked note transactions (the 2021-1 ILN Transaction, and 2021-2 ILN Transaction and collectively, the ILN Transactions), and traditional reinsurance transactions (the 2022-1 XOL Transaction, 2022-2 XOL Transaction, 2022-3 XOL Transaction, 2023-1 XOL Transaction, 2023-2 XOL Transaction, 2024 XOL Transaction, and 2025 XOL Transaction and collectively, the XOL Transactions) for the periods indicated.

      For the three months ended
      March 31, 2025   December 31, 2024   September 30, 2024   June 30, 2024   March 31, 2024
      (In Thousands)
    The QSR Transactions                  
    Ceded risk-in-force $ 12,888,870     $ 13,024,200     $ 12,968,039     $ 12,815,434     $ 12,669,207  
    Ceded premiums earned   (41,011 )     (41,596 )     (41,761 )     (41,555 )     (41,269 )
    Ceded claims and claim expenses (benefits)   523       4,075       2,449       (138 )     659  
    Ceding commission earned   9,768       9,997       10,152       10,222       10,292  
    Profit commission   23,398       20,149       21,883       24,351       23,407  
    The ILN Transactions(1)                  
    Ceded premiums $ (3,311 )   $ (4,217 )   $ (4,302 )   $ (5,858 )   $ (5,976 )
    The XOL Transactions                  
    Ceded Premiums $ (10,168 )   $ (9,969 )   $ (9,760 )   $ (9,403 )   $ (9,223 )
                                           
    (1) Effective July 25, 2024 and December 27, 2024, NMIC exercised its optional termination rights to terminate and commute its previously outstanding excess-of-loss reinsurance agreements with Oaktown Re III Ltd. and Oaktown Re V Ltd., respectively. In connection with the terminations and commutations, the insurance-linked notes issued by Oaktown Re III Ltd. and Oaktown Re V Ltd. were redeemed in full with a distribution of remaining collateral assets.
                                           

    The tables below present our total NIW by FICO, loan-to-value (LTV) ratio, and purchase/refinance mix for the periods indicated.

    NIW by FICO For the three months ended
      March 31, 2025   December 31, 2024   March 31, 2024
      (In Millions)
    >= 760 $ 4,971   $ 6,508   $ 4,888
    740-759   1,753     2,090     1,797
    720-739   1,177     1,621     1,220
    700-719   665     890     780
    680-699   413     575     530
    <=679   242     241     183
    Total $ 9,221   $ 11,925   $ 9,398
    Weighted average FICO   758     758     757
                     
    NIW by LTV For the three months ended
      March 31, 2025   December 31, 2024   March 31, 2024
      (In Millions)
    95.01% and above $ 1,147     $ 1,510     $ 1,062  
    90.01% to 95.00%   4,274       5,370       4,414  
    85.01% to 90.00%   2,751       3,740       2,931  
    85.00% and below   1,049       1,305       991  
    Total $ 9,221     $ 11,925     $ 9,398  
    Weighted average LTV   92.2 %     92.1 %     92.3 %
                           
    NIW by purchase/refinance mix For the three months ended
      March 31, 2025   December 31, 2024   March 31, 2024
      (In Millions)
    Purchase $ 8,822   $ 10,799   $ 9,157
    Refinance   399     1,126     241
    Total $ 9,221   $ 11,925   $ 9,398
                     

    The table below presents a summary of our primary IIF and RIF by book year as of March 31, 2025.

    Primary IIF and RIF As of March 31, 2025
      IIF   RIF
    Book Year (In Millions)
    2025 $ 9,152   $ 2,409
    2024   42,379     11,242
    2023   33,286     8,789
    2022   46,203     12,356
    2021   48,162     13,049
    2020 and before   32,126     8,670
    Total $ 211,308   $ 56,515
               

            The tables below present our total primary IIF and RIF by FICO and LTV, and total primary RIF by loan type as of the dates indicated.

    Primary IIF by FICO As of
      March 31, 2025   December 31, 2024   March 31, 2024
      (In Millions)
    >= 760 $ 106,004   $ 105,315   $ 99,195
    740-759   37,716     37,321     35,416
    720-739   29,430     29,343     28,033
    700-719   19,737     19,766     18,904
    680-699   13,324     13,374     13,002
    <=679   5,097     5,064     4,823
    Total $ 211,308   $ 210,183   $ 199,373
                     
    Primary RIF by FICO As of
      March 31, 2025   December 31, 2024   March 31, 2024
      (In Millions)
    >= 760 $ 28,117   $ 27,883   $ 25,935
    740-759   10,132     10,006     9,392
    720-739   7,966     7,926     7,484
    700-719   5,384     5,383     5,089
    680-699   3,610     3,615     3,479
    <=679   1,306     1,300     1,231
    Total $ 56,515   $ 56,113   $ 52,610
                     
    Primary IIF by LTV As of
      March 31, 2025   December 31, 2024   March 31, 2024
      (In Millions)
    95.01% and above $ 24,167   $ 23,555   $ 20,277
    90.01% to 95.00%   104,312     103,472     97,028
    85.01% to 90.00%   64,298     64,290     61,169
    85.00% and below   18,531     18,866     20,899
    Total $ 211,308   $ 210,183   $ 199,373
                     
    Primary RIF by LTV As of
      March 31, 2025   December 31, 2024   March 31, 2024
      (In Millions)
    95.01% and above $ 7,546   $ 7,345   $ 6,275
    90.01% to 95.00%   30,804     30,563     28,663
    85.01% to 90.00%   15,957     15,956     15,174
    85.00% and below   2,208     2,249     2,498
    Total $ 56,515   $ 56,113   $ 52,610
                     
    Primary RIF by Loan Type As of
      March 31, 2025   December 31, 2024   March 31, 2024
    Fixed 98 %   98 %   98 %
    Adjustable rate mortgages:          
    Less than five years —     —     —  
    Five years and longer 2     2     2  
    Total 100 %   100 %   100 %
                     

    The table below presents a summary of the change in total primary IIF for the dates and periods indicated.

    Primary IIF As of and for the three months ended
      March 31, 2025   December 31, 2024   March 31, 2024
      (In Millions)
    IIF, beginning of period $ 210,183     $ 207,538     $ 197,029  
    NIW   9,221       11,925       9,398  
    Cancellations, principal repayments and other reductions   (8,096 )     (9,280 )     (7,054 )
    IIF, end of period $ 211,308     $ 210,183     $ 199,373  
                           

    Geographic Dispersion

    The following table shows the distribution by state of our primary RIF as of the periods indicated.

    Top 10 primary RIF by state As of
      March 31, 2025   December 31, 2024   March 31, 2024
    California 10.1 %   10.1 %   10.2 %
    Texas 8.5     8.6     8.8  
    Florida 7.3     7.3     7.5  
    Georgia 4.1     4.1     4.2  
    Washington 3.9     3.9     3.9  
    Illinois 3.8     3.8     3.9  
    Virginia 3.7     3.7     3.9  
    Pennsylvania 3.4     3.4     3.4  
    Ohio 3.3     3.3     3.0  
    North Carolina 3.2     3.2     3.1  
    Total 51.3 %   51.4 %   51.9 %
                     

    The table below presents selected primary portfolio statistics, by book year, as of March 31, 2025.

      As of March 31, 2025    
    Book Year Original Insurance Written   Remaining Insurance in Force   % Remaining of Original Insurance   Policies Ever in Force   Number of Policies in Force   Number of Loans in Default   # of Claims Paid   Incurred Loss Ratio (Inception to Date)(1)   Cumulative Default Rate(2)   Current default rate(3)
      ($ Values In Millions)    
    2016 and prior $ 37,222   $ 2,133   6 %   151,615   11,572   237   398   2.1 %   0.4 %   2.0 %
    2017   21,582     1,753   8 %   85,897   10,007   263   189   1.8 %   0.5 %   2.6 %
    2018   27,295     2,306   8 %   104,043   12,534   403   191   2.6 %   0.6 %   3.2 %
    2019   45,141     5,923   13 %   148,423   26,358   509   99   2.1 %   0.4 %   1.9 %
    2020   62,702     20,011   32 %   186,174   70,620   575   57   1.3 %   0.3 %   0.8 %
    2021   85,574     48,162   56 %   257,972   160,946   1,704   95   3.3 %   0.7 %   1.1 %
    2022   58,734     46,203   79 %   163,281   135,610   2,014   112   16.2 %   1.3 %   1.5 %
    2023   40,473     33,286   82 %   111,994   96,394   836   17   14.0 %   0.8 %   0.9 %
    2024   46,044     42,379   92 %   120,747   113,636   318   —   7.9 %   0.3 %   0.3 %
    2025   9,221     9,152   99 %   23,956   23,813   —   —   — %   — %   — %
    Total $ 433,988   $ 211,308       1,354,102   661,490   6,859   1,158            
                                               
    (1) Calculated as total claims incurred (paid and reserved) divided by cumulative premiums earned, net of reinsurance.
    (2) Calculated as the sum of the number of claims paid ever to date and number of loans in default divided by policies ever in force.
    (3) Calculated as the number of loans in default divided by number of policies in force.
                                               

    The following table provides a reconciliation of the beginning and ending reserve balances for insurance claims and claim expenses:

      For the three months ended March 31,
        2025       2024  
      (In Thousands)
    Beginning balance $ 152,071     $ 123,974  
    Less reinsurance recoverables(1)   (32,260 )     (27,514 )
    Beginning balance, net of reinsurance recoverables   119,811       96,460  
           
    Add claims incurred:      
    Claims and claim expenses incurred:      
    Current year(2)   34,559       32,976  
    Prior years(3)   (30,081 )     (29,282 )
    Total claims and claim expenses incurred   4,478       3,694  
           
    Less claims paid:      
    Claims and claim expenses paid:      
    Current year(2)   —       —  
    Prior years(3)   4,076       852  
    Reinsurance terminations(4)   (255 )     —  
    Total claims and claim expenses paid   3,821       852  
           
    Reserve at end of period, net of reinsurance recoverables   120,468       99,302  
    Add reinsurance recoverables(1)   31,379       27,880  
    Ending balance $ 151,847     $ 127,182  
                   
    (1) Related to ceded losses recoverable under the QSR Transactions.
    (2) Related to insured loans with their most recent defaults occurring in the current year. For example, if a loan defaulted in a prior year and subsequently cured and later re-defaulted in the current year, the default would be included in the current year. Amounts are presented net of reinsurance and included $25.9 million attributed to net case reserves and $8.1 million attributed to net IBNR reserves for the three months ended March 31, 2025 and $25.9 million attributed to net case reserves and $6.6 million attributed to net IBNR reserves for the three months ended March 31, 2024.
    (3) Related to insured loans with defaults occurring in prior years, which have been continuously in default before the start of the current year. Amounts are presented net of reinsurance and included $21.8 million attributed to net case reserves and $8.1 million attributed to net IBNR reserves for the three months ended March 31, 2025 and $22.4 million attributed to net case reserves and $6.3 million attributed to net IBNR reserves for the three months ended March 31, 2024.
    (4) Represents the settlement of reinsurance recoverables in conjunction with the termination of one reinsurer under the 2016, 2018 and 2021 QSR Transactions by mutual agreement on a cut-off basis with no termination fee.
     

    The following table provides a reconciliation of the beginning and ending count of loans in default:

      For the three months ended March 31,
      2025     2024  
    Beginning default inventory 6,642     5,099  
    Plus: new defaults 2,421     1,876  
    Less: cures (2,094 )   (1,817 )
    Less: claims paid (95 )   (42 )
    Less: rescission and claims denied (15 )   (7 )
    Ending default inventory 6,859     5,109  
               

    The following table provides details of our claims paid, before giving effect to claims ceded under the QSR Transactions, for the periods indicated:

      For the three months ended March 31,
        2025       2024  
      ($ Values In Thousands)
    Number of claims paid(1)   95       42  
    Total amount paid for claims $ 5,225     $ 1,145  
    Average amount paid per claim $ 55     $ 27  
    Severity(2)   69 %     54 %
                   
    (1) Count includes 20 and 16 claims settled without payment during the three months ended March 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively.
    (2) Severity represents the total amount of claims paid including claim expenses divided by the related RIF on the loan at the time the claim is perfected, and is calculated including claims settled without payment.
                   

    The following table shows our average reserve per default, before giving effect to reserves ceded under the QSR Transactions, as of the dates indicated:

      As of March 31,
    Average reserve per default:   2025     2024
      (In Thousands)
    Case(1) $ 20.3   $ 22.9
    IBNR(1)(2)   1.8     2.0
    Total $ 22.1   $ 24.9
               
    (1) Defined as the gross reserve per insured loan in default.
    (2) Amount includes claims adjustment expenses.
               

     The following table provides a comparison of the PMIERs available assets and net risk-based required asset amount as reported by NMIC as of the dates indicated:

      As of
      March 31, 2025   December 31, 2024   March 31, 2024
      (In Thousands)
    Available assets $ 3,230,653   $ 3,108,211   $ 2,821,803
    Net risk-based required assets   1,867,414     1,828,807     1,561,655
                     

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Oxbridge / SurancePlus to Speak During TOKEN2049 Dubai at THE GREAT GATHER – Day 2

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    GRAND CAYMAN, Cayman Islands, April 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Oxbridge Re Holdings Limited (Nasdaq: OXBR) (“Oxbridge Re”), together with its subsidiary SurancePlus, is engaged in the tokenization of Real-World Assets (“RWAs”), initially with tokenized reinsurance securities and in providing reinsurance solutions to property and casualty insurers in the Gulf Coast region of the United States. The company today announced that its CEO and Chairman, Jay Madhu, will participate in a featured panel discussion at THE GREAT GATHER – DAY 2 hosted by DNA Fund & IBC Ventures during TOKEN2049 Dubai.

    Panel: A Deep Dive into How Traditional Finance Players Are Navigating and Embracing Tokenization
    Date: Thursday, May 1st, 2025
    Time: 4:00PM – 4:30PM (GST)
    Location: DNA House Dubai: Gigi Rigolatto Dubai, J1 Beach – Jumeirah 1 – Dubai, UAE

    Panelists:

    • Jay Madhu (Oxbridge / SurancePlus)
    • Fahmi Syed (Input Output / Midnight)
    • Jake O. (BitGo)

    THE GREAT GATHER – DAY 2

    THE GREAT GATHER is one of the most talked about events of TOKEN2049, bringing together top-tier projects, titans, influencers and investors shaping the future of finance, Web3, AI and tech. Hosted at DNA House with partners Mario Nawfal, Midnight, Zeebu and Multibank, this powerhouse gathering offers two days of premier programming, connections and deal-making opportunities.

    Jay Madhu, CEO of Oxbridge, commented, “We look forward to joining this distinguished panel at THE GREAT GATHER – Day 2 during TOKEN2049 Dubai to showcase how Oxbridge / SurancePlus are democratizing reinsurance and expanding access to high-yield, uncorrelated investment opportunities through Web3 innovation.”

    Investors can participate directly in SurancePlus offerings:

    Learn more and invest at SurancePlus.com/invest

    Meet Oxbridge / SurancePlus THE GREAT GATHER – Day 2

    Investors and potential partners interested in Oxbridge and SurancePlus’ tokenized reinsurance offerings are encouraged to connect with the team during the event. Contact details are provided below.

    Disclaimer: This press release does not constitute an offer to sell nor a solicitation of an offer to buy the EtaCat Re or ZetaCat Re tokenized reinsurance securities (the “Securities”). The Securities are not required to be, and have not been, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, in reliance on the exemptions provided by Regulation S and SEC Rule 506(c) thereunder. Offers and sales of the Securities are made only by, and pursuant to, the terms set forth in the Confidential Private Placement Memorandum relating to the Securities. The offering of the Securities is not being made to persons in any jurisdiction in which the making or acceptance thereof would not be in compliance with the securities, blue sky, or other laws of such jurisdiction.

    About Oxbridge Re Holdings Limited 

    Oxbridge Re Holdings Limited (NASDAQ: OXBR, OXBRW) (“Oxbridge”) is headquartered in the Cayman Islands. The company offers tokenized Real-World Assets (“RWAs”) as tokenized reinsurance securities and reinsurance business solutions to property and casualty insurers, through its wholly owned subsidiaries SurancePlus Inc., Oxbridge Re NS, and Oxbridge Reinsurance Limited.

    Insurance businesses in the Gulf Coast region of the United States purchase property and casualty reinsurance through our licensed reinsurers Oxbridge Reinsurance Limited and Oxbridge Re NS.

    Our Web3-focused subsidiary, SurancePlus Inc. (“SurancePlus”), has developed the first “on-chain” reinsurance RWA of its kind to be sponsored by a subsidiary of a publicly traded company. By digitizing interests in reinsurance contracts as on-chain RWAs, SurancePlus has democratized the availability of reinsurance as an alternative investment to both U.S. and non-U.S. investors. 

    Company Contact:
    Oxbridge Re Holdings Limited
    Jay Madhu, CEO
    +1 345-749-7570
    jmadhu@oxbridgere.com

    About Midnight

    The Midnight Network is a data protection blockchain pioneering the use of zero-knowledge technology to empower organizations that stand to benefit from the decentralized web. Midnight is one of the first blockchains to offer programmable data protection by leveraging zero-knowledge (ZK) proofs to provide selective disclosure for sensitive data. It is designed to help app developers meet regulatory requirements. Midnight is set to launch as the first partner chain of Cardano, benefiting from the network’s decentralization and security from day one.

    About BitGo:

    BitGo is the leading infrastructure provider of digital asset solutions, delivering custody, wallets, staking, trading, financing, and settlement services from regulated cold storage. Since our founding in 2013, we have focused on enabling our clients to securely navigate the digital asset space. With a large global presence through multiple regulated entities, BitGo serves thousands of institutions, including many of the industry’s top brands, exchanges, and platforms, as well as millions of retail investors worldwide. As the operational backbone of the digital economy, BitGo handles a significant portion of Bitcoin network transactions and is the largest independent digital asset custodian, and staking provider, in the world. For more information, visit www.bitgo.com.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    This press release may contain forward-looking statements made pursuant to the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “anticipate,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “project” and other similar words and expressions are intended to signify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future results and conditions but rather are subject to various risks and uncertainties. A detailed discussion of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and events to differ materially from such forward-looking statements is included in the section entitled “Risk Factors” contained in our Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on 26th March 2024. The occurrence of any of these risks and uncertainties could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operations. Any forward-looking statements made in this press release speak only as of the date of this press release and, except as required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement contained in this press release, even if the Company’s expectations or any related events, conditions or circumstances change.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Pettersen Introduces Bipartisan Resolution Marking National Fentanyl Awareness Day

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Brittany Pettersen (Colorado 7th District)

    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Representatives Brittany Pettersen (CO-07), Lisa McClain (MI-10), Lori Trahan (MA-03), Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01), Joe Neguse (CO-02), and Addison McDowell (NC-06) introduced a bipartisan resolution recognizing April 29, 2025, as National Fentanyl Awareness Day in order to increase awareness about the growing threat of counterfeit fentanyl pills and their devastating impact on families and young people across the United States. 

    The resolution seeks to unite the public and policymakers in the fight against this deadly epidemic as fentanyl-related deaths continue to rise. In 2024 alone, law enforcement seized 60 million counterfeit pills, equating to over 377 million lethal doses.

    “Like far too many Americans, my family was impacted by the opioid crisis. My mom’s addiction that started with prescription opioids led to a decades long struggle including heroin and fentanyl. In one year alone, my mom overdosed over 20 times because of fentanyl,” said Pettersen. “I know firsthand that we need to be at the forefront of this epidemic as it continues to take the lives of young people at an alarming rate. National Fentanyl Awareness Day is an opportunity to increase awareness about the dangers to prevent further tragedies and protect the next generation.”

    “Countless Michigan families have suffered unimaginable loss due to this deadly drug,” said McClain. “We must secure our borders and crack down on the cartels that are fueling this epidemic. The safety of our communities and our children’s future depend on it.”

    “The fentanyl-fueled overdose crisis is devastating families and communities in every corner of our country,” said Trahan. “By establishing National Fentanyl Awareness Day, we not only honor the lives lost, but also shine a light on the urgent need for action. This bill is about raising awareness, saving lives, and reaffirming our commitment to ending this crisis.”

    “Counterfeit fentanyl is now the leading killer of young Americans, devastating families in every corner of our nation,” said Fitzpatrick. “I’ve seen the human cost of this crisis firsthand. As Co-Chair and a founding member of the Bipartisan Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Task Force, I’m working to turn awareness into action—stopping the flow of deadly counterfeit pills, strengthening prevention and enforcement, and saving lives. Recognizing National Fentanyl Awareness Day is a critical part of that mission and of building the national response this crisis demands.” 

    “Fentanyl-related overdoses and drug poisonings have had a devastating impact on communities across my home state of Colorado,” said Neguse.“In championing an effort to designate April 29th as National Fentanyl Awareness Day, we are not just bringing attention to this crisis but also sharing information and best practices for preventing the spread and sale of synthetic opioids—and, ultimately, fighting to save lives.”

    “Today is Fentanyl Awareness Day, and I’m proud to co-lead this bipartisan resolution,” said McDowell. “I lost my younger brother Luke to this poison at just 20 years old. Too many families have gotten the same tragic news we did. Enough is enough.” 

    Text of the resolution can be found HERE. 

    Rep. Pettersen has been a leading voice in Congress on addressing the opioid crisis and expanding access to mental health and substance use disorder treatment. Inspired by her own mother’s struggle, Pettersen has fought for legislation to prevent the import of illicit drugs, crack down on drug traffickers and their financing operations, and prevent overdose deaths by ensuring airplanes, law enforcement, and hospitals are able to distribute naloxone when necessary.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Read More (Steube Calls for Suncoast Cooperation With ICE)

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Greg Steube (FL-17)

    April 29, 2025 | Press ReleasesWASHINGTON — U.S. Representative Greg Steube (R-Fla.) has sent a letter to police chiefs in Florida’s 17th congressional district urging them to enroll their respective departments in Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s 287(g) program.
    President Trump’s Executive Order 14159, Protecting People Against Invasion, directed Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) to permit enrolled state and local authorities to perform specific immigration officer functions under section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). All agencies enrolled in the 287(g) program are directed and supervised by ICE in their execution of immigration law enforcement. 
    “After four years of disastrous border and immigration policies under the former Biden administration, the American people overwhelmingly entrusted President Trump to secure our border and protect the American homeland from the violence that criminal illegal aliens have brought to our country,” said Rep. Steube. “This is not just a duty for our law enforcement and border patrol partners at the southern and northern borders, but for every single law enforcement agency in Florida and the United States.”
    Representative Steube’s letter comes in the wake of the recent arrest of an illegal immigrant in Sarasota for assault and sexual battery. In his letter, Representative Steube requested police chiefs in Florida’s 17th district clarify whether their agency or department was enrolled or pursuing enrollment in the 287(g) program. He also asked that they provide a report on any grants or funding their agency was receiving or seeking from the federal government. Representative Steube emphasized the need for law enforcement to partner with ICE in resolving the migrant crisis and restoring security to the United States.
    Over the course of the Biden administration’s four years in office, Border Patrol encountered more than three times as many illegal immigrants crossing the southern border than under the first Trump administration. Since taking office and signing Executive Order 14159, President Trump has overseen the largest reduction in illegal migration in American history with illegal entries into the U.S. falling to their lowest level since 1968. 
    Read the letter here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Shelburne — Shelburne RCMP Detachment charge a man and recover stolen vehicle

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    Shelburne RCMP Detachment has charged a man with multiple offences after responding to a report of a stolen truck.

    On April 25 at approximately 9:40 a.m., Shelburne RCMP Detachment responded to a report of a stolen GMC Sierra truck in the Jordan Falls area. During the investigation, officers identified two people of interest.

    Officers later received an unrelated report of two people on foot off Morvan Rd. near Shelburne. The two matched the descriptions of the people of interest. Investigators, including an RCMP Police Service Dog, conducted patrols in the area immediately. When one of the people was located, officers learned the other person may be in possession of a firearm.

    The Nova Scotia RCMP Emergency Response Team (ERT) and RCMP Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (drones) operators were dispatched to assist.

    At approximately 12:40 p.m., officers located the stolen vehicle abandoned on a side road near Shelburne. The officers seized evidence to support the investigation and returned it to its owner.

    Through the investigation, officers identified the suspect as Joseph Hayden, 34, of Jordan Ferry, and learned he was at a home on Sandy Point Rd. in Shelburne. Officers from Shelburne RCMP Detachment and ERT attended and safely arrested Hayden outside the home.

    Hayden has been charged with six offences including Motor Vehicle Theft, Possession of Property Obtained by Crime, Unauthorized Possession of Firearm, and Possession of Firearm Knowing its Possession is Unauthorized. He had a first court appearance on April 26 and was remanded into custody.

    The other person identified as part of the investigation was arrested and will face a charge of Possession of Property Obtained by Crime. They were released pending an upcoming court appearance.

    Hayden was not in possession of a firearm at the time of his arrest. Officers are continuing the investigation and conducting checks to determine if a firearm seized on April 28 at an unrelated call was also used during this incident.

    Shelburne RCMP Detachment appreciated cooperation from the public as officers made attempts to locate the suspect and the stolen vehicle.

    The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information who has not yet spoken with police is asked to contact Shelburne RCMP Detachment at 902-875-2490. To remain anonymous, call Nova Scotia Crime Stoppers, toll-free, at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), submit a secure web tip at www.crimestoppers.ns.ca, or use the P3 Tips app.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Secretary-General’s remarks to the General Assembly event in Commemoration of His Holiness Pope Francis [trilingual, as delivered; scroll down for All-English and All-French versions]

    Source: United Nations secretary general

    Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

    His Holiness Pope Francis was a man of faith — and a bridge-builder among all faiths.  

    He was a champion of the most marginalized people on earth.

    He was a voice of community in a world of division…

    A voice of mercy in a world of cruelty…

    A voice of peace in a world of war.

    And he was a steadfast friend of the United Nations, addressing Member States from this very podium in 2015.

    During that historic visit, he also spoke of our organization’s ideal of a “united human family living in harmony, working not only for peace, but in peace, working not only for justice, but in a spirit of justice.”

    On behalf of our UN family, I extend by deepest condolences to the Catholic community and to so many others around the world grieving this tremendous loss.

    Excellencies,

    Pope Francis was at the helm of the Roman Catholic Church for a dozen years — but that was preceded by decades of service and good works.

    As a young man, Pope Francis found his calling in the slums of Buenos Aires, where his dedication to serving the poor earned him the title “Bishop of the Slums.”

    These early experiences sharpened his conviction that faith must be an engine of action and change.  

    Pope Francis put that engine into overdrive as an unstoppable voice for social justice and equality.  

    His 2020 encyclical, Fratelli Tutti, drew a straight line between greed and poverty, hunger, inequality and suffering.

    While decrying the inequality that defines our globalized economy, he also warned against what he called “globalization of indifference.”  

    I will never forget the first official visit he undertook as Pope, at a time when I served as High Commissioner for Refugees.

    Pope Francis chose to go to the Mediterranean island of Lampedusa in 2013 — to put a global spotlight on the desperate plight of asylum seekers and migrants.

    He warned against “the culture of comfort, which makes us think only of ourselves, makes us insensitive to the cries of other people.”

    And on last year’s World Refugee Day, he called on all countries “to welcome, promote, accompany and integrate those who knock on our doors.”

    When I met with him at the Vatican as Secretary-General in 2019, I was struck by his humanity and his humility. 

    He always saw challenges through the eyes of those on the peripheries of life. 

    And he said we can never look away from injustice and inequality — or close our eyes to those suffering from conflict or acts of violence.   

    Always a pilgrim for peace, Pope Francis ventured to war-torn countries around the world — from Iraq to South Sudan to the Democratic Republic of Congo and beyond — decrying bloodshed and violence, and pushing for reconciliation.  

    He stood with conviction for innocents caught in war zones such as Ukraine and Gaza.

    He did it with his global platform — but he also did it in much more personal and profound ways.

    Every day without fail, precisely at 7:00 p.m., he would quietly call the Church of the Holy Family in Gaza City.

    As someone at the Church said, “He would ask us how we were, what did we eat, did we have clean water, was anyone injured? It was never diplomatic or a matter of obligation. It was the questions a father asks to their son.”

    And in his final message on Easter Sunday, Pope Francis underscored the vital importance of ending these conflicts.      

    Jusqu’au bout, le pape François aura incarné l’appel à la justice – pour les peuples et pour la planète.

    Grâce à son encyclique Laudato Si publiée en 2015, il a contribué à l’adoption de l’Accord de Paris en appelant les dirigeants à protéger « notre maison commune ».

    Il a également mis en évidence les liens manifestes entre la dégradation de l’environnement et la dégradation de la condition humaine.

    Le pape François comprenait que ceux qui avaient le moins contribué à la crise climatique en subissaient les conséquences les plus graves – et que nous avons le devoir spirituel et moral d’agir.

    Excelencias:

    En el mundo actual de división y discordia, es particularmente significativo que el Papa Francisco haya proclamado 2025 como el año de la esperanza.

    Él fue siempre un mensajero de esperanza. 

    Ahora nos corresponde a todos nosotros llevar adelante esta esperanza.

    En su funeral del sábado, me conmovió profundamente ver a líderes de todas las religiones y tendencias políticas unirse en solidaridad para honrar la vida y los logros del Papa Francisco – un raro espíritu de unidad y reflexión solemne que necesitamos ahora más que nunca.

    Nuestro mundo sería un lugar mucho mejor si siguiéramos su ejemplo de unidad, compasión y comprensión mutua a través de nuestras propias palabras y acciones.  

    Mientras lloramos la muerte del Papa Francisco, renovemos nuestro compromiso con la paz, la dignidad humana y la justicia social – las causas a las que dedicó cada momento de su extraordinaria vida.

    Muchas gracias.

    ***
    [All-English]

    Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

    His Holiness Pope Francis was a man of faith — and a bridge-builder among all faiths.  

    He was a champion of the most marginalized people on earth.

    He was a voice of community in a world of division…

    A voice of mercy in a world of cruelty…

    A voice of peace in a world of war.

    And he was a steadfast friend of the United Nations, addressing Member States from this very podium in 2015.

    During that historic visit, he also spoke of our organization’s ideal of a “united human family living in harmony, working not only for peace, but in peace, working not only for justice, but in a spirit of justice.”

    On behalf of our UN family, I extend by deepest condolences to the Catholic community and to so many others around the world grieving this tremendous loss.

    Excellencies,

    Pope Francis was at the helm of the Roman Catholic Church for a dozen years — but that was preceded by decades of service and good works.

    As a young man, Pope Francis found his calling in the slums of Buenos Aires, where his dedication to serving the poor earned him the title “Bishop of the Slums.”

    These early experiences sharpened his conviction that faith must be an engine of action and change.  

    Pope Francis put that engine into overdrive as an unstoppable voice for social justice and equality.  

    His 2020 encyclical, Fratelli Tutti, drew a straight line between greed and poverty, hunger, inequality and suffering.

    While decrying the inequality that defines our globalized economy, he also warned against what he called “globalization of indifference.”  

    I will never forget the first official visit he undertook as Pope, at a time when I served as High Commissioner for Refugees.

    Pope Francis chose to go to the Mediterranean island of Lampedusa in 2013 — to put a global spotlight on the desperate plight of asylum seekers and migrants.

    He warned against “the culture of comfort, which makes us think only of ourselves, makes us insensitive to the cries of other people.”

    And on last year’s World Refugee Day, he called on all countries “to welcome, promote, accompany and integrate those who knock on our doors.”

    When I met with him at the Vatican as Secretary-General in 2019, I was struck by his humanity and his humility. 

    He always saw challenges through the eyes of those on the peripheries of life. 

    And he said we can never look away from injustice and inequality — or close our eyes to those suffering from conflict or acts of violence.   

    Always a pilgrim for peace, Pope Francis ventured to war-torn countries around the world — from Iraq to South Sudan to the Democratic Republic of Congo and beyond — decrying bloodshed and violence, and pushing for reconciliation.  

    He stood with conviction for innocents caught in war zones such as Ukraine and Gaza.

    He did it with his global platform — but he also did it in much more personal and profound ways.

    Every day without fail, precisely at 7:00 p.m., he would quietly call the Church of the Holy Family in Gaza City.

    As someone at the Church said, “He would ask us how we were, what did we eat, did we have clean water, was anyone injured? It was never diplomatic or a matter of obligation. It was the questions a father asks to their son.”

    And in his final message on Easter Sunday, Pope Francis underscored the vital importance of ending these conflicts.      

    Throughout, Pope Francis was a clear voice of justice for people and planet.

    He helped secure the adoption of the Paris Agreement with his 2015 encyclical Laudato Si that called on leaders to protect “our common home.”

    He also highlighted the clear ties between environmental degradation and the degradation of humanity.

    Pope Francis understood that those who contributed the least to the climate crisis suffered the most — and that we have a spiritual and moral duty to act.

    Excellencies,

    In today’s world of division and discord, it is particularly meaningful that Pope Francis proclaimed 2025 to be the year of hope.

    He was forever a messenger of hope. 

    Now it falls to all of us to carry this hope forward.

    At his funeral on Saturday, I was deeply moved to see leaders from across all faiths and political stripes come together in solidarity to honour the life and achievements of Pope Francis — a rare spirit of unity and solemn reflection that we need now, more than ever.
    Our world would be a much better place if we followed his lifelong example of unity, compassion and mutual understanding through our own words and actions.  

    As we mourn the passing of Pope Francis, let us renew our pledge to peace, human dignity and social justice — the causes for which he dedicated every moment of his most extraordinary life.

    Thank you.

    ***
    [All-French]

    Excellences, Mesdames et Messieurs,

    Sa Sainteté le pape François était un homme de foi – et un bâtisseur de ponts entre toutes les religions.

    Il s’était fait le champion des personnes les plus marginalisées sur Terre.

    Il était une voix de solidarité dans un monde de clivages…

    Une voix de compassion dans un monde de cruauté…

    Une voix de paix dans un monde de guerre.

    C’était aussi un grand ami de l’Organisation des Nations Unies et il s’était exprimé en 2015 devant les États Membres depuis cette même tribune.

    Lors de cette visite historique, il avait évoqué l’idéal de notre Organisation, à savoir « une famille humaine unie, vivant en harmonie, travaillant non seulement pour la paix, mais dans la paix ; travaillant non seulement pour la justice, mais dans un esprit de justice. »

    Au nom de notre famille, celle des Nations Unies, j’adresse mes plus sincères condoléances à l’ensemble des catholiques et aux nombreuses autres personnes qui, partout dans le monde, souffrent de cette terrible perte.

    Excellences,

    Le pape François a été à la tête de l’Église catholique romaine pendant 12 ans, mais son pontificat a été précédé par des décennies de service et de bonnes œuvres.

    Jeune homme, il a trouvé sa vocation dans les quartiers défavorisés de Buenos Aires, où son dévouement au service des pauvres lui a ensuite valu le titre « d’évêque des bidonvilles ».

    Ces premières expériences ont renforcé sa conviction que la foi devait être un moteur d’action et de changement.

    Restant fidèle à cette conviction, il a défendu sans relâche la cause de la justice sociale et de l’égalité.

    Dans son encyclique de 2020, Fratelli Tutti, François a établi un lien direct entre la cupidité, d’une part, et la pauvreté, la faim, l’inégalité et la souffrance, d’autre part.

    Tout en dénonçant les inégalités qui caractérisent notre économie mondialisée, il a également mis en garde contre ce qu’il appelait la « mondialisation de l’indifférence ».

    Je n’oublierai jamais sa première visite officielle en tant que pape, à une époque où j’étais Haut‑Commissaire pour les réfugiés.

    En 2013, François avait choisi de se rendre sur l’île méditerranéenne de Lampedusa pour appeler l’attention du monde entier sur la situation désespérée des demandeurs d’asile et des migrants.

    Il avait alors mis en garde contre « la culture du bien-être, qui nous amène à penser à nous-même, nous rend insensibles aux cris des autres ».

    L’année dernière, à l’occasion de la Journée mondiale des réfugiés, il a exhorté tous les pays à « accueillir, promouvoir, accompagner et intégrer ceux qui frappent à nos portes ».

    Quand je l’ai rencontré au Vatican en 2019 en ma qualité de Secrétaire général, j’ai été frappé par son humanité et son humilité.

    Il voyait toujours les problèmes à travers les yeux de celles et ceux qui sont relégués aux périphéries.

    Il disait qu’il ne fallait jamais détourner le regard de l’injustice et de l’inégalité, ni fermer les yeux sur celles et ceux qui subissent les conséquences d’un conflit ou d’actes de violence.

    Infatigable pèlerin de la paix, le pape François s’est rendu dans des pays déchirés par la guerre – de l’Iraq au Soudan du Sud, en passant par la République démocratique du Congo – pour dénoncer la violence et les affrontements sanglants et prôner la réconciliation.

    Il défendait avec conviction les innocents qui se trouvent dans des zones de guerre, comme en Ukraine et dans la bande de Gaza.

    Il le faisait depuis sa tribune, mais aussi à un niveau beaucoup plus personnel.

    Tous les jours sans exception, à 19 heures précises, il se retirait pour appeler l’église de la Sainte-Famille, à Gaza.

    L’un de ses interlocuteurs a raconté ces conversations : « François nous demandait : “comment allez-vous ? Qu’avez-vous mangé ? Avez-vous de l’eau ? Y-a-t-il des blessés parmi vous ?” Il ne le faisait pas pour des raisons diplomatiques ou par obligation. C’était le genre de questions qu’un père aurait posées ».

    Et, dans son tout dernier message, le dimanche de Pâques, le pape François a souligné à quel point il était vital de mettre fin à tous ces conflits.

    Jusqu’au bout, le pape François aura incarné l’appel à la justice – pour les peuples et pour la planète.

    Grâce à son encyclique Laudato Si publiée en 2015, il a contribué à l’adoption de l’Accord de Paris en appelant les dirigeants à protéger « notre maison commune ».

    Il a également mis en évidence les liens manifestes entre la dégradation de l’environnement et la dégradation de la condition humaine.

    Le pape François comprenait que ceux qui avaient le moins contribué à la crise climatique en subissaient les conséquences les plus graves – et que nous avons le devoir spirituel et moral d’agir.

    Excellences,

    Dans ce monde de division et de discorde, le fait que le pape François ait proclamé 2025 année de l’espérance revêt une signification particulière.

    Il aura été jusqu’au bout un messager de l’espérance.

    Et c’est à nous qu’il revient maintenant de continuer de faire vivre cette espérance.

    À ses funérailles, samedi, j’ai été profondément ému de voir des dirigeants de toutes confessions et toutes tendances politiques réunis dans la solidarité pour rendre hommage à la vie et à l’œuvre du pape François, dans un esprit d’unité et de réflexion solennelle rares dont nous avons plus que jamais besoin aujourd’hui.

    Notre monde serait bien meilleur si nous suivions, dans nos propres paroles et actions, l’exemple d’unité, de compassion et de compréhension mutuelle qu’il a donné tout au long de sa vie.

    Que ce deuil soit l’occasion de renouveler notre engagement en faveur de la paix, de la dignité humaine et de la justice sociale, causes pour lesquelles le pape François a consacré chaque instant d’une vie pour le moins extraordinaire.

    Je vous remercie.
     

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Members of trafficking ring sent to prison for high-caliber weapons purchases

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    McALLEN, Texas – Two men have been ordered to federal prison for firearms trafficking and related charges, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

    Mexican national Juan Antonio Cantu-Cavazos, 37, pleaded guilty in October 2023 to firearms trafficking and for being an alien in possession of a firearm. Jose Luis Caballero, 30, Alamo, admitted his guilt in September 2024 to firearms trafficking and illegal exportation of firearms.  

    Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane has now handed Cantu-Cavazos and Caballero each a 48-month-term of imprisonment. Caballero was further ordered to serve three years of supervised released following his prison term. Not a U.S. citizen, Cantu-Cavazos is expected to face removal proceedings following his sentence. At the hearing, the court noted the significant number of weapons involved and that serial numbers were being obliterated prior to weapon’s exportation. Judge Crane also emphasized the dangerousness and complexity of the trafficking scheme. 

    In September 2022, Cantu-Cavazos had purchased 32 firearms, to include 15 AK-47s and three AR-15 variant rifles.  

    The investigation revealed Cantu-Cavazos was purchasing the firearms as part of a firearms trafficking ring. He was working with Caballero to acquire firearms a Mexican co-conspirator had requested. Cantu-Cavazos was to retrieve the firearms from various purchasers, disassemble and wrap them in cellophane and deliver them to warehouse or truck drivers so they could be trafficked into Mexico. Caballero’s role was to purchase firearms in various states, including Alabama and Texas, and coordinate their exportation.

    Cantu-Cavazos and Caballero purchased more than 150 firearms between October 2021 and September 2022, which were ultimately trafficked into Mexico. Most were high-caliber rifles. 

    Cantu-Cavazos will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. Caballero was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender at a later date.  

    The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation with the assistance of Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations. 

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee Fry prosecuted the case under the criminal provisions of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which Congress enacted in June 2022. The Act is the first federal statute specifically designed to target the unlawful trafficking and straw purchasing of firearms.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Upshur County Man Admits to Firearms Charge

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ELKINS, WEST VIRGINIA – John Felix Cathell, III, age 55, of French Creek, West Virginia, has admitted to the unlawful possession of a firearm.

    According to court documents, officers were called to a shooting at a home. At the scene, Cathell admitted to shooting his neighbor’s dog. The defendant is prohibited from having firearms because of prior firearms convictions. Officers searched Cathell’s home and recovered multiple firearms, firearms parts, and ammunition.

    Cathell is facing up to 15 years in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Christie Utt is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.

    The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Upshur County Sheriff’s Office investigated.

    U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Mercedes man who downloaded child sexual abuse material sentenced to decade in federal prison

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    McALLEN, Texas – A 41-year-old Mercedes resident has been sentenced for downloading child sexual abuse material (CSAM) using a peer-to-peer program, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

    Armando Jose Flores Jr. pleaded guilty July 10, 2024, to receipt of child pornography.  

    U.S. District Judge Drew B. Tipton has now sentenced Flores to 121 months in federal prison. At the hearing, the court heard additional information including information detailing how Flores downloaded and stored 90 GB of CSAM across five devices. The material included over 4,500 images/videos which contained bondage, bestiality and infants/toddlers. Flores will also serve five years on supervised release following the completion of his prison term. During that time, he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. Flores will also be ordered to register as a sex offender. Restitution will be determined at a later date. 

    On Jan. 9, 2024, law enforcement identified a computer making videos of CSAM available for download through a peer-to-peer file-sharing program. Several videos were downloaded and found to depict prepubescent children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The computer’s IP address was registered to an address belonging to Flores in Mercedes.    

    In February 2024, authorities executed a federal search warrant at his residence and seized four electronic devices. Each contained CSAM downloaded between approximately May 1, 2022, and Oct. 31, 2022.

    Flores admitted to using a peer-to-peer file-sharing program on his computer to download and receive material that contained child pornography at his home. He stated he had been accessing child pornography through peer-to-peer networks for multiple years. 

    He will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

    FBI conducted the investigation. 

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexa D. Parcell is prosecuting the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources tab on that page. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Connecticut Brother And Sister Charged With Fraudulently Obtaining $1.2 Million In Unclaimed Property

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Henry J. White, Jr, age 75, and Patricia A. White, age 69, were both charged with conspiracy for agreeing to submit false and fraudulent claims for unclaimed property to state treasuries.

    According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, White and White, who are siblings and residents of Old Greenwich, CT, allegedly agreed and worked together to submit over $1.2 million in false and fraudulent claims for unclaimed property from state treasuries around the United States.  Henry J. White, Jr., using the names of corporate entities with which he was not affiliated and which he had no lawful authority to use, allegedly applied for and received unclaimed property from state treasuries throughout the United States. State treasuries, relying on the certifications provided by Henry J. White, Jr., under penalty of perjury, issued payment checks, which were generally sent by U.S. mail to the shared home address of both defendants.

    From there, White and White allegedly deposited and cashed these fraudulently obtained payment checks, and these funds were then used for personal expenses, including for mortgage payments for their shared home in Connecticut.

    The case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ravi Romel Sharma is prosecuting the case.

    The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is five years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

    Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

    # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Welch Cosponsors the Equality Act, Landmark Bill to Prohibit Discrimination Based on Sex, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) today joined Senators Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) in introducing the Equality Act, historic, comprehensive legislation to enshrine civil rights protections for LGBTQ+ people in federal law. The Equality Act amends landmark federal anti-discrimination laws to explicitly add sexual orientation and gender identity to longstanding bans on discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations, jury service, access to credit, federal funding, and more.  
    The bicameral legislation, led by U.S. Representative Mark Takano (D-CA-39) in the House, would also add protections against sex discrimination in parts of anti-discrimination laws where these protections had not been included previously, such as public accommodations and federal funding. 
    “We should all aspire to create an America where everyone is free to be who they are without fear of prejudice or discrimination. The Trump Administration is working against that mission by attacking individuals’ rights and freedoms, including rolling back LGBTQ+ rights,” said Senator Welch. “The Equality Act acknowledges, with the force of law, that LGBTQ+ Vermonters are entitled to the same rights and protections as every Vermonter.” 
    “Generations of Americans have marched, voted, organized, and raised their voices to fully realize the vision of America as a land of freedom and equality for all,” said Senator Merkley. “As MAGA extremists attack the rights and freedoms of our LGBTQ+ friends and neighbors, I am fighting to end this hateful discrimination, expand freedom, and open the doors of opportunity for everyone. Back in 2007, I led the fight to secure this vision for Oregonians, and it is way past time for Congress to do the same for all LGBTQ+ Americans by passing my Equality Act.” 
    “The Equality Act simply puts into law what we all believe: that every American is created equal and should be treated equally under the law. But, for too many LGBTQ+ Americans in states across the country, equality under the law is not the reality, and they are harassed at work, denied a place to live, and discriminated against just for being who they are,” said Senator Baldwin. “The Equality Act makes clear that in the United States, we can live up to our nation’s highest ideals and we will not tolerate discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity – just like religion, race, or ethnicity. Equality is not a privilege, it’s what we’re all owed as American citizens, and I’m committed to making that promise a reality.” 
    “As the Trump Administration dismantles the civil liberties and legal protections of LGBTQ+ folks nationwide––progress that was hard-won and that we are still fighting to maintain––lawmakers in Congress must act to pass the bicameral Equality Act,” said Senator Booker. “This legislation would finally make clear that LGBTQ+ people in this country cannot be denied entry into a restaurant, be denied federal housing and benefits, or be discriminated against simply because of who they are and who they love. This legislation is long overdue, and I will work tirelessly with my colleagues to ensure the Equality Act becomes the law of the land.” 
    “Across the country, LGBTQI+ and trans Americans are being targeted and attacked, but we refuse to be cowed or intimidated by their hate. Instead, we reintroduce the Equality Act as our declaration that freedom and dignity are the birthright of every American. We will not rest until full equality is the law of the land,” said Rep. Takano. 
    Despite major advances in equality for LGBTQ+ Americans in recent years, including codifying federal protections for same-sex and interracial marriages, the majority of states still do not have explicit LGBTQ+ non-discrimination protection laws. In states across the country, over 850 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been filed so far this year—the most in U.S. history. Recent studies report that attacks based on gender identity and sexual orientation have increased in the past year, with one in five hate crimes motivated by anti-LGBTQ+ bias. 
    The Equality Act would finally enshrine protections into federal law under all areas of potential discrimination, protecting the rights and freedoms of LGBTQ+ Americans for generations to come. The Equality Act is supported by 47 U.S. Senators and 214 U.S. Representatives. A full list of the 600+ organizations endorsing the Equality Act can be found here. 
    Stories in support of the Equality Act and the protections it would enshrine into federal law can be found here. 
    Learn more about the Equality Act of 2025. 
    Read and download the full text of the bill. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Department of State Press Briefing – April 29, 2025

    Source: United States of America – Department of State (video statements)

    Spokesperson Tammy Bruce leads the Department Press Briefing, at the Department of State, on April 29, 2025.

    ———-
    Under the leadership of the President and Secretary of State, the U.S. Department of State leads America’s foreign policy through diplomacy, advocacy, and assistance by advancing the interests of the American people, their safety and economic prosperity. On behalf of the American people we promote and demonstrate democratic values and advance a free, peaceful, and prosperous world.

    The Secretary of State, appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, is the President’s chief foreign affairs adviser. The Secretary carries out the President’s foreign policies through the State Department, which includes the Foreign Service, Civil Service and U.S. Agency for International Development.

    Get updates from the U.S. Department of State at www.state.gov and on social media!
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/statedept
    X: https://x.com/StateDept
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/statedept
    Flickr: https://flickr.com/photos/statephotos/

    Subscribe to the State Department Blog: https://www.state.gov/blogs
    Watch on-demand State Department videos: https://video.state.gov/
    Subscribe to The Week at State e-newsletter: http://ow.ly/diiN30ro7Cw

    State Department website: https://www.state.gov/
    Careers website: https://careers.state.gov/
    White House website: https://www.whitehouse.gov/
    Terms of Use: https://state.gov/tou

    #StateDepartment #DepartmentofState #Diplomacy

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOaesxDDYPY

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Sherman and House Dems reintroduce Equality Act as Trump escalates war on LGBTQ+ community

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Brad Sherman (D-CA)

    WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Brad Sherman (CA-32) and Congressional Democrats reintroduced the Equality Act that enshrines federal protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The legislation would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to explicitly ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, housing, education, public accommodations, jury service, and federally funded programs.

    “As a Member of the Equality Caucus who helped introduce the Equality Act, I know that the majority of Americans support nondiscrimination protections for the LGBTQI+ community. It’s time for Congress to listen,” said Congressman Sherman. ” I’m proud to stand with my Equality Caucus and House Democratic colleagues today to reintroduce the Equality Act and help protect our LGBTQI+ community.”

    The renewed push for the Equality Act comes amid an unprecedented assault on LGBTQ+ rights by the Trump administration.

    Just hours after his second inauguration in January, President Donald Trump signed an executive order declaring that the federal government would no longer recognize transgender and nonbinary people. The sweeping directive, titled “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government,” redefined sex as strictly male or female based on birth characteristics — ignoring decades of medical science and legal precedent.

    The order mandates that federal agencies erase references to gender identity, restricts passports and social security records to assigned sex at birth, and strips Title IX protections for transgender students. It also rescinds funding for gender-affirming health care and directs prisons to house transgender women with men, regardless of their safety.

    In addition to targeting transgender Americans, Trump’s administration has moved to reinstate the ban on transgender military service, cut funding for LGBTQ+ suicide prevention efforts, and censor LGBTQ+ content in schools and government communications.

    Under the Equality Act, LGBTQ+ Americans would gain comprehensive protections currently missing in much of the country. While the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2020 Bostock v. Clayton County decision confirmed that workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, it left gaps in areas like housing, education, and public spaces that the Equality Act would finally close.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Honouring Alberta’s community heroes | Mise à l’honneur des héros communautaires de l’Alberta

    The Stars of Alberta Volunteer Awards celebrate out-of-this-world individuals who give their time, energy and talents to make life better for others. These prestigious awards celebrate the incredible impact volunteers have in communities across Alberta. Two awards are presented in each of the following categories:

    • youth (up to 24 years of age)
    • adult
    • senior

    The Breaking Barriers category honours volunteers who are working to build diverse and inclusive communities. Three awards are presented in this category to individuals who:

    • fight racism
    • advocate for LGBTQ+ inclusion
    • challenge gender discrimination

    “Volunteerism is more than generosity – it’s one of Alberta’s greatest strengths, fueling programs that support families, build communities and enrich lives. Every hour given and act of service makes Alberta more resilient, connected and kind. The 2025 Stars of Alberta Volunteer Awards are our chance to say thank you. If you know someone who goes above and beyond, nominate them and help us celebrate the incredible people who lift Alberta up.”

    Tanya Fir, Minister of Arts, Culture and Status of Women.

    The 2025 nomination period opened April 28, during National Volunteer Week, and runs until June 30. Award recipients will be announced on Dec. 5 in celebration of International Volunteer Day.

    Volunteers are at the heart of strong communities. Alberta is home to more than 27,000 non-profit organizations and every year, Albertans contribute more than 227 million volunteer hours – an estimated $5.6 billion in value to Alberta’s economy. Albertans are encouraged to recognize a volunteer who has shared their time and talents to help keep Alberta the best place to live, work and raise a family by submitting an online application today.

    Related information

    • Stars of Alberta Volunteer Awards
    • Northern Lights Volunteer Recognition Program
    • National Volunteer Week

    Les mises en candidature sont maintenant acceptées pour les Prix des bénévoles Stars of Alberta 2025. Ces prix mettent en lumière les héros communautaires qui illuminent la vie des gens et des communautés de l’Alberta.  

    Les Prix des bénévoles Stars of Alberta récompensent des personnes exceptionnelles qui consacrent leur temps, leur énergie et leurs talents à améliorer la vie des autres. Ces prix prestigieux célèbrent l’influence remarquable qu’ont les bénévoles au sein des communautés de l’Alberta. Deux prix sont décernés dans chacune des catégories suivantes :

    • jeunes (jusqu’à 24 ans)
    • adultes
    • personnes âgées

    La catégorie « Bâtisseur/bâtisseuse d’équité » (Breaking Barriers, en anglais) rend hommage aux bénévoles qui œuvrent à l’édification de communautés diversifiées et inclusives. Trois prix sont décernés dans cette catégorie à des personnes qui :

    • luttent contre le racisme
    • militent pour l’inclusion des membres des communautés LGBTQ
    • luttent contre la discrimination fondée sur le sexe

    « Le bénévolat, c’est bien plus qu’un acte de générosité ? c’est l’une des grandes forces de l’Alberta, une force qui bonifie des programmes à l’appui des familles et des communautés, des programmes qui enrichissent la vie des gens. Chaque heure donnée et chaque service rendu font de l’Alberta une province plus résiliente, plus unie et plus accueillante. Les Prix des bénévoles Stars of Alberta 2025 nous permettent de vous remercier. Si vous connaissez quelqu’un qui dépasse constamment les attentes, proposez sa candidature et aidez-nous ainsi à célébrer ces gens formidables qui font briller l’Alberta. »

    Tanya Fir, ministre des Arts, de la Culture et de la Condition féminine

    La période de nomination de 2025 débute le 28 avril, pendant la Semaine de l’action bénévole, et se poursuit jusqu’au 30 juin. Les noms des lauréats seront annoncés le 5 décembre, à l’occasion de la Journée internationale des bénévoles.

    Le bénévolat est au cœur des communautés résilientes. L’Alberta compte plus de 27 000 organismes sans but lucratif et, chaque année, les Albertaines et les Albertains consacrent plus de 227 millions d’heures au bénévolat, ce qui correspond à environ 5,6 milliards de dollars investis dans l’économie de l’Alberta. Nous invitons les Albertaines et les Albertains désireux de reconnaître un bénévole qui a partagé son temps et ses talents pour contribuer à faire de l’Alberta le meilleur endroit où vivre, travailler et élever une famille, à proposer sa candidature en ligne dès aujourd’hui.

    Renseignements connexes

    • Prix des bénévoles Stars of Alberta
    • Programme de reconnaissance des bénévoles Alberta Northern Lights
    • Semaine de l’action bénévole

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Province releases annual climate report

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    The Province is reaffirming its commitment to climate action and affordability as it releases its annual Climate Change Accountability Report.

    The report is based on 2022 emissions data and highlights actions completed between April 1, 2023, and March 31, 2024, as well as actions underway or planned for the year ahead. It provides the most up-to-date assessment of British Columbia’s efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions and build a low-carbon economy.

    The 2024 Climate Change Accountability Report concludes that B.C. is making progress in reducing emissions. Since 2007, the base year for B.C.’s climate goals, emissions have remained relatively stable and are projected to decline by 20% by 2030. Emissions per person are down by more than 21% and emissions per unit of GDP are down by more than 30%. This means fewer emissions are being produced for every person and for every dollar of economic growth.

    While B.C. is making progress, the reductions are not enough to meet B.C.’s 2030 target. The Province will continue to strengthen its climate action with measures that deliver clean economic growth and create affordable options for people.

    “British Columbia has been a leader in demonstrating solutions that have been replicated elsewhere from methane regulations to low-carbon fuel standards,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Energy and Climate Solutions. “While this progress has been substantial, it has not been enough to be on track to meet the targets. I want British Columbians to know that we will continue to strengthen our efforts to reduce emissions, while ensuring people have more affordable and sustainable options available to them.”

    Programs under CleanBC, the government’s climate plan, have helped tens of thousands of households access clean-energy retrofits, supported industrial decarbonization and accelerated the adoption of electric vehicles. In 2023, zero-emission vehicles made up nearly one in four new vehicle sales for an increase of 25% from 2022. Heat pump installations increased by 67% over the previous year, supported by government rebates and expanded access.

    To support the shift to a low-carbon future and ensure affordable, reliable energy for the growing population, government is making major investments in expanding access to made-in-B.C. renewable power sources. Ten new wind and solar projects are being accelerated to deliver clean power as soon as possible. The North Coast Transmission Line expansion between Prince George and Terrace will deliver electricity to major industry, such as liquefied natural gas, mining and critical minerals projects, port operations and more, helping power economic growth, while contributing to British Columbia’s energy security.

    BC Hydro is investing $36 billion through its 10-year capital plan to expand and strengthen community and regional electrical infrastructure to ensure clean power can be delivered to new homes, businesses and industries when and where they need it. These investments create economic opportunities throughout the province, including an average of 10,000 jobs annually for skilled workers.

    A review of CleanBC will be announced soon to assess progress and make recommendations to strengthen B.C.’s climate policies, improve affordability and support a strong economy.

    Learn More:

    To read the 2024 Climate Change Accountability Report, visit: 
    https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content?id=37896D59E08D42EE9C5A06C5543A4824 

    A backgrounder follows.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: MNRE Minister Pralhad Joshi launches Green Hydrogen Certification scheme

    Source: Government of India

    MNRE Minister Pralhad Joshi launches Green Hydrogen Certification scheme

    MNRE organizes Workshop on opportunities for MSMEs in Green Hydrogen Supply Chain

    Posted On: 29 APR 2025 6:17PM by PIB Delhi

    The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) organized on 29th April 2025 one-day National Workshop on opportunities for “Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the Green Hydrogen Supply Chain”, at  New Delhi. The workshop was  aimed to explore opportunities and discuss key role of MSMEs in development of green hydrogen ecosystem in India. Over 300 delegates drew participation from different stakeholder groups, including MSMEs, policymakers, technology providers, industry associations, and international partners.

    Delivering the inaugural address, Shri Pralhad Venkatesh Joshi, Hon’ble Union Minister of New and Renewable Energy, highlighted the government’s commitment to fostering innovation-led growth and emphasized that MSMEs will serve as the backbone of India’s energy transition through their innovative capabilities and localized solutions. He highlighted the critical role MSMEs will play in realizing the Mission’s objectives of building a self-reliant green hydrogen ecosystem by 2030.

    Hon’ble Union Minister also launched the Green Hydrogen Certification Scheme of India (GHCI). He mentioned that the scheme is a foundational step towards creating a robust framework for certifying green hydrogen production and ensuring transparency, traceability, and market credibility.

    Shri Santosh Kumar Sarangi, Secretary, MNRE highlighted some key achievements in the implementation of National Green Hydrogen Mission. He stressed upon the importance of building capacities, facilitating finance, and strengthening technology linkages to empower MSMEs to meaningfully participate in this new industrial landscape. He reiterated the Ministry’s commitment to building institutional and infrastructural support for green hydrogen, with MSMEs playing a critical role.

    The workshop included four focused technical sessions as follows:

    1. Technology Collaboration for MSMEs

    Panelists deliberated on R&D collaboration models, indigenization of components such as bipolar plates and electrolysers, and the role of knowledge institutions.

    1. Business Opportunities in the Green Hydrogen Supply Chain

    Discussions centered on the integration of MSMEs into large-scale projects. Experts from international agencies and corporate leaders outlined business models and market opportunities, advocating for systematic MSME engagement strategies.

    1. Decentralized Hydrogen Production through Biomass

    Expert speakers presented use cases on thermochemical and biochemical conversion of biomass to hydrogen, exploring their application in rural industries. The session highlighted the potential of decentralized models to meet local demand while promoting circular economy principles.

    1. Catalyzing Investments in the Green Hydrogen Ecosystem

    Financial institutions, including the World Bank, IREDA, KfW, and IIFCL, discussed de-risking strategies, blended finance mechanisms, and the need to design green credit lines accessible to MSMEs.

    The workshop marked an important step towards mainstreaming MSMEs in India’s clean energy transition and showed MNRE’s commitment towards building an inclusive, technology-driven, and decentralized green hydrogen economy. The workshop saw active participation from MSMEs, who showed strong interest in entering the green hydrogen sector, particularly in areas such as component manufacturing, operations and maintenance services, and rural hydrogen generation. Participants emphasized the need for standardized protocols, shared platforms for joint innovation, and the formation of Green Hydrogen Clusters to help MSMEs combine capacities and benefit from economies of scale. The discussions also highlighted the importance of clear demand signals and long-term policy stability to encourage private investment. Experts noted India’s strong potential to emerge as a manufacturing hub for green hydrogen technologies, especially electrolysers and fuel cells.

    The Government of India is implementing the National Green Hydrogen Mission, with an objective to make India a global hub of production, usage and export of Green Hydrogen and its derivatives.

    The Mission will result in the following likely outcomes by 2030:

    1. Development of Green Hydrogen production capacity of at least 5 MMT (Million Metric Tonne) per annum with an associated renewable energy capacity addition of about 125 GW in the country
    2. Over Rs. Eight lakh crore in total investments
    3. Creation of over Six lakh jobs
    4. Cumulative reduction in fossil fuel imports over Rs. One lakh crore
    5. Abatement of nearly 50 MMT of annual greenhouse gas emissions

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    TPJ/NJ

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –