NewzIntel.com

    • Checkout Page
    • Contact Us
    • Default Redirect Page
    • Frontpage
    • Home-2
    • Home-3
    • Lost Password
    • Member Login
    • Member LogOut
    • Member TOS Page
    • My Account
    • NewzIntel Alert Control-Panel
    • NewzIntel Latest Reports
    • Post Views Counter
    • Privacy Policy
    • Public Individual Page
    • Register
    • Subscription Plan
    • Thank You Page

Category: Taxation

  • MIL-OSI Security: Colorado Dentist Sentenced for Tax Evasion

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    A Colorado dentist was sentenced yesterday to 41 months in prison for tax evasion related to his use of an illegal tax shelter.

    The following is according to court documents and statements made in court: since 2014, Ryan Ulibarri owned and operated Ulibarri Family Dentistry in Fort Collins, Colorado. In 2016, Ulibarri purchased an abusive-trust tax shelter for $50,000. The tax shelter involved concealing income and creating false tax deductions through the use of a so-called business trust, family trust, charitable trust and a private family foundation, all of which Ulibarri created and controlled. From 2016 through 2023, Ulibarri used this tax shelter to conceal from the IRS over $5 million in income he earned from his dental practice and evade more than $1.6 million in federal and state income taxes owed on that income.

    To set up the tax shelter, Ulibarri signed trust instruments that named him as trustee of the three trusts and foundation, and he opened bank accounts in the name of each entity. He further recruited friends to falsely sign his trust instruments as the purported creators of the trusts to make it seem as if Ulibarri himself was not the real creator. Ulibarri then transferred majority ownership of his dental practice to his business trust. He did this despite having been warned by attorneys and CPAs that, in Colorado, a trust could not own a dental practice.

    Ulibarri then transferred over $5 million in income he earned from his dental practice into the bank accounts of the various trusts and foundation to create the illusion that the funds belonged to those entities, not him. In reality, Ulibarri retained complete control over those funds and used the funds to pay for personal expenses including his home mortgage, credit card bills, boats, luxury vacations, and professional baseball season tickets. Ulibarri also filed false tax returns for himself, his dental practice, the trusts, and his foundation that falsely reported the income he earned from his dental practice as income of the trusts. On those tax returns, Ulibarri also claimed fraudulent deductions for his personal living expenses which he disguised as trust expenses and charitable donations.  

    In total, Ulibarri caused a tax loss to the United States of $1.6 million.

    In addition to the term of imprisonment, U.S. District Judge Nina Y. Wang ordered Ulibarri to serve 3 years of supervised release, to pay a $150,000 fine and to pay $1,449,121 in restitution to the IRS and $166,966 in restitution to the Colorado Department of Revenue.

    Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Special Agent in Charge Amanda Prestegard of IRS Criminal Investigation’s Denver Field Office made the announcement.

    IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case.

    Trial Attorneys Amanda R. Scott and Lauren K. Pope and Assistant Chief Andrew J. Kameros of the Tax Division prosecuted the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

    June 19, 2025
  • MIL-OSI USA: ICE worksite enforcement operation uncovers widespread identity theft affecting more than 100 victims across the nation

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    OMAHA, Neb. — A recent worksite enforcement operation led by U.S. immigration and Customs Enforcement revealed massive identity theft impacting unsuspecting U.S. citizens whose personal information was used by illegal aliens to gain unlawful employment at Glenn Valley Foods.

    The ICE-led multiagency investigation uncovered approximately 70 illegal aliens who were using stolen Social Security numbers and identities to unlawfully obtain wages, health benefits and employment authorization, leaving more than 100 real victims to face devastating financial, emotional and legal consequences.

    “There have been individuals who have gone on the record recently referring to the identity thieves we arrested last week as ‘good, hardworking, and honest,’” said Mark Zito, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations Kansas City, which covers Omaha. “These so-called honest workers have caused an immeasurable amount of financial and emotional hardship for innocent Americans. If pretending to be someone you aren’t in order to steal their lives isn’t blatant, criminal dishonesty, I don’t know what is.”

    Some examples of the impact of these stolen identities include:

    • A healthcare provider was forced to deny medically necessary prescriptions to a victim in Pennsylvania after his identity was stolen. It was later determined that someone used the victim’s name and Social Security number to illegally gain employment and healthcare benefits based on fraudulent employment at Glenn Valley Foods.
    • A disabled victim in Texas, who was unable to work, struggled to get their Social Security disability payments because an illegal alien was fraudulently using their identity and earning wages at Glenn Valley Foods.
    • The IRS requested a victim in Colorado to repay more than $5,000 after their income was falsely increased due to an illegal alien stealing their identity and using it to work at Glenn Valley Foods.
    • A full-time nursing student from Missouri lost their college tuition assistance because it was fraudulently reported that they earned too much money. The investigation revealed that an illegal alien at Glenn Valley Foods was using their Social Security number for employment. The same victim was also unable to renew their Missouri driver’s license, until HSI contacted the Department of Motor Vehicles on their behalf, because the alien who stole her identity has multiple unpaid traffic violations.
    • A victim in California has been working for nearly 15 years to regain their identity and fix the financial damage done by an illegal alien who was working at Glenn Valley Foods.

    “The criminals who stole these identities didn’t just break the law, they upended lives,” concluded Zito. “These victims aren’t faceless statistics; they’re real people who are being denied healthcare and have lost educational opportunities.”

    The investigation is ongoing.

    Members of the public with information about suspected immigration violations or related criminal activity are encouraged to contact the ICE Tip Line at 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or submit information online via the ICE Tip Form.

    To schedule an interview please contact Public Affairs Officer Tanya Roman at Tanya.Roman@hsi.dhs.gov.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 19, 2025
  • MIL-OSI USA: ICE worksite enforcement operation uncovers widespread identity theft affecting more than 100 victims across the nation

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    OMAHA, Neb. — A recent worksite enforcement operation led by U.S. immigration and Customs Enforcement revealed massive identity theft impacting unsuspecting U.S. citizens whose personal information was used by illegal aliens to gain unlawful employment at Glenn Valley Foods.

    The ICE-led multiagency investigation uncovered approximately 70 illegal aliens who were using stolen Social Security numbers and identities to unlawfully obtain wages, health benefits and employment authorization, leaving more than 100 real victims to face devastating financial, emotional and legal consequences.

    “There have been individuals who have gone on the record recently referring to the identity thieves we arrested last week as ‘good, hardworking, and honest,’” said Mark Zito, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations Kansas City, which covers Omaha. “These so-called honest workers have caused an immeasurable amount of financial and emotional hardship for innocent Americans. If pretending to be someone you aren’t in order to steal their lives isn’t blatant, criminal dishonesty, I don’t know what is.”

    Some examples of the impact of these stolen identities include:

    • A healthcare provider was forced to deny medically necessary prescriptions to a victim in Pennsylvania after his identity was stolen. It was later determined that someone used the victim’s name and Social Security number to illegally gain employment and healthcare benefits based on fraudulent employment at Glenn Valley Foods.
    • A disabled victim in Texas, who was unable to work, struggled to get their Social Security disability payments because an illegal alien was fraudulently using their identity and earning wages at Glenn Valley Foods.
    • The IRS requested a victim in Colorado to repay more than $5,000 after their income was falsely increased due to an illegal alien stealing their identity and using it to work at Glenn Valley Foods.
    • A full-time nursing student from Missouri lost their college tuition assistance because it was fraudulently reported that they earned too much money. The investigation revealed that an illegal alien at Glenn Valley Foods was using their Social Security number for employment. The same victim was also unable to renew their Missouri driver’s license, until HSI contacted the Department of Motor Vehicles on their behalf, because the alien who stole her identity has multiple unpaid traffic violations.
    • A victim in California has been working for nearly 15 years to regain their identity and fix the financial damage done by an illegal alien who was working at Glenn Valley Foods.

    “The criminals who stole these identities didn’t just break the law, they upended lives,” concluded Zito. “These victims aren’t faceless statistics; they’re real people who are being denied healthcare and have lost educational opportunities.”

    The investigation is ongoing.

    Members of the public with information about suspected immigration violations or related criminal activity are encouraged to contact the ICE Tip Line at 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or submit information online via the ICE Tip Form.

    To schedule an interview please contact Public Affairs Officer Tanya Roman at Tanya.Roman@hsi.dhs.gov.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 19, 2025
  • MIL-OSI USA: Chairman Crapo Releases Finance Committee Reconciliation Text

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Idaho Mike Crapo

    Washington, D.C.–U.S. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) today released legislative text within the Finance Committee’s jurisdiction for inclusion in Senate Republicans’ budget reconciliation bill.
    “This bill prevents an over-$4 trillion tax hike and makes the successful 2017 Trump tax cuts permanent, enabling families and businesses to save and plan for the future. 
    “It delivers additional tax relief to middle-class families still recovering from record inflation under the Biden Administration.  It powers the economy by permanently extending critical pro-growth provisions and introduces new incentives for domestic investment, providing certainty for American job creators to spur domestic economic activity and invest in their workers.
    “The legislation also achieves significant savings by slashing Green New Deal spending and targeting waste, fraud and abuse in spending programs while preserving and protecting them for the most vulnerable. 
    “I look forward to continued coordination with our colleagues in the House and the Administration to deliver President Trump’s bold economic agenda for the American people as quickly as possible.”
    Click HERE to view bill text.
    Click HERE for a section-by-section.
    Click HERE for a bill overview.
    Click HERE to view the 2025 Tax Reform landing page.

    Print
    Email
    Share
    Tweet

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 19, 2025
  • MIL-OSI USA: Crapo: Senate Republican Plan Powers Economic Growth, Delivers Tax Relief

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Idaho Mike Crapo

    Washington, D.C.– U.S. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) joined Larry Kudlow on Fox Business to talk about Senate Republicans’ plans to prevent the largest tax hike in U.S. history, power the economy through pro-growth tax policy, provide additional tax relief for working families and address wasteful spending.

    Click here or above to watch the interview

    On the importance of making pro-growth tax policy permanent: 

    [T]he Council of Economic Advisors has indicated that—together with some regulatory reform that President Trump is doing and some of the DOGE activities—we ought to generate somewhere between 4 and 6 percent growth in GDP, and what that translates into with regard to our tax bill is trillions of dollars for growth in capital formations, jobs, wages, benefits and new revenue to the treasury to pay down our deficits.

    This tax package will stop a $4.3 trillion tax increase, and it will make these taxes cuts permanent so that we don’t have to face another tax cliff like this in the future.

    Bonus depreciation—permanent; R&D—permanent; and the EBITDA accounting rules—permanent.  Those three business taxes that are now permanent are a big part of what is going to generate that capital formation in this country and help us grow back to the strength we did when we originally passed the [Tax Cuts and Jobs Act].

    . . .

    [The] 20 percent small business deduction is now permanent.  Our passthrough entities can get treated fairly like corporations do, and be a part of that incredible capital formation and growth that our country is going to see.

    On additional tax relief for American workers, seniors and businesses:

    [I]n addition to stopping a $4.3 trillion tax increase, we’ve got full factory expensing, as President Trump has asked for as well, and a number of other tax cuts. 

    We’ve got no tax on tips, an increase in the deduction for seniors, and we also have no tax on overtime.

    On Republican efforts to reduce spending: 

    We reduce actual spending in our entitlement programs by somewhere between one-and-a-half and $2 trillion, and that spending, as well as the growth element of these tax policies is going to generate a deficit reduction, not a deficit increase.

    The $1.5 to $2 trillion in actual spending reduction is the biggest entitlement reform that has ever been done by Congress.

    Legislative text within the Finance Committee’s jurisdiction can be found here, a section-by-section here and summary here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 19, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Economics: Strengthen business resilience with Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop

    Source: Microsoft

    Headline: Strengthen business resilience with Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop

    Build a future-ready IT strategy with secure, scalable cloud solutions

    In the face of today’s complex and interconnected work ecosystems, resilience isn’t just a safeguard; it’s a strategic imperative for IT leaders driving sustainable transformation. True resilience means building an environment that proactively minimizes disruptions through robust systems, secured architectures and operational foresight. Resilience means an organization can anticipate, respond and recover swiftly, maintaining continuity without compromise. Security plays a foundational role in this approach.

    That’s why cloud-powered solutions such as Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop are essential; they empower organizations to build resilience from the ground up. By enabling secure and scalable Windows experiences, these services help minimize disruptions, support flexible work and protect business continuity. Whether it’s seamless access to apps and data or built-in security and compliance, customers rely on these solutions to stay productive and protected, no matter where or how they work.

    Building on that foundation, we’re introducing new experiences across Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop, each designed to strengthen organizational resilience through simplified, secured and flexible Windows solutions.

    And to make it easier for organizations to take the first step, new customers can take advantage of a limited-time 20% discount on all Windows 365 plans. Visit Windows 365 today to take advantage of the 20% promotional offer.

    Introducing Windows 365 Reserve: uninterrupted access, secured and ready when users need it

    Unexpected disruptions such as a lost, stolen, delayed or malfunctioning device can bring productivity to a halt and lead to considerable financial and operational losses. A recent study, which surveyed 1,000 ITDMs across a range of industries, highlighted the impact on business operations caused by device thefts and resulting data breaches. Seventy-six percent of those surveyed reported having been impacted by incidents of device theft in the last two years, with 33% reporting they were subjected to legal or regulatory consequences due to compromised data and 32% citing disruption to employee productivity. 1

    With Windows 365 Reserve, a new offering from Microsoft, employees can have instant access to a temporary, pre-configured Cloud PC when their primary device is unavailable. Windows 365 Reserve provides a secure, cloud-hosted Windows desktop that looks and feels like a physical PC, and is accessible from any device, anywhere, so employees can continue being productive.

    Device disruptions are more than an inconvenience — they’re a business risk that can lead to lost revenue, delayed service and reduced employee productivity.

    Windows 365 Reserve helps mitigate these risks by enabling:

    • Business continuity during device loss, theft, delivery delays or outages
    • Temporary access for onboarding, remote work delays or testing new OS/app configurations
    • Faster recovery from disruptions, reducing downtime and IT burden

    Windows 365 Reserve isn’t your traditional virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) solution — it’s a modern, secured and scalable offering designed for any type of worker across the entire organization to stay uninterrupted and productive, without the hassle or cost of managing cumbersome loaner PCs, temporary backup PC solutions or legacy VDI access. Each Reserve Cloud PC is preloaded with Microsoft 365 apps,2 corporate settings and security policies — ensuring data protection and compliance. IT teams can manage both physical and Cloud PCs — including these new Reserve Cloud PCs — through Microsoft Intune, streamlining endpoint oversight and reducing complexity. And because users can connect to their Reserve Cloud PC within minutes from any device using the Windows App or a browser to access the Windows 11 experience, there is minimal disruption to their workflow and business continuity.

    Windows 365 Reserve will soon be available for preview. Complete this form or contact your Microsoft account team to express interest in participating in the preview.

    Windows 365 Cloud Apps: app streaming without the full desktop

    Now in private preview, Windows 365 Cloud Apps let organizations deliver secure access to individual apps hosted on Cloud PCs, without requiring a dedicated Cloud PC for every user. Windows 365 Cloud Apps are a great fit for enterprise customers whether they’re experienced with VDI or just starting their cloud journey. They also give IT teams more flexibility to support a range of user needs and scenarios, while maintaining centralized control. Organizations can use Windows 365 Cloud Apps to:

    • Streamline app delivery for frontline, seasonal or remote workers
    • Provide information workers with the line of business apps they require
    • Simplify management with Windows 365 and Microsoft Intune integration
    • Accelerate migration from on-premises VDI to the cloud

    Windows 365 Cloud Apps will soon be available for preview. Complete this form or contact your Microsoft account team to express interest in participating in the preview.

    Windows 365 Link: purpose-built Cloud PC device gets even better

    Windows 365 Link — the first Cloud PC device purpose-built by Microsoft for Windows 365 — became generally available in select markets in April 2025 and is expanding to more markets later this year. To make the experience of using Windows 365 Link even better, we are excited to introduce the following updates:

    Connection Center: access multiple Cloud PCs with ease

    The Connection Center makes accessing multiple Cloud PCs from a Windows 365 Link simple and intuitive. For users with more than one Cloud PC and no default set, the Connection Center prompts them to choose the Cloud PC they want to use right at sign-in. This means less confusion and more control.

    The Connection Center also empowers users with self-service tools to reboot, restore and manage their Cloud PCs without needing IT support. If something goes wrong, people can quickly access troubleshooting options — minimizing downtime and boosting productivity.

    This experience is now generally available, and starting mid-July, the Connection Center can also be launched from the Ctrl+Alt+Delete screen, making it even more accessible.

    Connection Center showing multiple Cloud PCs after sign-in

    Enhanced multi-monitor support for a more flexible Windows 365 Link experience

    For users who rely on multiple monitors to stay productive, Windows 365 Link now offers expanded display settings — available in preview. Users can easily configure duplicate or extend monitors, giving them the flexibility to mirror their screen or expand their workspace across displays.

    We have also added intuitive controls to adjust resolution, scale and orientation — all fully integrated into the Cloud PC settings. That means they can personalize their display setup directly from the familiar Display Settings menu, just like on a local PC.

    With these latest updates, Windows 365 Link makes it even easier to work more efficiently, multitask seamlessly and tailor your Cloud PC experience to meet your unique workflows.

    Accessing display settings for Windows 365 Link

    Making sign-in even easier with NFC reader support

    We have heard from customers that using near-field communication (NFC) readers helps streamline the Windows sign-in experience — especially in environments where speed and security are critical. That is why, based on your feedback, we introduced preview support for NFC readers for FIDO2 security keys with the launch of Windows 365 Link in April 2025. Today, we’re excited to announce that NFC reader support is now generally available. Users can simply tap their FIDO2 security key on a USB NFC reader and enter their PIN to sign in. This enhancement helps organizations improve both security posture and user productivity, especially in shared device or frontline scenarios. To learn more, check out the documentation.

    To purchase Windows 365 Link for desk-based and frontline users in your organization, contact your Microsoft account team or select resellers in Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. We continue to expand availability to new markets, including Denmark, France, India, Netherlands and Sweden, with Switzerland anticipated later this year.

    Cross-region Disaster Recovery is available for Windows 365 Frontline

    Disaster recovery is a critical consideration for any IT desktop strategy. When it comes to virtualization, most organizations consider disaster recovery a primary objective. Since its introduction, Windows 365 has provided robust business continuity and disaster recovery options. Whether for compliance requirements, natural disasters, technical failure or human error, putting greater distance between your primary and backup environments can add an extra sense of security and peace of mind to any IT desktop strategy.

    On July 1, 2024, we introduced Cross-region Disaster Recovery, an add-on feature for Windows 365 Enterprise that creates “snapshots” of Cloud PCs. These snapshots are placed in customer-defined, geographically distant locations, and they can be recovered to Cloud PCs running in the selected location during a disaster recovery event.

    Today, we are excited to announce Cross-region Disaster Recovery is available in public preview as an add-on for Windows 365 Frontline. Now, in addition to Windows 365 Enterprise users, any user assigned to a dedicated Windows 365 Frontline Cloud PC will also be shielded against regional outages. If you’re interested in signing up for the public preview, please use this form. To learn more, read Cross-region Disaster Recovery in Windows 365 | Microsoft Learn.

    Secure by default: New security settings for Windows 365 Cloud PCs

    New default security settings are available for new and newly reprovisioned Cloud PCs. These updates mean Cloud PCs are more secure by default and include:

    • Disabling select redirections, such as USB and clipboard, making it easier for organizations to protect their data
    • Enabling additional security controls, including virtualization-based security, to better protect against credential theft and kernel-level exploits

    These updates are part of Microsoft’s commitment to making our products more secure by default, one of the core principles of our Secure Future Initiative.

    Powering high-performance scenarios: GPU support now available in HP Anyware for Windows 365

    We’re expanding our collaboration with HP Anyware to support GPU-enabled Windows 365 Enterprise Cloud PCs, now in preview. This integration brings the power of PC-over-IP (PCoIP) — a protocol known for delivering high-definition, low-latency performance — to Windows 365, making it ideal for graphics-intensive workloads such as 3D modeling, video editing and data visualization.

    With HP Anyware for Windows 365, users can securely access their Cloud PCs through a familiar digital workspace, while IT admins benefit from simplified deployment and management with Intune — no additional gateways or network reconfiguration required.

    To learn more or join the public preview of HP Anyware for Windows 365 GPU-enabled Enterprise Cloud PCs, contact your Microsoft account team or sign up to be notified.

    Bridge legacy and modern app delivery: App-V support now available for App attach in Azure Virtual Desktop

    Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V) for Windows is now supported by App attach in Azure Virtual Desktop and is generally available, marking a major step forward in application delivery for virtual environments.

    Organizations can incorporate existing App-V packages into the App attach framework without repackaging. This capability streamlines the transition to Azure Virtual Desktop by preserving investments in legacy applications while enabling more modern and scalable delivery.

    The time for this update is critical, as App-V enters a phase of extended support. By bridging the gap between legacy application virtualization and modern desktop infrastructure, App attach combines continuity with innovation to help teams maintain stability while evolving their cloud strategy. To learn more about App-V support in App attach and to find information about partner solution integration with App attach visit our Azure Virtual Desktop documentation pages.

    Windows App updates: better Microsoft Teams, printing and remote access

    The Windows App is your gateway to securely connect to Windows on any device across Windows 365, Azure Virtual Desktop, Remote PC, Remote Desktop Services, Microsoft Dev Box and more.  Available on Windows, macOS, iOS, iPadOS,3 web browsers and now Android,4 it brings a unified, modern experience across platforms, making it easier than ever to access your Cloud PCs, virtual machines (VMs) and remote resources anywhere on any device. With the latest updates, we are excited to announce several new capabilities that will enhance your experience and productivity.

    Better Microsoft Teams performance on mobile: in public preview for Windows App on Android and iOS/iPadOS

    Building on last year’s Teams optimizations for Windows App on Windows, new exclusive optimizations for the Windows App on Android and iOS/iPadOS will soon be available in the newest versions of Windows App. These enhancements improve audio and sound quality in Teams, reducing issues and enhancing the overall user experience. Learn more.

    New Remote App launcher in Windows App on web

    People connecting to Windows App via the web can access the Remote App launcher directly from the toolbar inside the web client. The Remote App launcher can be used to launch additional apps from the same workspace without switching between tabs, making app discovery and launching apps more seamless.

    New printing capabilities in Windows App on web

    Windows App on web now supports new printing capabilities for locally attached printers on Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop. Users can easily print documents directly to their locally attached printers, streamlining the printing process and eliminating extra steps between viewing and printing documents.

    Native access to remote sessions in Windows App on web

    You can now utilize the Windows App on web to access Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop remote sessions natively. By simply selecting the “Connect in desktop app” option from the dropdown menu, you can open the desktop version of the Windows App.

    Users can also access their desktops and apps using direct launch URLs in Windows App on web. Learn more.

    Resilience starts with the right tools so organizations can stay agile, secured and ready

    Organizational resilience isn’t just convenient; it’s an essential approach to remain functional, flexible, prepared and competitive. With the latest enhancements to Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop, Microsoft is enabling organizations to safeguard business continuity, navigate disruptions with confidence and maintain control. Now is the time to explore how these innovations can help strengthen your resilience strategy.

    Get 20% off Windows 365 today

    Microsoft is currently offering a 20% discount on all Windows 365 plans for the first 12 months for new customers, making it an even more compelling option for those looking to transition smoothly. Visit Windows 365 today to take advantage of the 20% promotional offer.*

    * Notice: Microsoft reserves the right to discontinue this promotion, and to modify these policies and the promotion’s terms and conditions at any time.

    This offer runs from May 1 to Oct. 31, 2025, and is for customers not currently subscribing to Windows 365. Transactions must be processed through Microsoft’s operations center before 11:00 p.m. Pacific Time on Oct. 31, 2025. This offer is non-transferable and cannot be combined with any other offer or discount on Windows 365. This offer is available only once per customer. The discount price will be in effect for the duration of the purchase commitment. Purchases made prior to the effective date of the offer are not eligible. Taxes, if any, are the sole responsibility of the recipient.

    1. Source: Study Highlights Prevalence of Device Theft and the Impacts on Businesses in U.S. and Europe. April 22, 2025;  Methodology: study conducted by market research firm, Vanson Bourne on behalf of Kensington Computer Products Group; Survey size: 1,000 IT decision-makers.
    2. Microsoft 365 subscription is required.
    3. macOS and iPadOS are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries and regions. IOS is a trademark or registered trademark of Cisco in the U.S. and other countries and is used under license.
    4. Android is a trademark of Google LLC.

    MIL OSI Economics –

    June 19, 2025
  • MIL-OSI USA: Celebrating Cayuga Milk Expansion Project

    Source: US State of New York

    overnor Kathy Hochul and Cayuga Milk Ingredients today marked the grand opening of a two-phase, $270 million expansion project in the Town of Aurelius, Cayuga County, allowing the company to better assist their clients and create opportunities for New York State dairy farmers. The state-of-the-art facility will also allow the company to more than double its workforce, adding up to 150 new jobs to the existing workforce of 100 employees. The State is supporting this transformative project through a $4 million capital grant and up to $4 million made available through the performance-based Excelsior Jobs Tax Credit Program in exchange for job creation commitments. Cayuga Milk Ingredients is a farmer-owned dairy processor, producing premium milk and innovative dairy ingredients for customers across the globe. This announcement comes as the State celebrates Dairy Month this June.

    “Cayuga Milk Ingredients’ continued expansion in Cayuga County marks another exciting chapter in New York’s agricultural success story,” Governor Hochul said. “New York’s dairy industry serves as a crucial economic engine for our state, and our support for this project reinforces our commitment to those efforts and to our hard-working dairy farmers, further cementing our position as one of the nation’s top dairy producers.”

    Phase one of the expansion at the Eagle Drive facility included the purchase and installation of an ultra-high temperature (UHT)/aseptic low acid packaging system and a new reverse osmosis filtration system. The second phase included the addition of machinery and equipment, and the expansion of the facility’s wastewater treatment plant.

    At the facility, Cayuga Milk Ingredients (CMI) monitors all aspects of product integrity, offering a high level of traceability and sustainability, combining innovative manufacturing technology with a focus on reducing their environmental impact. With a vertically integrated model and state-of-the-art processing capabilities, they transform high-quality milk into value-added products including high-protein milk, powders, and ultrafiltered dairy ingredients. CMI is committed to advancing sustainable agriculture, supporting the well-being of its farmers, employees and cows, and delivering exceptional ingredients for the future of food.

    CMI processes over 1.5 billion pounds of premium quality milk from 22 family-owned dairy farms within the region. The farmer-owners are recognized globally for their higher level of commitment in animal welfare, environmental sustainability, and worker wellness all based around a culture of continuous improvement.

    CMI is also actively focused on reducing their environmental impact. The advanced processing at the state-of-the-art production facility, which incorporates ultrafiltration and cutting-edge industry technologies, has positioned the company as a unique leader in the global foods market, setting them ahead of the curve for quality manufacturing standards.

    Cayuga Milk Ingredients and Cayuga Marketing CEO Brian Linney said, “Cayuga Milk Ingredients is proud to be a key player in New York’s dairy industry, with the investment in our new aseptic and extended shelf-life fluid dairy production facility driving long term growth in our community with more than 150 new permanent jobs, as well as another 350+ jobs during facility construction. We are grateful for the support of Governor Hochul in this project expansion as we work to ensure the continued success and longevity of the agricultural industry in New York State.”

    Governor Hochul remains laser focused on supporting New York’s dairy farmers. Earlier this month, the Governor announced nearly $21.6 million had been awarded to 103 farms across the state through the Dairy Modernization Grant Program to support New York’s dairy industry. The funding will help New York’s dairy farmers and dairy cooperatives invest in new equipment, expand storage capacity, and strengthen their operations, particularly as they face extreme weather events, providing a critical boost to New York’s dairy industry.

    Since taking office, Governor Hochul has made significant strides in expanding the dairy manufacturing sector in New York. In the last few years, New York has celebrated investments across the state, including a $650 million fairlife production plant in Webster, a $518 million Great Lakes Cheese packaging and manufacturing facility in Franklinville, and a $30 million expansion to the Agri-Mark cheese manufacturing facility in Chateaugay, helping New York continue to be the leading producer of milk in the Northeast. Most recently, the Governor announced Chobani will build a 1.4 million square foot, $1.2 billion facility in Rome, Oneida County, capable of producing over one-billion pounds of high-quality dairy products per year. There are currently nearly 300 world-recognized dairy processing plants across New York.

    New York State has roughly 3,000 dairy farms that produce over 16 billion pounds of milk annually, making New York the nation’s fifth-largest dairy state. The dairy industry is the state’s largest agricultural sector, contributing significantly to the state’s economy by generating nearly half of the state’s total agricultural receipts and providing some of the highest economic multipliers. New York’s unique and talented dairy producers and processors contribute significantly to the state’s agriculture industry, economy and the health of our communities.

    New York State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball said, “New York is a dairy state, through and through. We have thousands of dedicated dairy farmers, producing some of the very best products in the world, and we rank as number one for yogurt, sour cream, cream cheese, and more. I thank the Governor for her commitment to uplifting New York’s dairy community, from the on-farm grants announced earlier this month to investing millions in processing capacity across the State over the years, with the help of our partners at Empire State Development. Together, we are building a strong foundation to support our farmers and boost our agricultural economy.”

    Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Hope Knight said, “We’re excited to mark this major milestone with Cayuga Milk Ingredients, a project that will continue to fill the region’s economic glass to the brim with top-quality jobs that support Upstate dairy farmers. This successful company is putting down roots thanks to our unmatched agribusiness infrastructure that ensures New York State remains a leader in dairy production.”

    State Senator Rachel May said, “The dairy industry in Cayuga County is thriving, and Cayuga Milk Ingredients is at the forefront of this growth. With its impressive multi-million-dollar expansion, the company will continue to be a catalyst for economic growth in our community for years to come, creating many well-paying jobs for residents. I appreciate Governor Hochul’s support for this important project and our dairy farmers in Central New York.”

    Cayuga County Legislature Chairman Jonathan Anna said, “We applaud Governor Kathy Hochul and Cayuga Milk Ingredients on the grand opening of this transformative $270 million expansion project in the Town of Aurelius. This significant investment represents a bold step forward for Cayuga County’s dairy industry — as the number one dairy producing county in the state this project continues to support not only innovation and global competitiveness but also our local communities and family farms. As a farmer-owned cooperative, Cayuga Milk Ingredients exemplifies the spirit of collaboration and agricultural excellence that defines our county. The creation of up to 150 new jobs and the expansion of cutting-edge processing capabilities are a testament to what can be achieved when public and private sectors work together. We are also grateful for the State’s strategic support through the $4 million capital grant and the Excelsior Jobs Program, which ensures job growth and long-term economic impact to our region. During Dairy Month, this announcement reminds us of the strength, resilience, and essential contributions of our dairy farmers and processors. Congratulations to all involved in making this project a reality. Cayuga County looks forward to seeing Cayuga Milk Ingredients continue to thrive and lead the way in delivering premium dairy products to consumers not only locally but around the world.”

    For additional information about Cayuga Milk Ingredients, visit: https://www.cmingredients.com/.

    Accelerating Economic Development in Central NY
    Today’s announcement complements “CNY Rising,” the region’s comprehensive strategy to generate robust economic growth and community development. The regionally designed plan focuses on capitalizing on global market opportunities, strengthening entrepreneurship and creating an inclusive economy. More information is available here.

    About Empire State Development
    Empire State Development is New York’s chief economic development agency, and promotes business growth, job creation, and greater economic opportunity throughout the state. With offices in each of the state’s 10 regions, ESD oversees the Regional Economic Development Councils, supports broadband equity through the ConnectALL office, and is growing the workforce of tomorrow through the Office of Strategic Workforce Development. The agency engages with emerging and next generation industries like clean energy and semiconductor manufacturing looking to grow in New York State, operates a network of assistance centers to help small businesses grow and succeed, and promotes the state’s world class tourism destinations through I LOVE NY. For more information, please visit esd.ny.gov, and connect with ESD on LinkedIn, Facebook and X.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 19, 2025
  • MIL-OSI USA: Nearly Three Million New Yorkers to Receive Tax Relief

    Source: US State of New York

    overnor Kathy Hochul today announced that nearly three million New Yorkers will receive $2.2 billion in tax relief this summer and fall through New York’s School Tax Relief (STAR) program. STAR provides property tax relief to eligible homeowners and seniors statewide. While some STAR recipients have already received their benefit in the form of a tax exemption this year, many other recipients will receive their benefit as a tax credit and will be sent a check in the mail this summer and fall. Check deliveries will begin next week and will continue statewide throughout the coming months. Most homeowners eligible for a STAR credit will receive a check between $350 and $600. Most seniors eligible for an Enhanced STAR credit will receive a check between $700 and $1,500. STAR recipients can visit ny.gov/STAR to track their check delivery or enroll in direct deposit.

    “Summer is here — and it’s also the start of STAR tax relief season for millions of New Yorkers,” Governor Hochul said. “From tax credits to child care assistance and much more, we’re continuing to put more money back in New Yorkers’ pockets.”

    New York State Department of Taxation and Finance Acting Commissioner Amanda Hiller said, “The STAR program delivers welcome tax relief, and we want every eligible homeowner to take advantage of it. If you’re a new homeowner, or you are currently not receiving a STAR benefit on your primary residence, check out the Tax Department’s website to see how you can enroll and start saving.”

    Regional breakdown of this year’s $2.2 billion in STAR tax relief for nearly 3 million New Yorkers:

    REGION STAR TAX RELIEF RECIPIENTS
    Capital District $144.5 million 242,000
    Central New York $131.1 million 176,000
    Finger Lakes $205.2 million 279,000
    Long Island $698.4 million 582,000
    Mid-Hudson $488.5 million 404,000
    Mohawk Valley $66.3 million 101,000
    New York City $158.6 million 483,000
    North Country $47.2 million 88,000
    Southern Tier $109.6 million 156,000
    Western New York $178.5 million 320,000
    TOTAL $2.2 BILLION 2.83 MILLION

    Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said, “While Washington advances tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy and mega-corporations at the expense of millions of working Americans, we in New York continue to champion the well-being of the middle class. The Senate Democratic Majority has worked with Governor Hochul and the Assembly to put more money back in the pockets of everyday New Yorkers. We look forward to continuing the fight to make New York more affordable.”

    Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said, “As we head into the summer, millions of homeowners and seniors across the state will get these STAR tax relief checks, putting money back into their pockets and allowing them to spend their hard-earned money in the best way for their family. We will continue working together with our partners in government to find commonsense ways to ease the financial burden on New York families.”

    Homeowners and seniors who are eligible and enrolled in the STAR program receive their benefit each year in one of two ways: as an exemption that reduces their school tax bill, or as a credit issued as a check or direct deposit.

    The STAR benefits received by each recipient are based in part on local school taxes and vary based on the county in which the individual resides, among other factors.

    Homeowners who are registered and eligible for the STAR credit can expect to receive their STAR credit before the deadline for their school taxes. Some parts of the state — including New York City, Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse — have due dates in July and will receive their STAR benefits between the end of June and mid-July. Benefits across other parts of the state will continue to roll out statewide throughout the summer and fall.

    Those who receive the STAR credit as a check or direct deposit can visit the STAR Credit Delivery Schedule to learn when credits will be issued in their area. Property owners who are looking for details about STAR credits that have already been issued should visit the Property Tax Credit Lookup.

    Enroll in STAR Direct Deposit

    Homeowners can enroll in the STAR Credit Direct Deposit program through the Homeowner Benefit Portal within the Tax Department’s secure Online Services system. Homeowners will also be able to use the Homeowner Benefit Portal to manage their STAR benefits easily and efficiently.

    The direct deposit option enables eligible STAR credit recipients to get their STAR credits without having to wait for and cash a check. To ensure homeowners receive their STAR credit by direct deposit this year, they should enroll as soon as possible. Homeowners who enroll fewer than 15 days before STAR credits are issued will receive a check this year and direct deposit will begin next year.

    For more information about the STAR program, visit the Tax Department’s STAR Resource Center.

    State Senator José M. Serrano said, “The New York State School Tax Relief (STAR) program is a vital resource for homeowners and seniors throughout New York State. I am happy that this year’s program will provide much needed property tax relief to nearly three million people statewide. My sincere thanks to Governor Kathy Hochul and my colleagues in government for their continued investment in our homeowners.”

    State Senator Leroy Comrie said, “As the cost of living continues to rise, property tax relief through the STAR program is a lifeline for working families and seniors across New York. I commend Governor Hochul for prioritizing this critical support, which will provide meaningful relief to nearly three million homeowners statewide. Including thousands in Southeastern Queens. These investments help keep our communities stable and our residents secure in their homes”

    State Senator Roxanne J. Persaud said, “I encourage all eligible individuals to enroll in the STAR program. The STAR tax relief program puts money back into the hands of hardworking homeowners and seniors, which helps to ease the burden of rising costs and ensure families can continue to thrive in the communities they love.”

    State Senator Jamaal T. Bailey said, “With the cost of living continuing to rise, this year’s STAR tax relief program delivers real and timely support for millions of New Yorkers. Whether it’s helping seniors on fixed incomes or working families trying to stay afloat, these checks offer critical relief and stability. I thank Governor Hochul for her work in supporting this program that puts money back into the pockets of homeowners and strengthens our communities.”

    State Senator Shelley B. Mayer said, “I am pleased that millions of New Yorkers, including over 400,000 residents in the Hudson Valley, receive tax relief this summer and fall through the New York School Tax Relief (STAR) program. Many families in Westchester struggle with the high cost of living, and the STAR program will offer much-needed assistance. I encourage those eligible for STAR to enroll in direct deposit to simplify the process of receiving your STAR checks. I would also like to thank Governor Kathy Hochul for her commitment towards a hassle-free program that helps alleviate the burden of property taxes.”

    State Senator Pete Harckham said, “At a time when every dollar counts, New York State is proactively helping seniors and middle-class New Yorkers. The disbursement of $2.2 billion in STAR property tax relief funds this summer and fall will make an important difference in the lives of taxpayers and support the local economy of the Hudson Valley.”

    State Senator Monica R. Martinez said, “Thanks to the STAR program, nearly 3 million New York State families, including more than 580,000 on Long Island, are seeing meaningful tax relief this year. Providing $2.2 billion in assistance will ease a financial burden on New Yorkers, improve homeownership affordability, and give families more flexibility in managing their household budgets. I thank Governor Hochul for working with the Legislature to continue providing this support for property owners across our state.”

    State Senator Rachel May said, “The STAR program helps make homeownership more affordable for seniors and families across New York. In Central New York, this kind of targeted tax relief makes a real difference. I’m grateful to Governor Hochul for continuing to support a program that helps so many of our neighbors stay in their homes.”

    State Senator Robert Jackson said, “In a time when working families are being priced out of the very neighborhoods they helped build, the STAR program is not a luxury—it’s a lifeline. I commend Governor Hochul for delivering $2.2 billion in direct relief to nearly 3 million New Yorkers, including seniors who have spent decades strengthening our communities. This is how government should work: putting public dollars back into the hands of the people. Tax justice is housing justice—and STAR is helping keep that promise real, one check at a time.”

    State Senator Jeremy Cooney said, “The STAR program is one of many ways we are tackling affordability in New York and making our state a place where everyone is able to live and thrive. With billions in relief being sent out, including over $205 million for the Finger Lakes region, I want to thank Governor Hochul for putting money back in the pockets of New Yorkers and for her commitment to increasing the quality of life across our state.”

    State Senator Samra Brouk said, “Working families in New York State need our support. Through New York School’s Tax Relief (STAR) program, more homeowners and older adults will receive property tax relief so they can keep money in their pockets. I applaud Governor Hochul for investing in New Yorkers and helping our families thrive.”

    State Senator Michelle Hinchey said, “Delivering over $630 million in property tax relief for homeowners across the Mid-Hudson Valley and Capital Region is a big deal. At a time when the cost of everything is up—from groceries to utilities—putting more money back into people’s pockets is critical to easing the pressure on working families and seniors. The STAR program is a big help in reducing that financial strain, and we’ll continue to push for the tax relief New Yorkers deserve through this and other state initiatives.”

    State Senator Lea Webb said, The STAR program is a lifeline for hardworking families and seniors across the Southern Tier and I’m proud to see $109.6 million for residents in my district. This year’s tax relief means more money in the pockets of nearly 3 million New Yorkers and for our communities, that makes a real difference. Whether it’s covering heating bills, groceries, or home repairs, this support helps people stay rooted in the homes they’ve worked hard to build.”

    State Senator Nathalia Fernandez said, “At a time when working families’ budgets are being stretched in every direction, this STAR tax relief serves as a real lifeline. I appreciate Governor Hochul’s commitment to getting this done, and for ensuring that New Yorkers can access the relief they deserve.”

    State Senator April N.M. Baskin said, “The STAR program provides real relief to seniors and eligible homeowners in our great state. In her State of the State address, Governor Hochul emphasized the need for affordable housing. I commend the governor for her follow through, ensuring that Western New York receives nearly $180 million and that many other areas across the state are benefiting from this essential program.”

    Assemblymember William Colton said, “The STAR tax credit is a great way for homeowners to save money on their property tax bill for their primary residence. If you haven’t applied, but think you might be eligible, based on income level, I urge you to do so. In particular, seniors who meet eligibility requirements may be entitled to the benefits of the Enhanced STAR program, which are extremely meaningful to those on a fixed income. Because the maximum income for eligibility for Enhanced STAR has been raised this year, more seniors who previously didn’t qualify will be able to claim the added tax relief, which is really important as prices have continued to rise on so many necessities.

    Assemblymember Charles D. Lavine said, “I am grateful to Governor Hochul for supporting this wonderful program and making it easier than ever to get real money back in the pockets of New Yorkers. She continues to prioritize the economic needs of hard-working families and seniors, and I commend her for that. I encourage everyone to use the online STAR resource center to determine eligibility.”

    Assemblymember Steven Otis said, “Governor Hochul and the State Legislature have again funded the popular STAR tax relief program. This is an important part of the effort in this year’s state budget to address issues of affordability for families. Established decades ago, Basic STAR and Enhanced STAR help reduce the burden of school property taxes across the state. Each year I support continued state commitment in our enacted state budgets for STAR.”

    Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon said, “As the cost of living goes up, the STAR program continues to provide much-needed relief for seniors and homeowners. For many, it is the difference between buying groceries and going hungry. I’m grateful to Governor Hochul for ensuring this vital relief reaches New Yorkers in need.”

    Assemblymember Latrice Walker said, “I hear almost daily from constituents about their ongoing struggles to pay for food, utilities, and other necessities. They live in a day-to-day affordability crisis where every dollar counts. I applaud Gov. Kathy Hochul for her leadership in bringing tax relief to nearly 3 million New Yorkers, including 483,000 right here in the five boroughs. Homeowners, especially our beloved seniors, need this type of relief now.”

    Assemblymember Rebecca A. Seawright said, “As Chair of the Aging Committee and Assembly Member of the largest cohort of older adults in Manhattan, I am grateful to Governor Hochul for her enduring leadership on affordability in our city and state, particularly for aging New Yorkers. The STAR and Enhanced STAR Credits provide invaluable tax relief to qualifying homeowners and elders. They also enable aging in place for elder New Yorkers – including over sixty thousand constituents in my district – which enhances their health and advances quality of life at significant, taxpayer cost savings over institutionalized care. The STAR program is both compassionate and common sense.”

    Assemblymember Clyde Vanel said, “As New Yorkers continue to feel the pressure of a rising cost of living, Governor Hochul’s commitment to the STAR program ensures that millions of families and seniors in the state can keep more of their hard-earned money. This critical tax relief will continue to strengthen communities across our state and I applaud the Governor for her unwavering support of this vital program.”

    Assemblymember Harvey Epstein said, “As the cost of living continues to increase in our state, it is important to put money back in the pockets of New Yorkers. The STAR tax credit will offer property tax relief to many homeowners who need it.”

    Assemblymember Charles D. Fall said, “Many of our homeowners—particularly seniors on fixed incomes—depend on the STAR program to help offset the burden of rising property taxes. That’s why I’ve remained a strong advocate for increasing public awareness and ensuring our community understands how to access this vital benefit. With nearly three million New Yorkers set to receive STAR credits this summer and fall, the impact of this program is undeniable. Whether the relief amounts to $350 or $1,500, every dollar matters—especially as the cost of living continues to rise. I remain committed to making sure no one in our district is left behind when it comes to receiving the support they’re entitled to.”

    Assemblymember Jen Lunsford said, “The STAR and Enhanced STAR credits are some of the most effective tools we have to put money back in the pockets of New Yorkers. We don’t levy school or property taxes at the state level so we have to get creative about providing relief. The improvements we’ve made in this year’s budget will mean hundreds, and in some cases over a thousand, dollars to our homeowners and seniors, helping them make ends meet at a time when they need it most.”

    Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas said, “I commend the Governor Hochul, Speaker Heastie, Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins, and my colleagues in the Legislature for ensuring New York homeowners get the support they need in our rapidly changing economy. New Yorkers are navigating challenging circumstances and need all the relief they can get. The STAR rebate check disbursement by Governor Hochul is a great opportunity to support homeowners in our city and state as budgets have only gotten tighter, and bills have gone higher. Thank you to all who helped make this happen so we can provide more economic relief to all New Yorkers.”

    Assemblymember Nily Rozic said, “Property tax relief is one of the most direct and meaningful ways we can support the working and middle-class. This investment through the STAR program will provide real relief for homeowners and seniors across Queens and throughout the state. I thank Governor Hochul for making affordability a priority and putting money back into the pockets of New Yorkers.”

    Assemblymember Yudelka Tapia said, “At a time when so many families and seniors are feeling the strain of rising costs, the STAR relief program is meaningful assistance that puts money back in people’s pockets. I’m proud to support programs like STAR that make it easier for New Yorkers to stay in their homes and build financial stability. I thank Governor Hochul for continuing to prioritize assistance for seniors and homeowners across our state.”

    Assemblymember Dana Levenberg said, “The STAR program provides incredibly important tax relief in my district. I am proud to have protected it and fought for more middle-class tax relief in this year’s state budget, and pleased that my constituents will begin seeing some relief in the coming months. As the country’s economic outlook becomes more uncertain, I will continue working with my colleagues and the Governor to provide whatever relief we can to New York’s working and middle-class households.”

    Assemblymember Gabriella A. Romero said, “I’m proud to share that this year, over 242,000 homeowners in the Capital Region will see $144.5 million in STAR property tax relief. This vital investment prioritizes those hit hardest by the rising cost of living and delivers lasting relief where it’s needed most. I’m honored to stand with Governor Hochul and my colleagues in the State Legislature who ensured this was included in this year’s budget.”

    Assemblymember George Alvarez said, “At a time when the cost of living continues to burden working families and seniors across our state, the STAR program provides critical relief that puts money directly back into the hands of homeowners. I applaud Governor Hochul’s commitment to easing the financial pressure on nearly three million New Yorkers, including many in my district, through this meaningful investment in property tax relief”.

    Assemblymember Steven Raga said, “Homeownership should be a reward for a lifetime of work — but in New York, the high cost of living is putting that dream in jeopardy. That’s why I’m happy that under Governor Hochul’s leadership, eligible homeowners and seniors are receiving $2.2 billion worth of tax relief this year. From working-class families in Elmhurst to seniors on fixed incomes in Westside, eligible residents of New York will receive checks between $350-$1,500 — a much relief to our tax burdened communities. I thank Governor Kathy Hochul for her commitment to strengthening this program, and for recognizing the importance of preserving and expanding efforts that meet the evolving needs of our communities.”

    Assemblymember MaryJane Shimsky said, “STAR provides desperately needed property tax relief to New York’s homeowners. With major funding cuts coming from Washington, these benefits will be even more crucial as our households struggle harder to make ends meet. I urge our homeowners to check their eligibility for both Basic STAR and Enhanced STAR, and to consult the delivery schedule for their area. Thanks to Governor Hochul for getting the word out!”

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 19, 2025
  • MIL-OSI: Satellogic Poised to Deliver Its NextGen Satellite and Technology Transfer for Malaysia’s Earth Observation Satellite Program

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NEW YORK, June 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Satellogic, Inc. (NASDAQ: SATL), a leader in satellite manufacturing and high-resolution Earth observation data, is pleased to announce that Uzma Berhad, and by extension Satellogic as Uzma’s Technology Partner, has been selected as the successful bidder to lead the Malaysian High-Resolution Earth Observation Satellite Project (MHREOSP) for the Government of Malaysia.

    As a technology partner, Satellogic will design, develop, assemble, integrate and test a state-of-the-art high resolution satellite with active involvement of Malaysian personnel. This newest evolution of Satellogic’s proven platform, is built on the extensive heritage from over 50 NewSat satellites and features key upgrades, including superior National Imagery Interpretability Rating Scales (NIIRS) ratings, larger optics and enhanced sensor design, to deliver 50cm resolution across all spectral bands. Final integration and testing are planned to take place in Malaysia in collaboration with Uzma and local parties to support meaningful homegrown capacity development.

    This collaboration builds on the successful deployment of UzmaSAT-1 and underscores Satellogic’s commitment to delivering agile space solutions to its customers around the world. “Satellogic brings proven satellite technology and a commitment to agile innovation that aligns with our goals and the nation’s space aspirations, supporting the Malaysia Space Exploration 2030 Action Plan,” said Dato’ Kamarul Redzuan Muhamed, Group CEO of Uzma Berhad. “With the Government’s guidance, Satellogic’s expertise, and our homegrown talents, we are enabling Malaysia to leap forward in its geospatial intelligence capabilities and supporting the long-term sustainability of our national infrastructure and environment by nurturing local talent through knowledge sharing, technology transfer, and exposure to satellite technology. We look forward to help grow the ecosystem further, guided by the Malaysian Government and its agencies, including Malaysia’s Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI), MYSA, the Public-Private Partnership Unit (UKAS), and Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology (MIGHT).”

    The selection strengthens Satellogic’s expanding presence in Asia and reinforces its mission to democratize access to state-of-the-art space technology.
    “This partnership harnesses the power of commercial space to strengthen national sovereignty through proprietary space access,” said Emiliano Kargieman, CEO & Co-Founder of Satellogic. “We’re proud to support Malaysia’s forward-looking vision for space and to work alongside Uzma and GeospatialAI in delivering capabilities that will drive national resilience and innovation”

    About Satellogic

    Founded in 2010 by Emiliano Kargieman and Gerardo Richarte, Satellogic (NASDAQ: SATL) is the first vertically integrated geospatial company, driving real outcomes with planetary-scale insights. Satellogic is creating and continuously enhancing the first scalable, fully automated EO platform with the ability to remap the entire planet at both high-frequency and high-resolution, providing accessible and affordable solutions for customers.

    Satellogic’s mission is to democratize access to geospatial data through its information platform of high resolution images to help solve the world’s most pressing problems including climate change, energy supply, and food security. Using its patented Earth imaging technology, Satellogic unlocks the power of EO to deliver high-quality, planetary insights at the lowest cost in the industry.

    With more than a decade of experience in space, Satellogic has proven technology and a strong track record of delivering satellites to orbit and high-resolution data to customers at the right price point.

    To learn more, please visit: http://www.satellogic.com

    Forward-Looking Statements

    This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the U.S. federal securities laws. The words “anticipate”, “believe”, “continue”, “could”, “estimate”, “expect”, “intends”, “may”, “might”, “plan”, “possible”, “potential”, “predict”, “project”, “should”, “would” and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. These forward-looking statements are based on Satellogic’s current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on Satellogic and include statements concerning Satellogic’s strategic realignment as a U.S. company, and the visibility and high growth opportunities it will provide in connection therewith. Forward-looking statements are predictions, projections and other statements about future events that are based on current expectations and assumptions and, as a result, are subject to risks and uncertainties. These statements are based on various assumptions, whether or not identified in this press release. These forward-looking statements are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to serve, and must not be relied on by an investor as, a guarantee, an assurance, a prediction or a definitive statement of fact or probability. Actual events and circumstances are difficult or impossible to predict and will differ
    from assumptions. Many actual events and circumstances are beyond the control of Satellogic. Many factors could cause actual future events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this press release, including but not limited to: (i) our ability to generate revenue as expected, including due to challenges created by macroeconomic concerns, geopolitical uncertainty (e.g., trade relationships), financial market fluctuations and related factors, (ii) our ability to effectively market and sell our EO services and to convert contracted revenues and our pipeline of potential contracts into actual revenues, (iii) risks related to the secured convertible notes, (iv) the potential loss of one or more of our largest customers, (v) the considerable time and expense related to our sales efforts and the length and unpredictability of our sales cycle, (vi) risks and uncertainties associated with defense-related contracts, (vii) risk related to our pricing structure, (viii) our ability to scale production of our satellites as planned, (ix) unforeseen risks, challenges and uncertainties related to our expansion into new business lines, (x) our dependence on third parties, including SpaceX, to transport and launch our satellites into space, (xi) our reliance on third-party vendors and manufacturers to build and provide certain satellite components, products, or services and the inability of these vendors and manufacturers to meet our needs, (xii) our dependence on ground station and cloud-based computing infrastructure operated by third pirates for value-added services, and any errors, disruption, performance problems, or failure in their or our operational infrastructure, (xiii) risk related to certain minimum service requirements in our customer contracts, (xiv) market acceptance of our EO services and our dependence upon our ability to keep pace with the latest technological advances, including those related to artificial intelligence and machine learning, (xv) our ability to identify suitable acquisition candidates or consummate acquisitions on acceptable terms, or our ability to successfully integrate acquisitions, (xvi) competition for EO services, (xvii) challenges with international operations or unexpected changes to the regulatory environment in certain markets, (xviii) unknown defects or errors in our products, (xix) risk related to the capital-intensive nature of our business and our ability to raise adequate capital to finance our business strategies, (xx) uncertainties beyond our control related to the production, launch, commissioning, and/or operation of our satellites and related ground systems, software and analytic technologies, (xxi) the failure of the market for EO services to achieve the growth potential we expect, (xxii) risks related to our satellites and related equipment becoming impaired, (xxiii) risks related to the failure of our satellites to operate as intended, (xxiv) production and launch delays, launch failures, and damage or destruction to our satellites during launch, (xxv) the impact of natural disasters, unusual or prolonged unfavorable weather conditions, epidemic outbreaks, terrorist acts and geopolitical events (including the ongoing conflicts between Russia and Ukraine, in the Gaza Strip and the Red Sea region) on our business and satellite launch schedules and (xxvi) the anticipated benefits of the domestication may not materialize. The foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. You should carefully consider the foregoing factors and the other risks and uncertainties described in the “Risk Factors” section of Satellogic’s Annual Report on Form 10-K and other documents filed or to be filed by Satellogic from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These filings identify and address other important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and Satellogic assumes no obligation and does not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Satellogic can give no assurance that it will achieve its expectations.

    Contacts

    Investor Relations:

    Ryan Driver, VP of Strategy & Corporate Development 

    ryan.driver@Satellogic.com

    Media Relations:

    Satellogic

    pr@Satellogic.com

    Uzma Berhad

    communications@uzmagroup.com

    The MIL Network –

    June 19, 2025
  • MIL-OSI: Satellogic Poised to Deliver Its NextGen Satellite and Technology Transfer for Malaysia’s Earth Observation Satellite Program

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NEW YORK, June 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Satellogic, Inc. (NASDAQ: SATL), a leader in satellite manufacturing and high-resolution Earth observation data, is pleased to announce that Uzma Berhad, and by extension Satellogic as Uzma’s Technology Partner, has been selected as the successful bidder to lead the Malaysian High-Resolution Earth Observation Satellite Project (MHREOSP) for the Government of Malaysia.

    As a technology partner, Satellogic will design, develop, assemble, integrate and test a state-of-the-art high resolution satellite with active involvement of Malaysian personnel. This newest evolution of Satellogic’s proven platform, is built on the extensive heritage from over 50 NewSat satellites and features key upgrades, including superior National Imagery Interpretability Rating Scales (NIIRS) ratings, larger optics and enhanced sensor design, to deliver 50cm resolution across all spectral bands. Final integration and testing are planned to take place in Malaysia in collaboration with Uzma and local parties to support meaningful homegrown capacity development.

    This collaboration builds on the successful deployment of UzmaSAT-1 and underscores Satellogic’s commitment to delivering agile space solutions to its customers around the world. “Satellogic brings proven satellite technology and a commitment to agile innovation that aligns with our goals and the nation’s space aspirations, supporting the Malaysia Space Exploration 2030 Action Plan,” said Dato’ Kamarul Redzuan Muhamed, Group CEO of Uzma Berhad. “With the Government’s guidance, Satellogic’s expertise, and our homegrown talents, we are enabling Malaysia to leap forward in its geospatial intelligence capabilities and supporting the long-term sustainability of our national infrastructure and environment by nurturing local talent through knowledge sharing, technology transfer, and exposure to satellite technology. We look forward to help grow the ecosystem further, guided by the Malaysian Government and its agencies, including Malaysia’s Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI), MYSA, the Public-Private Partnership Unit (UKAS), and Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology (MIGHT).”

    The selection strengthens Satellogic’s expanding presence in Asia and reinforces its mission to democratize access to state-of-the-art space technology.
    “This partnership harnesses the power of commercial space to strengthen national sovereignty through proprietary space access,” said Emiliano Kargieman, CEO & Co-Founder of Satellogic. “We’re proud to support Malaysia’s forward-looking vision for space and to work alongside Uzma and GeospatialAI in delivering capabilities that will drive national resilience and innovation”

    About Satellogic

    Founded in 2010 by Emiliano Kargieman and Gerardo Richarte, Satellogic (NASDAQ: SATL) is the first vertically integrated geospatial company, driving real outcomes with planetary-scale insights. Satellogic is creating and continuously enhancing the first scalable, fully automated EO platform with the ability to remap the entire planet at both high-frequency and high-resolution, providing accessible and affordable solutions for customers.

    Satellogic’s mission is to democratize access to geospatial data through its information platform of high resolution images to help solve the world’s most pressing problems including climate change, energy supply, and food security. Using its patented Earth imaging technology, Satellogic unlocks the power of EO to deliver high-quality, planetary insights at the lowest cost in the industry.

    With more than a decade of experience in space, Satellogic has proven technology and a strong track record of delivering satellites to orbit and high-resolution data to customers at the right price point.

    To learn more, please visit: http://www.satellogic.com

    Forward-Looking Statements

    This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the U.S. federal securities laws. The words “anticipate”, “believe”, “continue”, “could”, “estimate”, “expect”, “intends”, “may”, “might”, “plan”, “possible”, “potential”, “predict”, “project”, “should”, “would” and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. These forward-looking statements are based on Satellogic’s current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on Satellogic and include statements concerning Satellogic’s strategic realignment as a U.S. company, and the visibility and high growth opportunities it will provide in connection therewith. Forward-looking statements are predictions, projections and other statements about future events that are based on current expectations and assumptions and, as a result, are subject to risks and uncertainties. These statements are based on various assumptions, whether or not identified in this press release. These forward-looking statements are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to serve, and must not be relied on by an investor as, a guarantee, an assurance, a prediction or a definitive statement of fact or probability. Actual events and circumstances are difficult or impossible to predict and will differ
    from assumptions. Many actual events and circumstances are beyond the control of Satellogic. Many factors could cause actual future events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this press release, including but not limited to: (i) our ability to generate revenue as expected, including due to challenges created by macroeconomic concerns, geopolitical uncertainty (e.g., trade relationships), financial market fluctuations and related factors, (ii) our ability to effectively market and sell our EO services and to convert contracted revenues and our pipeline of potential contracts into actual revenues, (iii) risks related to the secured convertible notes, (iv) the potential loss of one or more of our largest customers, (v) the considerable time and expense related to our sales efforts and the length and unpredictability of our sales cycle, (vi) risks and uncertainties associated with defense-related contracts, (vii) risk related to our pricing structure, (viii) our ability to scale production of our satellites as planned, (ix) unforeseen risks, challenges and uncertainties related to our expansion into new business lines, (x) our dependence on third parties, including SpaceX, to transport and launch our satellites into space, (xi) our reliance on third-party vendors and manufacturers to build and provide certain satellite components, products, or services and the inability of these vendors and manufacturers to meet our needs, (xii) our dependence on ground station and cloud-based computing infrastructure operated by third pirates for value-added services, and any errors, disruption, performance problems, or failure in their or our operational infrastructure, (xiii) risk related to certain minimum service requirements in our customer contracts, (xiv) market acceptance of our EO services and our dependence upon our ability to keep pace with the latest technological advances, including those related to artificial intelligence and machine learning, (xv) our ability to identify suitable acquisition candidates or consummate acquisitions on acceptable terms, or our ability to successfully integrate acquisitions, (xvi) competition for EO services, (xvii) challenges with international operations or unexpected changes to the regulatory environment in certain markets, (xviii) unknown defects or errors in our products, (xix) risk related to the capital-intensive nature of our business and our ability to raise adequate capital to finance our business strategies, (xx) uncertainties beyond our control related to the production, launch, commissioning, and/or operation of our satellites and related ground systems, software and analytic technologies, (xxi) the failure of the market for EO services to achieve the growth potential we expect, (xxii) risks related to our satellites and related equipment becoming impaired, (xxiii) risks related to the failure of our satellites to operate as intended, (xxiv) production and launch delays, launch failures, and damage or destruction to our satellites during launch, (xxv) the impact of natural disasters, unusual or prolonged unfavorable weather conditions, epidemic outbreaks, terrorist acts and geopolitical events (including the ongoing conflicts between Russia and Ukraine, in the Gaza Strip and the Red Sea region) on our business and satellite launch schedules and (xxvi) the anticipated benefits of the domestication may not materialize. The foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. You should carefully consider the foregoing factors and the other risks and uncertainties described in the “Risk Factors” section of Satellogic’s Annual Report on Form 10-K and other documents filed or to be filed by Satellogic from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These filings identify and address other important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and Satellogic assumes no obligation and does not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Satellogic can give no assurance that it will achieve its expectations.

    Contacts

    Investor Relations:

    Ryan Driver, VP of Strategy & Corporate Development 

    ryan.driver@Satellogic.com

    Media Relations:

    Satellogic

    pr@Satellogic.com

    Uzma Berhad

    communications@uzmagroup.com

    The MIL Network –

    June 19, 2025
  • MIL-OSI: Esker Expands European Field Presence with New Office in Ghent, Belgium

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Press Release

    Esker Expands European Field Presence with New Office in Ghent, Belgium

    LYON, France, and MIDDLETON, Wis. — June 18, 2025 — Esker, a global cloud platform and leader in AI-driven process automation solutions for finance and customer service functions, is proud to announce the opening of its new office in Ghent, Belgium, further strengthening its presence in the Benelux region (Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg).

    The new Ghent office will enable Esker to better serve its growing customer base in a region known for its economic vitality and innovation, particularly in the industrial and biotechnology sectors.

    Esker already supports several major customers in the Benelux region, including Abbott, Atlas Copco, Greenyard, Heineken and Ineos, and maintains a strong partnership with KPMG in the Netherlands. The new Ghent office enables Esker to be even closer to these customers and provide more localized support.

    Adelin Odent, who has led Esker’s operations in the Benelux region for over a decade, has been appointed Managing Director for Esker Benelux.

    “I’m thrilled to lead Esker’s expansion in this strategically important region,” said Odent. “Opening our office in Ghent brings us closer to our customers and partners, and allows us to better support their digital transformation journeys. We’re also looking to scale up the workforce in the region and attract top local talent to drive our continued success.”

    About Esker

    Esker is the global authority in AI-powered business solutions for the Office of the CFO. Leveraging the latest in automation technologies, Esker’s Source-to-Pay and Order-to-Cash solutions optimize working capital and cashflow, enhance decision-making, and drive better collaboration and human-to-human relationships with customers, suppliers and employees. Esker operates in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia Pacific with global headquarters in Lyon, France, and U.S. headquarters in Madison, Wisconsin. For more information on Esker and its solutions, visit www.esker.com. Follow Esker on LinkedIn and join the conversation.

    Attachment

    • Esker Expands European Field Presence with New Office in Ghent, Belgium

    The MIL Network –

    June 19, 2025
  • MIL-OSI: Esker Expands European Field Presence with New Office in Ghent, Belgium

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Press Release

    Esker Expands European Field Presence with New Office in Ghent, Belgium

    LYON, France, and MIDDLETON, Wis. — June 18, 2025 — Esker, a global cloud platform and leader in AI-driven process automation solutions for finance and customer service functions, is proud to announce the opening of its new office in Ghent, Belgium, further strengthening its presence in the Benelux region (Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg).

    The new Ghent office will enable Esker to better serve its growing customer base in a region known for its economic vitality and innovation, particularly in the industrial and biotechnology sectors.

    Esker already supports several major customers in the Benelux region, including Abbott, Atlas Copco, Greenyard, Heineken and Ineos, and maintains a strong partnership with KPMG in the Netherlands. The new Ghent office enables Esker to be even closer to these customers and provide more localized support.

    Adelin Odent, who has led Esker’s operations in the Benelux region for over a decade, has been appointed Managing Director for Esker Benelux.

    “I’m thrilled to lead Esker’s expansion in this strategically important region,” said Odent. “Opening our office in Ghent brings us closer to our customers and partners, and allows us to better support their digital transformation journeys. We’re also looking to scale up the workforce in the region and attract top local talent to drive our continued success.”

    About Esker

    Esker is the global authority in AI-powered business solutions for the Office of the CFO. Leveraging the latest in automation technologies, Esker’s Source-to-Pay and Order-to-Cash solutions optimize working capital and cashflow, enhance decision-making, and drive better collaboration and human-to-human relationships with customers, suppliers and employees. Esker operates in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia Pacific with global headquarters in Lyon, France, and U.S. headquarters in Madison, Wisconsin. For more information on Esker and its solutions, visit www.esker.com. Follow Esker on LinkedIn and join the conversation.

    Attachment

    • Esker Expands European Field Presence with New Office in Ghent, Belgium

    The MIL Network –

    June 19, 2025
  • MIL-OSI: Helport AI Appoints Former Google and ServiceNow Executive Vanessa Chan as Chief Commercial Officer

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Experienced Executive to Lead Commercial Expansion, Strategic Partnerships, and Revenue Acceleration Initiatives in North America

    SINGAPORE and SAN DIEGO, June 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Helport AI Limited (NASDAQ: HPAI) (“Helport AI” or the “Company”), an AI technology company serving enterprise clients with intelligent customer communication software and services, today announced the appointment of Hiu-Yu “Vanessa” Chan as Chief Commercial Officer (“CCO”), effective June 16, 2025.

    Ms. Chan joins Helport AI at a pivotal moment of global growth. She brings over 23 years of enterprise leadership experience across AI, SaaS, and strategic expansion, having held senior roles at Google Cloud, SAP, ServiceNow, and McKinsey. As CCO, she will lead commercial expansion, strategic partnerships, and revenue acceleration initiatives across the United States and North America. Ms. Chan is also expected to play a key role in shaping go-to-market strategy and customer success at scale. Ms. Chan holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania. She will be based out of Helport AI’s San Diego headquarters. Most recently, Ms. Chan served as Head of Corporate Strategy for North Asia at ServiceNow, where she oversaw strategic growth across its Public Sector and Financial Services space and spearheaded an investment initiative for Singapore’s regulated cloud market. Previously, at Google Cloud, she led go-to-market operations for Greater China and Korea. Ms. Chan also held executive roles at SAP, managing strategic accounts and alliances while delivering revenue growth through strategic partnerships in the China market.

    “We’re thrilled to welcome Vanessa to Helport AI,” said Guanghai Li, CEO of Helport AI. “Her track record speaks for itself—Vanessa combines strategic clarity with operational excellence and a deep understanding of global enterprise markets. I am personally excited to partner with her as we embark on our next stage of commercial growth.”

    Ms. Chan added, “I am excited to join Helport AI at a time of global expansion and product momentum. I expect that the Company’s AI-driven software platform will transform how enterprises engage with their customers by addressing complex communication challenges, and I look forward to delivering value to those using our technology to transform their customer engagement model.”

    With Ms. Chan’s appointment, Helport AI has strengthened its executive bench to support its continued international expansion, enterprise customer growth, and strategic capital partnerships.

    About Helport AI

    Helport AI (NASDAQ: HPAI) is a global technology company serving enterprise clients with intelligent customer communication software and services. Its flagship product, AI Assist, acts as a real-time co-pilot for customer contact teams, delivering smart guidance and tools designed to drive sales, improve customer engagement, and lower costs. The Company’s mission is to empower everyone to work as an expert—using AI to elevate, not replace, human capability. Learn more at https://www.helport.ai/.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    Certain statements in this announcement are forward-looking, including, but not limited to, Helport AI’s business strategies, expansion plans, and anticipated results. These statements involve risks and uncertainties based on current expectations and projections. Investors can identify these forward-looking statements by words or phrases such as “approximates,” “believes,” “hopes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “estimates,” “projects,” “intends,” “plans,” “will,” “would,” “should,” “could,” “may” or other similar expressions, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Helport AI undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent occurring events or circumstances, or changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law. Although Helport AI believes that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure you that such expectations will turn out to be correct, and Helport AI cautions investors that actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results and encourages investors to review other factors that may affect its future results in Helport AI’s registration statement and other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

    Media Contact
    Helport AI Investor Relations
    Email: ir@helport.ai
    Website: https://ir.helport.ai/

    External Investor Relations Contact
    Chris Tyson
    Executive Vice President, MZ North America
    Direct: +1 949-491-8235
    Email: HPAI@mzgroup.us
    Website: www.mzgroup.us

    The MIL Network –

    June 19, 2025
  • MIL-OSI USA: The One Big Beautiful Bill Is Good for All 50 States

    US Senate News:

    Source: US Whitehouse
    President Donald J. Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill will be an economic windfall for working and middle-class Americans, delivering the largest tax cut in history, higher wages, higher take-home pay, and much more — coupled with generational spending cuts and deficit reduction that will position the U.S. for real prosperity. Its massive benefits will be felt by Americans in all 50 states, according to a new state-by-state analysis from the Council of Economic Advisers:
    State
    Long-run wage increase(Inflation-adjusted)
    Take-home pay increase(Typical family with two kids)
    Alabama
    $4,800 to $9,100
    $6,500 to $10,800
    Alaska
    $6,400 to $12,200
    $8,100 to $13,900
    Arizona
    $5,800 to $11,100
    $7,500 to $12,800
    Arkansas
    $4,500 to $8,600
    $6,200 to $10,300
    California
    $7,500 to $14,300
    $9,200 to $16,000
    Colorado
    $7,000 to $13,300
    $8,700 to $15,000
    Connecticut
    $7,300 to $14,000
    $7,300 to $14,000
    Delaware
    $6,100 to $11,700
    $7,800 to $13,400
    Florida
    $5,800 to $11,000
    $7500 to $12,700
    Georgia
    $5,800 to $11,000
    $7,500 to $12,700
    Hawaii
    $7,000 to $13,300
    $8,700 to $15,000
    Idaho
    $5,500 to $10,500
    $7,200 to $12,200
    Illinois
    $6,200 to $11,800
    $7,900 to $13,500
    Indiana
    $5,100 to $9,800
    $6,800 to $11,500
    Iowa
    $5,200 to $10,000
    $6,900 to $11,700
    Kansas
    $5,200 to $10,000
    $6,900 to $11,700
    Kentucky
    $4,700 to $8,900
    $6,400 to $10,600
    Louisiana
    $4,700 to $8,900
    $6,400 to $10,600
    Maine
    $5,400 to $10,300
    $7,100 to $12,000
    Maryland
    $7,200 to $13,800
    $8,900 to $15,500
    Massachusetts
    $7,700 to $14,800
    $9,400 to $16,500
    Michigan
    $5,200 to $10,000
    $6,900 to $11,700
    Minnesota
    $6,300 to $12,100
    $8,000 to $13,800
    Mississippi
    $4,300 to $8,100
    $6,000 to $9,800
    Missouri
    $5,200 to $9,900
    $6,900 to $11,600
    Montana
    $5,300 to $10,000
    $7,000 to $11,700
    Nebraska
    $5,700 to $10,800
    $7,400 to $12,500
    Nevada
    $5,800 to $11,000
    $7,500 to $12,700
    New Hampshire
    $7,000 to $13,300
    $8,700 to $15,000
    New Jersey
    $7,700 to $14,700
    $9,400 to $16,400
    New Mexico
    $4,800 to $9,100
    $6,500 to $10,800
    New York
    $6,800 to $13,000
    $8,500 to $14,700
    North Carolina
    $5,500 to $10,500
    $7,200 to $12,200
    North Dakota
    $5,500 to $10,500
    $7,200 to $12,200
    Ohio
    $5,200 to $10,000
    $6,900 to $11,700
    Oklahoma
    $4,800 to $9,100
    $6,500 to $10,800
    Oregon
    $6,000 to $11,400
    $7,700 to $13,100
    Pennsylvania
    $5,700 to $10,900
    $7,400 to $12,600
    Rhode Island
    $6,300 to $12,000
    $8,000 to $13,700
    South Carolina
    $5,200 to $9,900
    $6,900 to $11,600
    South Dakota
    $5,400 to $10,300
    $7,100 to $12,000
    Tennessee
    $5,300 to $10,000
    $7,000 to $11,700
    Texas
    $6,000 to $11,300
    $7,700 to $13,000
    Utah
    $6,600 to $12,500
    $8,300 to $14,200
    Vermont
    $5,900 to $11,300
    $7,600 to $13,000
    Virginia
    $6,900 to $13,100
    $8,600 to $14,800
    Washington
    $7,200 to $13,800
    $8,900 to $15,500
    West Virginia
    $4,300 to $8,200
    $6,000 to $9,900
    Wisconsin
    $5,500 to $10,400
    $7,200 to $12,000
    Wyoming
    $5,200 to $9,900
    $6,900 to $11,600
    Methodological notes:
    The Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) calculates how investment, GDP, and wages increase in response to lower effective tax rates (lower statutory rates, bigger deduction for pass-through businesses, and full expensing that businesses will enjoy on new equipment, R&D, and factories) using standard academic methods that were successful in accurately forecasting the effects of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA).
    Take-home pay — defined as after-tax earnings — increases because wages rise and less money is taken out of workers’ paychecks.
    The CEA also looks at the further boost to GDP from the stronger incentive to work (lower taxes boost labor supply) and the greater spending power that Americans will have.
    More about the methodology can be found here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 19, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Growing use of e-cigarettes and vapes among young people – E-002392/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Question for written answer  E-002392/2025
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Nicolás González Casares (S&D)

    Against a backdrop in which many European countries are increasing restrictions on alternative ways of marketing tobacco such as e-cigarettes or vapes – 15 of which have requested that the Tobacco Taxation Directive be revised, pointing specifically to the impact of the new marketing routes – and in which statistical information – such as the recent figures provided by an Irish study on the impact of vapes on young people – suggests that three quarters of young people who use e-cigarettes or vapes had never smoked traditional tobacco:

    • 1.Does the Commission know how many preventable cancer cases could arise as a result of the delay in proposing a new Tobacco Directive?
    • 2.Does the Commission intend to respond to the Member States’ request to revise the Tobacco Directive by coming up with a proposal that incorporates the new marketing routes?
    • 3.Is the Commission carrying out any studies on consumption patterns for e-cigarettes and vapes among young people?

    Submitted: 13.6.2025

    Last updated: 18 June 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

    June 18, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: LCQ2: Child allowance

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

    Following is a question by the Hon Nixie Lam and a reply by the Acting Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Joseph Chan, in the Legislative Council today (June 18):
     
    Question:
     
         Under the Inland Revenue Ordinance, all eligible child allowances for married couples residing together can only be claimed by one of them, and they must decide on their own who should make the claims. There are views that such arrangement may give rise to disputes within the family. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
     
    (1) given that modern married couples usually share the responsibility of taking care of their children (both financially and in terms of care), of the reasons why child allowances can only be claimed by one of them at present;
     
    (2) whether it has studied amending the legislation to stipulate that married couples with children may allocate child allowances equally or claim child allowances separately; if so, of the specific plan and timetable, including whether it will consider introducing a default allocation mechanism (such as allowing a choice of equal allocation of allowances or automatic allocation of allowances according to the ratio of the married couples’ incomes, empowering the Inland Revenue Department to make rulings or setting clear criteria on the priority of making claims); if it has not studied amending the legislation, of the reasons for that; and
     
    (3) whether, in the absence of legislative amendments at present, the Government will consider drawing up a set of reference guidelines on child allowances, e.g. the order of claims may be handled according to the ratio of family incomes, major child-rearing roles or previous claiming practices, etc, as well as stepping up public education, so as to assist families in making proper arrangements for claiming allowances; if so, of the specific plan and timetable; if not, the reasons for that?
     
    Reply:
     
    President,
     
         According to Section 31 of the Inland Revenue Ordinance (Cap. 112) (Ordinance), a taxpayer for salaries tax may claim child allowance for a year of assessment if he/she maintains an unmarried child who is under 18 years old; of or over 18 but under 25 years old and receiving full time education at an educational institution; or of or over 18 years old and is, because of physical or mental disability, unable to work in that year of assessment. A taxpayer may claim child allowance for up to nine children. Starting from the year of assessment 2023/24, the allowance for each child is $130,000. An additional allowance of $130,000 is granted for a newborn child during the year of assessment of the child’s birth.
     
         My reply to parts 1-3 of the Hon Nixie Lam’s question is as follows:
     
    (1) and (2) According to Section 31(3) of the Ordinance, unless a taxpayer and his/her spouse are living apart, all child allowances must be claimed en bloc by either the taxpayer or his/her spouse. Taxpayers and their spouse should jointly decide who will claim all the child allowances. This requirement was included in the Ordinance in 1989, when married persons started to be allowed to elect separate taxation or joint assessment with their spouse, and has been in force until today. The main considerations are as follows:
     
         Before the year of assessment 2003/04, the amount of child allowance was determined by the number of children claimed on a regressive basis. Starting from the year of assessment 2003/04, the 1st to the 9th child are granted with a uniform allowance. Nevertheless, the prevailing mechanism already provides sufficient options and flexibility to reduce the tax burden on married persons, and more than 60 per cent of taxpayers claiming child allowances claim for only one child. We therefore consider that there is no need to abolish the requirement that only a taxpayer or his/her spouse can claim child allowance. Currently, married persons may elect separate taxation or joint assessment with their spouse for tax savings. Having all child allowances claimed by one party or allowing both parties to separately claim allowances for individual child or children does not affect the total amount of tax payable under joint assessment. Under the current arrangement, even if married persons and their spouse do not elect joint assessment on their own initiative, the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) would still compare their tax payable under separate taxation and joint assessment. If joint assessment is found to be more beneficial to them, the IRD would invite them to elect joint assessment. In addition, the Ordinance does not require that the allowance in respect of the same child must always be claimed by the same claimant. If taxpayers and their spouse choose separate taxation, they may discuss in advance on how to claim the child allowance and flexibly arrange to claim the child allowance for different years of assessment, such as taking turns to claim in different years, to meet the needs of individual families.
     
         We find the current mechanism effective in reducing the tax burden on married persons and providing taxpayers with a flexible and convenient tax filing process, allowing them to make appropriate tax arrangements according to their family situations. There is no need to allow taxpayers and their spouse to separately claim child allowances. Currently, the IRD only apportions the child allowance based on actual circumstances for living apart or divorced cases. This arrangement helps reduce the compliance burden on taxpayers and ensure the IRD’s efficiency of tax assessment.
     
         On the other hand, as the specific circumstances and needs of each family vary, taxpayers and their spouse may have different financial and tax arrangements. We have no plans to change the current practice of the IRD generally not intervening in family matters to introduce a default allocation mechanism, as it is unlikely to meet the needs of all families.
     
    The Government will continue to review the claim arrangements and levels of various allowances from time to time, and consider whether there is room for enhancement based on various factors such as the number of beneficiaries, the Government’s financial situation, and administrative efficiency.
     
    (3) The IRD currently provides frequently asked questions and guidelines on child allowances on its website. Generally speaking, it is more beneficial for the party with higher income to claim child allowance. However, if one party is assessed at standard rates, it would be more beneficial for the other party who is not assessed at standard rates to claim the allowance. The website also features a tax calculator, allowing taxpayers and their spouses to input their respective income amounts, deductions, and different allowance distribution scenarios to make the most appropriate claim arrangements. Besides, after issuing individual tax returns in May of each year, the IRD will extend the service hours of telephone enquiry to answer questions from taxpayers about completing their tax returns.
     
    Thank you, Mr President.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

    June 18, 2025
  • MIL-OSI: BlackRock® Canada Announces June Cash Distributions for the iShares® ETFs

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    TORONTO, June 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — BlackRock Asset Management Canada Limited (“BlackRock Canada”), an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE: BLK), today announced the June 2025 cash distributions for the iShares ETFs listed on the TSX or Cboe Canada which pay on a monthly, quarterly, or semi-annual basis. Unitholders of record of the applicable iShares ETF on June 25, 2025 will receive cash distributions payable in respect of that iShares ETF on June 30, 2025.

    Details regarding the “per unit” distribution amounts are as follows:

    Fund Name Fund Ticker Cash Distribution
    Per Unit
    iShares 1-10 Year Laddered Corporate Bond Index ETF CBH $0.049
    iShares 1-5 Year Laddered Corporate Bond Index ETF CBO $0.051
    iShares S&P/TSX Canadian Dividend Aristocrats Index ETF CDZ $0.128
    iShares Equal Weight Banc & Lifeco ETF CEW $0.066
    iShares Global Real Estate Index ETF CGR $0.293
    iShares International Fundamental Index ETF CIE $0.462
    iShares Global Infrastructure Index ETF CIF $0.592
    iShares Japan Fundamental Index ETF (CAD-Hedged) CJP $0.294
    iShares 1-5 Year Laddered Government Bond Index ETF CLF $0.032
    iShares 1-10 Year Laddered Government Bond Index ETF CLG $0.036
    iShares US Fundamental Index ETF CLU $0.181
    iShares US Fundamental Index ETF CLU.C $0.238
    iShares Global Agriculture Index ETF COW $0.922
    iShares S&P/TSX Canadian Preferred Share Index ETF CPD $0.058
    iShares Canadian Fundamental Index ETF CRQ $0.198
    iShares US Dividend Growers Index ETF (CAD-Hedged) CUD $0.102
    iShares Convertible Bond Index ETF CVD $0.072
    iShares Emerging Markets Fundamental Index ETF CWO $0.623
    iShares Global Water Index ETF CWW $0.442
    iShares Global Monthly Dividend Index ETF (CAD-Hedged) CYH $0.078
    iShares Canadian Financial Monthly Income ETF FIE $0.040
    iShares ESG Balanced ETF Portfolio GBAL $0.334
    iShares ESG Conservative Balanced ETF Portfolio GCNS $0.304
    iShares ESG Equity ETF Portfolio GEQT $0.397
    iShares ESG Growth ETF Portfolio GGRO $0.356
    iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense Index ETF XAD $0.107
    iShares U.S. Aggregate Bond Index ETF XAGG $0.105
    iShares U.S. Aggregate Bond Index ETF(1) XAGG.U $0.076
    iShares U.S. Aggregate Bond Index ETF (CAD-Hedged) XAGH $0.096
    iShares Core MSCI All Country World ex Canada Index ETF XAW $0.362
    iShares Core MSCI All Country World ex Canada Index ETF(1) XAW.U $0.266
    iShares Core Balanced ETF Portfolio XBAL $0.239
    iShares Core Canadian Universe Bond Index ETF XBB $0.079
    iShares S&P/TSX Global Base Metals Index ETF XBM $0.150
    iShares Core Canadian Corporate Bond Index ETF XCB $0.069
    iShares ESG Advanced Canadian Corporate Bond Index ETF XCBG $0.121
    iShares U.S. IG Corporate Bond Index ETF XCBU $0.122
    iShares U.S. IG Corporate Bond Index ETF(1) XCBU.U $0.088
    iShares S&P Global Consumer Discretionary Index ETF (CAD-Hedged) XCD $0.305
    iShares Canadian Growth Index ETF XCG $0.122
    iShares China Index ETF XCH $0.258
    iShares Semiconductor Index ETF XCHP $0.164
    iShares Global Clean Energy Index ETF XCLN $0.327
    iShares Core Conservative Balanced ETF Portfolio XCNS $0.186
    iShares S&P/TSX SmallCap Index ETF XCS $0.156
    iShares ESG Advanced MSCI Canada Index ETF XCSR $0.464
    iShares Canadian Value Index ETF XCV $0.390
    iShares Core MSCI Global Quality Dividend Index ETF XDG $0.074
    iShares Core MSCI Global Quality Dividend Index ETF(1) XDG.U $0.044
    iShares Core MSCI Global Quality Dividend Index ETF (CAD-Hedged) XDGH $0.057
    iShares Core MSCI Canadian Quality Dividend Index ETF XDIV $0.115
    iShares Genomics Immunology and Healthcare Index ETF XDNA $0.159
    iShares Global Electric and Autonomous Vehicles Index ETF XDRV $0.180
    iShares ESG Advanced MSCI EAFE Index ETF XDSR $0.926
    iShares Core MSCI US Quality Dividend Index ETF XDU $0.064
    iShares Core MSCI US Quality Dividend Index ETF(1) XDU.U $0.046
    iShares Core MSCI US Quality Dividend Index ETF (CAD-Hedged) XDUH $0.055
    iShares Canadian Select Dividend Index ETF XDV $0.108
    iShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond Index ETF (CAD-Hedged) XEB $0.059
    iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets IMI Index ETF XEC $0.334
    iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets IMI Index ETF(1) XEC.U $0.245
    iShares Core MSCI EAFE IMI Index ETF XEF $0.712
    iShares Core MSCI EAFE IMI Index ETF(1) XEF.U $0.523
    iShares S&P/TSX Capped Energy Index ETF XEG $0.182
    iShares MSCI Europe IMI Index ETF (CAD-Hedged) XEH $0.633
    iShares S&P/TSX Composite High Dividend Index ETF XEI $0.136
    iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Index ETF XEM $0.272
    iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ex China Index ETF XEMC $0.476
    iShares Jantzi Social Index ETF XEN $0.239
    iShares Core Equity ETF Portfolio XEQT $0.267
    iShares ESG Aware MSCI Canada Index ETF XESG $0.224
    iShares S&P/TSX Energy Transition Materials Index ETF XETM $0.464
    iShares MSCI Europe IMI Index ETF XEU $0.611
    iShares Exponential Technologies Index ETF XEXP $0.147
    iShares Core MSCI EAFE IMI Index ETF (CAD-Hedged) XFH $0.578
    iShares Core Canadian 15+ Year Federal Bond Index ETF XFLB $0.112
    iShares Flexible Monthly Income ETF XFLI $0.190
    iShares Flexible Monthly Income ETF(1) XFLI.U $0.140
    iShares Flexible Monthly Income ETF (CAD-Hedged) XFLX $0.184
    iShares S&P/TSX Capped Financials Index ETF XFN $0.169
    iShares Floating Rate Index ETF XFR $0.050
    iShares Core Canadian Government Bond Index ETF XGB $0.050
    iShares S&P/TSX Global Gold Index ETF XGD $0.143
    iShares Global Government Bond Index ETF (CAD-Hedged) XGGB $0.041
    iShares S&P Global Industrials Index ETF (CAD-Hedged) XGI $0.372
    iShares Core Growth ETF Portfolio XGRO $0.235
    iShares Cybersecurity and Tech Index ETF XHAK $0.011
    iShares Canadian HYBrid Corporate Bond Index ETF XHB $0.075
    iShares Global Healthcare Index ETF (CAD-Hedged) XHC $0.396
    iShares U.S. High Dividend Equity Index ETF (CAD-Hedged) XHD $0.077
    iShares U.S. High Dividend Equity Index ETF XHU $0.074
    iShares U.S. High Yield Bond Index ETF (CAD-Hedged) XHY $0.084
    iShares Core S&P/TSX Capped Composite Index ETF XIC $0.292
    iShares India Index ETF XID $0.000
    iShares U.S. IG Corporate Bond Index ETF (CAD-Hedged) XIG $0.075
    iShares 1-5 Year U.S. IG Corporate Bond Index ETF (CAD-Hedged) XIGS $0.106
    iShares MSCI EAFE® Index ETF (CAD-Hedged) XIN $0.523
    iShares Core Income Balanced ETF Portfolio XINC $0.165
    iShares S&P/TSX Capped Information Technology Index ETF XIT $0.000
    iShares Core Canadian Long Term Bond Index ETF XLB $0.062
    iShares S&P/TSX Capped Materials Index ETF XMA $0.072
    iShares S&P U.S. Mid-Cap Index ETF XMC $0.144
    iShares S&P U.S. Mid-Cap Index ETF(1) XMC.U $0.106
    iShares S&P/TSX Completion Index ETF XMD $0.159
    iShares S&P U.S. Mid-Cap Index ETF (CAD-Hedged) XMH $0.117
    iShares MSCI Min Vol EAFE Index ETF XMI $0.667
    iShares MSCI Min Vol EAFE Index ETF (CAD-Hedged) XML $0.472
    iShares MSCI Min Vol Emerging Markets Index ETF XMM $0.273
    iShares MSCI Min Vol USA Index ETF (CAD-Hedged) XMS $0.106
    iShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor Index ETF XMTM $0.054
    iShares MSCI Min Vol USA Index ETF XMU $0.238
    iShares MSCI Min Vol USA Index ETF(1) XMU.U $0.175
    iShares MSCI Min Vol Canada Index ETF XMV $0.317
    iShares MSCI Min Vol Global Index ETF XMW $0.416
    iShares MSCI Min Vol Global Index ETF (CAD-Hedged) XMY $0.255
    iShares S&P/TSX North American Preferred Stock Index ETF (CAD-Hedged) XPF $0.065
    iShares High Quality Canadian Bond Index ETF XQB $0.054
    iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor Index ETF XQLT $0.060
    iShares NASDAQ 100 Index ETF (CAD-Hedged) XQQ $0.073
    iShares NASDAQ 100 Index ETF XQQU $0.090
    iShares NASDAQ 100 Index ETF(1) XQQU.U $0.066
    iShares S&P/TSX Capped REIT Index ETF XRE $0.062
    iShares ESG Aware Canadian Aggregate Bond Index ETF XSAB $0.048
    iShares Core Canadian Short Term Bond Index ETF XSB $0.071
    iShares Conservative Short Term Strategic Fixed Income ETF XSC $0.054
    iShares Conservative Strategic Fixed Income ETF XSE $0.046
    iShares ESG Aware MSCI EAFE Index ETF XSEA $0.473
    iShares ESG Aware MSCI Emerging Markets Index ETF XSEM $0.216
    iShares Core Canadian Short Term Corporate Bond Index ETF XSH $0.061
    iShares ESG Advanced 1-5 Year Canadian Corporate Bond Index ETF XSHG $0.120
    iShares 1-5 Year U.S. IG Corporate Bond Index ETF XSHU $0.137
    iShares 1-5 Year U.S. IG Corporate Bond Index ETF(1) XSHU.U $0.099
    iShares Short Term Strategic Fixed Income ETF XSI $0.056
    iShares Core Canadian Short-Mid Term Universe Bond Index ETF XSMB $0.101
    iShares S&P U.S. Small-Cap Index ETF XSMC $0.152
    iShares S&P U.S. Small-Cap Index ETF (CAD-Hedged) XSMH $0.127
    iShares Core S&P 500 Index ETF (CAD-Hedged) XSP $0.300
    iShares S&P 500 3% Capped Index ETF (CAD-Hedged) XSPC $0.173
    iShares S&P/TSX Capped Consumer Staples Index ETF XST $0.119
    iShares ESG Aware Canadian Short Term Bond Index ETF XSTB $0.048
    iShares 0-5 Year TIPS Bond Index ETF (CAD-Hedged) XSTH $0.103
    iShares 0-5 Year TIPS Bond Index ETF XSTP $0.121
    iShares 0-5 Year TIPS Bond Index ETF(1) XSTP.U $0.089
    iShares U.S. Small Cap Index ETF (CAD-Hedged) XSU $0.155
    iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA Index ETF XSUS $0.109
    iShares 20+ Year U.S. Treasury Bond Index ETF (CAD-Hedged) XTLH $0.113
    iShares 20+ Year U.S. Treasury Bond Index ETF XTLT $0.131
    iShares 20+ Year U.S. Treasury Bond Index ETF(1) XTLT.U $0.102
    iShares Diversified Monthly Income ETF XTR $0.040
    iShares Core S&P U.S. Total Market Index ETF (CAD-Hedged) XUH $0.117
    iShares Core S&P 500 Index ETF XUS $0.243
    iShares Core S&P 500 Index ETF(1) XUS.U $0.178
    iShares S&P 500 3% Capped Index ETF XUSC $0.216
    iShares S&P 500 3% Capped Index ETF(1) XUSC.U $0.159
    iShares S&P U.S. Financials Index ETF XUSF $0.173
    iShares ESG Advanced MSCI USA Index ETF XUSR $0.175
    iShares S&P/TSX Capped Utilities Index ETF XUT $0.110
    iShares Core S&P U.S. Total Market Index ETF XUU $0.147
    iShares Core S&P U.S. Total Market Index ETF(1) XUU.U $0.108
    iShares MSCI USA Value Factor Index ETF XVLU $0.151
    iShares MSCI World Index ETF XWD $0.603

    (1) Distribution per unit amounts are in U.S. dollars for XAGG.U, XAW.U, XCBU.U, XDG.U, XDU.U, XEC.U, XEF.U. XFLI.U, XMC.U, XMU.U, XQQU.U, XSHU.U, XSTP.U, XTLT.U, XUS.U, XUSC.U, XUU.U

    Estimated June Cash Distributions for the iShares Premium Money Market ETF

    The June cash distributions per unit for the iShares Premium Money Market ETF are estimated to be as follows:

    Fund Name Fund Ticker Estimated Cash
    Distribution Per Unit
    iShares Premium Money Market ETF CMR $0.129

    BlackRock Canada expects to issue a press release on or about June 24, 2025, which will provide the final amounts for the iShares Premium Money Market ETF.

    Further information on the iShares Funds can be found at http://www.blackrock.com/ca.

    About BlackRock
    BlackRock’s purpose is to help more and more people experience financial well-being. As a fiduciary to investors and a leading provider of financial technology, we help millions of people build savings that serve them throughout their lives by making investing easier and more affordable. For additional information on BlackRock, please visit www.blackrock.com/corporate | Twitter: @BlackRockCA

    About iShares ETFs
    iShares unlocks opportunity across markets to meet the evolving needs of investors. With more than twenty years of experience, a global line-up of 1500+ exchange traded funds (ETFs) and US$4.3 trillion in assets under management as of March 31, 2025, iShares continues to drive progress for the financial industry. iShares funds are powered by the expert portfolio and risk management of BlackRock.

    iShares® ETFs are managed by BlackRock Canada.

    Commissions, trailing commissions, management fees and expenses all may be associated with investing in iShares ETFs. Please read the relevant prospectus before investing. The funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated. Tax, investment and all other decisions should be made, as appropriate, only with guidance from a qualified professional.

    Standard & Poor’s® and S&P® are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC (“S&P”). Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC (“Dow Jones”). TSX is a registered trademark of TSX Inc. (“TSX”). All of the foregoing trademarks have been licensed to S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and sublicensed for certain purposes to BlackRock Fund Advisors (“BFA”),  which in turn has sub-licensed these marks to its affiliate, BlackRock Asset Management Canada Limited (“BlackRock Canada”), on behalf of the applicable fund(s). The index is a product of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC, and has been licensed for use by BFA and by extension, BlackRock Canada and the applicable fund(s). The funds are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC, Dow Jones, S&P, any of their respective affiliates (collectively known as “S&P Dow Jones Indices”) or TSX, or any of their respective affiliates. Neither S&P Dow Jones Indices nor TSX make any representations regarding the advisability of investing in such funds.

    MSCI is a trademark of MSCI, Inc. (“MSCI”). The ETF is permitted to use the MSCI mark pursuant to a license agreement between MSCI and BlackRock Institutional Trust Company, N.A., relating to, among other things, the license granted to BlackRock Institutional Trust Company, N.A. to use the Index. BlackRock Institutional Trust Company, N.A. has sublicensed the use of this trademark to BlackRock. The ETF is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by MSCI and MSCI makes no representation, condition or warranty regarding the advisability of investing in the ETF.

    Contact for Media:
    Sydney Punchard                       
    Email: Sydney.Punchard@blackrock.com

    The MIL Network –

    June 18, 2025
  • MIL-Evening Report: View from The Hill: Jim Chalmers wants to get on with economic reform and tax is in his sights

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra

    Jim Chalmers speaking to the National Press Club June 18, 2025. Screenshot from the ABC Broadcast, CC BY-NC

    Jim Chalmers cast his Wednesday National Press Club speech as a second instalment in a two-part presentation that was kicked off by the prime minister in an address there last week.

    But it didn’t sound like that at all. In fact, the two performances were chalk and cheese. Albanese’s contribution was cautious, showing no inclination to splash too much of the political capital amassed from a huge election win. The prime minister looks to a legacy of Labor’s longevity in government, and extols a measured and steady style.

    In contrast, Chalmers on Wednesday came across as a man on a mission, anxious to seize this term to do bigger things, because no matter how large the majority, you never know what the future holds. And that’s apart from his ambition to ascend to the top rung of the political ladder.

    Albanese announced a roundtable in August to discuss productivity; in elaborating on it, Chalmers put the hot button issue of tax reform prominently on the table.

    The treasurer believes the community is up for significant economic reforms, if the changes are crafted and sold the right way and if sufficient of that elusive political grape, “consensus”, can be harvested and bottled. He’s also willing to stretch or exceed the electoral mandate Labor won on May 3. Remember, it was Chalmers who wanted to break the Stage 3 tax cut promise long before Albanese did so.

    He said on Wednesday: “This is all about testing the country’s reform appetite. […] I am personally willing to grasp the nettle, to use an old saying. I am prepared to do my bit. The government is prepared to do its bit. And what we’ll find out in the course of the next few months is whether everyone is prepared to do their bit as well.” He was heartened, post election, by a “welcome and encouraging discussion about the level of ambition that Australia has”.

    Albanese was involved in Chalmers’ Press Club speech, even interacting on its points from Canada, where he was attending the G7. Either the prime minister is deliberately letting his treasurer “front run” a more ambitious agenda for the government, or he doesn’t choose to get in his way.

    Albanese announced the roundtable, but Chalmers is in charge of it. Held in the cabinet room on August 19-21, it will be small and, Chalmers hopes, non-performative. Details are still being finalised, but Chalmers doesn’t anticipate “permanent cameras” in the cabinet room, which has just 25 seats around the table.

    “We want participants to make contributions that meet three important preconditions,” he said.

    “First, ideas should be put forward in the national interest, not through the prism of sectoral, state or vested interests.

    “Second, ideas or packages of ideas should be budget neutral at a minimum but preferably budget positive overall, taking into account the necessary trade-offs.

    “And third, ideas should be specific and practical not abstract or unrealistic.

    “In return I give everyone this commitment: we won’t come at this from an ideological point of view but from the practical, pragmatic and problem-solving middle ground we’re most comfortable on.”

    Chalmers argues that last term, the government did a range of things on tax. But most would describe them as modest, and he would not then contemplate a major overhaul, such as a shift from direct to indirect tax.

    He was seared, on his own admission, from his days as then treasurer Wayne Swan’s staffer, by the memory of the Henry tax review, the last major look at Australia’s tax system. That triggered Labor’s mining tax debacle which helped end the prime ministership of Kevin Rudd. Most of that valuable review was totally wasted.

    Now Ken Henry, former head of treasury, has had input into Chalmers’ Press Club speech; he was in the audience to hear it.

    “Australia has to recognise that this is genuinely a defining decade. The decisions we make in the 2020s will determine the sort of living standards and intergenerational justice that will have in the decades to come,” Chalmers said. Intergenerational justice is a major preoccupation of Henry’s.

    If Henry is in Chalmers’ ear, another proponent of tax reform, Steven Kennedy, who has just left the post of secretary of the treasury, is well-placed to be in the prime minister’s ear. Kennedy has just become head of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

    While the roundtable is focused on “productivity” Chalmers emphasised he is also focused on budget sustainability.

    “Tax reform is important to budget sustainability , but also to productivity.

    “I think it would be unusual if I said to the country, we’re going to have this big national reform conversation about productivity, sustainability and resilience, but nobody’s allowed to talk about tax

    “And so I anticipate, I welcome the fact that people will come to the roundtable, outside the roundtable, people will pitch up ideas about tax.

    “We don’t see that as an opportunity to walk back on some of the things that we’re already committed to, in this case, some years ago. We see it as an opportunity to work out what the next steps might be.”

    Chalmers is the latest treasurer to walk down the tax reform road. The stakes are high. It will be easy to slip, or be forced to lose ambition. On the other hand, if he can navigate the rocks it will make his reputation.

    Michelle Grattan 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. View from The Hill: Jim Chalmers wants to get on with economic reform and tax is in his sights – https://theconversation.com/view-from-the-hill-jim-chalmers-wants-to-get-on-with-economic-reform-and-tax-is-in-his-sights-258973

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    June 18, 2025
  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UK House Price Index for April 2025

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    UK House Price Index for April 2025

    The UK HPI shows house price changes for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

    1000 Words/Shutterstock.com

    The April data shows:

    • on average, house prices have fallen 2.8% since March 2025
    • there has been an annual price rise of 3.5% which makes the average property in the UK valued at £265,000

    England

    In England the April data shows, on average, house prices fell by 3.7% since March 2025. The annual price rise of 3% takes the average property value to £286,000.

    • London experienced the most significant monthly increase with a movement of 2.6%
    • The North East saw the biggest monthly price fall, with a reduction of -8.1%
    • The North East experienced the greatest annual price rise, up by 6.4%
    • The South West saw the lowest annual price growth, with a rise of 0.9%

    The regional data for England indicates that:

    Price change by region for England

    Region Average price April 2025 Annual change % since April 2024 Monthly change % since March 2025
    East Midlands £237,000 3.8 -3.6
    East of England £332,000 2 -3.8
    London £567,000 3.3 2.6
    North East £156,000 6.4 -8.1
    North West £205,000 3.1 -6.4
    South East £380,000 3 -2
    South West £301,000 0.9 -3.8
    West Midlands £240,000 2.6 -4.6
    Yorkshire and the Humber £200,000 4 -6.1

    Repossession sales by volume for England

    The lowest number of repossession sales in February 2025 was in the South West.

    The highest number of repossession sales in February  2025 was in the North East.

    Repossession sales February 2025
    East Midlands 5
    East of England 2
    London 10
    North East 22
    North West 9
    South East 10
    South West 1
    West Midlands 11
    Yorkshire and the Humber 9
    England 79

    Average price by property type for England

    Property type April 2025 April  2024 Difference %
    Detached £467,000 £447,000 4.5
    Semi-detached £283,000 £270,000 4.7
    Terraced £234,000 £229,000 2.2
    Flat/maisonette £222,000 £223,000 -0.4
    All £286,000 £278,000 3

    Funding and buyer status for England

    Transaction type Average price
    April 2025 Annual price change % since April 2024 Monthly price change % since March 2025
    Cash £272,000 2.2 -4
    Mortgage £292,000 3.4 -3.5
    First-time buyer £239,000 2.7 -4.7
    Former owner occupier £350,000 3.5 -2.4

    Building status for England

    Building status* Average price February 2025 Annual price change % since February 2024 Monthly price change % since January 2025
    New build £446,000 26.5 12.1
    Existing resold property £286,000 4.3 0.5

    *Figures for the 2 most recent months are not being published because there are not enough new build transactions to give a meaningful result.

    London

    London shows, on average, house prices increased by 2.6% since March 2025. House prices have shown an annual price increase of 3.3% meaning the average price of a property is £567,000.

    Average price by property type for London

    Property type April 2025 April 2024 Difference %
    Detached £1,189,000 £1,108,000 7.3
    Semi-detached £729,000 £680,000 7.2
    Terraced £638,000 £609,000 4.8
    Flat/maisonette £449,000 £445,000 0.9
    All £567,000 £548,000 3.3

    Funding and buyer status for London

    Transaction type Average price
    Apr 2025 Annual price change % since April 2024 Monthly price change % since March 2025
    Cash £617,000 3.5 5.4
    Mortgage £556,000 3.3 1.8
    First-time buyer £481,000 2.2 0.9
    Former owner occupier £716,000 1.2 5.4

    Building status for London

    Building status* Average price February 2025 Annual price change % since February 2024 Monthly price change % since January 2025
    New build £596,000 19.1 10.3
    Existing resold property £555,000 1.2 -1.3

    *Figures for the 2 most recent months are not being published because there are not enough new build transactions to give a meaningful result.

    Wales

     Wales shows, on average, house prices rose by 0.3% since March 2025. An annual price increase of 5.3% takes the average property value to £210,000.

    There were 5 repossession sales for Wales in February 2025.

    Average price by property type for Wales

    Property type April 2025 April 2024 Difference %
    Detached £330,000 £313,000 5.5
    Semi-detached £211,000 £197,000 7.1
    Terraced £166,000 £159,000 4.9
    Flat/maisonette £128,000 £128,000 -0.1
    All £210,000 £200,000 5.3

    Funding and buyer status for Wales

    Transaction type Average price April 2025% Annual price change % since April 2024 Monthly price change % since March 2025
    Cash £208,000 4 -0.4
    Mortgage £211,000 5.9 0.6
    First-time buyer £180,000 5.5 -0.3
    Former owner occupier £251,000 5.1 1

    Building status for Wales

    Building status* Average price
    February 2025 Annual price change % since February 2024 Monthly price change % since January 2025
    New build £377,000 25.6 10.8
    Existing resold property £204,000 3.4 -0.6

    *Figures for the 2 most recent months are not being published because there are not enough new build transactions to give a meaningful result.

    UK house prices

    UK house prices rose by 3.5% in the year to April 2025, down from the revised estimate of 7% in the 12 months to March 2025. On a non-seasonally adjusted basis, average house prices in the UK decreased by 2.7% between March 2025 and April 2025, compared with a increase of 0.5% from the same period 12 months ago (March 2024 and April 2024).

    The UK Property Transactions Statistics showed that in April 2025, on a seasonally adjusted basis, the estimated number of transactions of residential properties with a value of £40,000 or greater was 65,000. This is 28% lower than a year ago (April 2024). Between March 2025 and April 2025, UK transactions decreased by 63.5% on a seasonally adjusted basis.

    The highest house price monthly increase was in London, where prices rose by 2.6% since March 2025. The highest annual growth was in the the North East, where prices increased by 6.4% in the year to April 2025.

    See the economic statement.

    The UK HPI is based on completed housing transactions. Typically, a house purchase can take 6 to 8 weeks to reach completion. As with other indicators in the housing market, which typically fluctuate from month to month, it is important not to put too much weight on one month’s set of house price data.

    Access the full UK HPI.

    Background

    1. We publish the UK House Price Index (HPI) on the second or third Wednesday of each month with Northern Ireland figures updated quarterly. We will publish the May 2025 UK HPI at 9:30am on Wednesday 16 July 2025. See the calendar of release dates.
    2. We have made some changes to improve the accuracy of the UK HPI. We are not publishing average price and percentage change for new builds and existing resold property as done previously because there are not currently enough new build transactions to provide a reliable result. This means that in this month’s UK HPI reports, new builds and existing resold property are reported in line with the sales volumes currently available.
    3. The UK HPI revision period has been extended to 13 months, following a review of the revision policy (see calculating the UK HPI section 4.4). This ensures the data used is more comprehensive.
    4. Sales volume data is available by property status (new build and existing property) and funding status (cash and mortgage) in our downloadable data tables. Transactions that require us to create a new register, such as new builds, are more complex and require more time to process. Read revisions to the UK HPI data.
    5. Revision tables are available for England and Wales within the downloadable data in CSV format. See about the UK HPI for more information.
    6. HM Land Registry, Registers of Scotland, Land & Property Services/Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency and the Valuation Office Agency supply data for the UK HPI.
    7. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) and Land & Property Services/Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency calculate the UK HPI. It applies a hedonic regression model that uses the various sources of data on property price, including HM Land Registry’s Price Paid Dataset, and attributes to produce estimates of the change in house prices each month. Find out more about the methodology used from the ONS and Northern Ireland Statistics & Research Agency.
    8. We take the UK Property Transaction statistics  from the HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) monthly estimates of the number of residential and non-residential property transactions in the UK and its constituent countries. The number of property transactions in the UK is highly seasonal, with more activity in the summer months and less in the winter. This regular annual pattern can sometimes mask the underlying movements and trends in the data series. HMRC presents the UK aggregate transaction figures on a seasonally adjusted basis. We make adjustments for both the time of year and the construction of the calendar, including corrections for the position of Easter and the number of trading days in a particular month.
    9. UK HPI seasonally adjusted series are calculated at regional and national levels only. See data tables.
    10. The first estimate for new build average price (April 2016 report) was based on a small sample which can cause volatility. A three-month moving average has been applied to the latest estimate to remove some of this volatility.
    11. The UK HPI reflects the final transaction price for sales of residential property. Using the geometric mean, it covers purchases at market value for owner-occupation and buy-to-let, excluding those purchases not at market value (such as re-mortgages), where the ‘price’ represents a valuation.
    12. HM Land Registry provides information on residential property transactions for England and Wales, collected as part of the official registration process for properties that are sold for full market value.
    13. The HM Land Registry dataset contains the sale price of the property, the date when the sale was completed, full address details, the type of property (detached, semi-detached, terraced or flat), if it is a newly built property or an established residential building and a variable to indicate if the property has been purchased as a financed transaction (using a mortgage) or as a non-financed transaction (cash purchase).
    14. Repossession sales data is based on the number of transactions lodged with HM Land Registry by lenders exercising their power of sale.
    15. For England, we show repossession sales volume recorded by government office region. For Wales, we provide repossession sales volume for the number of repossession sales.
    16. Repossession sales data is available from April 2016 in CSV format. Find out more information about repossession sales.
    17. We publish CSV files of the raw and cleansed aggregated data every month for England, Scotland and Wales. We publish Northern Ireland data on a quarterly basis. They are available for free use and re-use under the Open Government Licence.
    18. HM Land Registry is a government department created in 1862. Its vision is: “A world-leading property market as part of a thriving economy and a sustainable future.”
    19. HM Land Registry’s purpose is: “We protect your land ownership and provide services and data that underpin an efficient and informed property market.”
    20. HM Land Registry safeguards land and property ownership valued at £8 trillion, enabling over £1 trillion worth of personal and commercial lending to be secured against property across England and Wales. The Land Register contains more than 26.5 million titles showing evidence of ownership for more than 89% of the land mass of England and Wales.
    21. For further information about HM Land Registry visit www.gov.uk/land-registry.
    22. Follow us on @HMLandRegistry, our blog, LinkedIn and Facebook

    Contact

    Press Office

    Trafalgar House
    1 Bedford Park
    Croydon
    CR0 2AQ

    Email HMLRPressOffice@landregistry.gov.uk

    Phone (Monday to Friday 8:30am to 5:30pm) 0300 006 3365

    Mobile (5:30pm to 8:30am weekdays, all weekend and public holidays) 07864 689 344

    Share this page

    The following links open in a new tab

    • Share on Facebook (opens in new tab)
    • Share on Twitter (opens in new tab)

    Updates to this page

    Published 18 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

    June 18, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Australia: Concrete consequences for GST crooks

    Source: New places to play in Gungahlin

    The Australian Taxation Office’s (ATO) relentless pursuit against GST fraud sees 3 more individuals sentenced in June 2025 under Operation Protego.

    These latest sentencings bring the total of Operation Protego offenders convicted in May and June to 6, joining the ranks of over 100 individuals sentenced to date.

    ATO Deputy Commissioner and Serious Financial Crime Taskforce (SFCT) Chief John Ford said the recent convictions show that the ATO is bringing criminals who commit GST fraud to justice.

    ‘Our compliance and debt recovery actions demonstrate that we are addressing fraud. Where we see deliberate attempts to cheat the system, there will be severe consequences.’

    ‘These crooks face long-term consequences. Not only do they need to repay the money, but they now have a criminal record set in stone, which may affect their ability to secure employment, obtain finance or insurance and travel overseas.’

    ‘GST fraud steals funds that could have been used to support community services such as healthcare, infrastructure and education, instead of funding offenders’ personal luxuries,’ Mr Ford said.

    The following sentencings show the ATO is working with cross-agency partners through the SFCT, including law enforcement agencies, to bring criminal consequences, not just financial consequences, for GST fraudsters:

    • Ms Darnelle Te Kiri was sentenced to 17 months imprisonment in the Melbourne County Court contrary to section 134.2(1) of the Criminal Code (Cth) for fraudulently obtaining $202,936 through false business activity statements (BAS). Ms Te Kiri registered an ABN in 2021 for hospitality and bar work services and lodged 8 false BAS over 7 months, claiming to have spent over $2 million in purchases despite reporting little to no income. An ATO audit found no evidence of a legitimate business. The funds were spent on rent, groceries, pubs and gaming, ATM withdrawals, and transfers to third parties and international money services. She was released immediately on $1,000 recognisance, to be of good behaviour for 2 years and ordered to repay the full $202,936.
    • Mr Daniel Copeland was sentenced to 3 years imprisonment to be released after serving 12 months in the Newcastle District Court contrary to section 134.2(1) of the Criminal Code (Cth) for fraudulently obtaining over $1.1 million in GST refunds from the ATO. Mr Copeland registered an Australian business number (ABN) for a plastering services business and submitted 23 false BAS in 2021. An ATO audit was unable to identify any evidence of the Offender’s purported enterprise and that he was not entitled to claim the GST refunds. The funds were used for gambling, personal living expenses, accommodation, purchases at a car dealership and cash withdrawals. He was released on $100 recognisance, to be of good behaviour for 5 years and ordered to repay the full $1.1 million.
    • Mr Tewhanaupani Nukunuku was sentenced to 2 years and 3 months imprisonment to be released after serving 9 months on recognisance release order requiring him to give security in the sum of $1000 on condition he be of good behaviour for 2 years. Mr Nukunuku pleaded guilty in the Melbourne County Court for one offence of obtaining a financial advantage of $168,000 by deception from the Commonwealth and one offence of attempting to obtain a further $100,000 in GST refunds. He claimed to operate a concreting business and lodged 8 false BAS over a 6-month period. An ATO audit found he was not in business and did not hold the necessary registration or license to perform the claimed work. The funds were partly spent on some luxury items including retail expenses and a car. He was also ordered to repay the full $168,000.

    These sentencing outcomes are a direct result of the ATO’s sustained and strategic efforts to prevent, detect, investigate and prosecute serious financial crime.

    Mr Ford said these results are not just numbers; they represent our strong and ongoing commitment to protecting the integrity of Australia’s tax and super systems.

    These matters were prosecuted by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Cth) (CDPP) following a referral from the ATO.

    You can confidentially report suspected tax crime or fraud to us by making a tip-off online or calling 1800 060 062.

    For more information about Operation Protego including recent sentencings, visit ato.gov.au/protego.

    Notes to journalists

    • As part of Operation Protego, the ATO has applied treatment against more than 57,000 alleged offenders. Those involved in this fraud have already been handed in the order of $300 million in penalties and interest.
    • As at 31 May 2025, 112 people have been convicted with a range of sentencing outcomes, including jail terms of up to 7 years and 6 months and with orders made to restrain real property.
    • The ATO has finalised 62 investigations and referred 52 briefs of evidence to the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions.
    • A high-resolution headshot of Deputy Commissioner and Serious Financial Crime Taskforce Chief John FordThis link will download a file is available from the ATO media centre.
    • ATO stock footage and images is available for download and use in news bulletins from the ATO media centre.

    MIL OSI News –

    June 18, 2025
  • MIL-OSI USA: Former SBA Employee from South Florida Headed to Federal Prison After Defrauding COVID-19 Relief Programs

    Source: United States Small Business Administration

    Click Here to View the Original U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Press Release


    A former Small Business Administration (SBA) employee who fraudulently obtained COVID-19 relief money to spend on luxury items was sentenced on June 13.

    United States District Judge Rodolfo A. Ruiz II sentenced Malaina Chapman, 38, to 54 months imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release. Judge Ruiz further ordered Chapman to pay $1,297,178 in restitution.

    According to court documents and statements made in court, Chapman was employed as a Disaster Relief Specialist with the SBA from September 28, 2020 through March 18, 2021. While employed by the SBA, Chapman became involved in multiple schemes to defraud the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan program, as well as local credit unions and local and state programs designed to assist those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

    On February 10, 2021, Chapman submitted an online loan application in the name of Upscale Credit Lounge, LLC to a lender. In support of her application, Chapman submitted a false and fraudulent Schedule C (Form 1040) that reported gross revenues of $103,674 and a tentative profit of $81,860 for 2020. The lender relied upon the representations in Chapman’s application to approve a loan in the amount of $17,052.50.

    On February 19, 2021, Chapman submitted an online PPP loan application with the lender on behalf of DA TRAP, LLC. In her application, Chapman claimed that she had four employees and an average monthly payroll of $14,191.  In support of her application, Chapman submitted a false and fraudulent Employers Quarterly Tax Return (Form 941), which purportedly documented the wages paid by DA TRAP.  Relying on the representations in the application, the lender approved a loan in the amount of $35,477.50.

    In total, Chapman received $230,246 for the loan applications she submitted on her own behalf.

    Chapman also conspired with others to submit false and fraudulent PPP loan applications on their behalf. Six defendants were charged under case number 24-cr-20079. For that conspiracy, Chapman was held accountable for losses of $837,716.

    In addition to defrauding the PPP program, Chapman also took advantage of the State of Florida and the City of Miami’s COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Programs.

    Chapman spent the money on luxury items from Louis Vuitton, Nordstrom, Goyard, Chanel, Fendi, as well as a designer teacup puppy. Chapman also spent over $7,500 on a stay at a Key Largo luxury resort.

    U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida; Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Ulrich, U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (USPS OIG); Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite, U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General (SBA OIG), Investigations Division’s Eastern Region; and Special Agent in Charge Mathew Broadhurst of the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG), Southeast Region, made the announcement.

    This case was investigated by USPS-OIG, SBA-OIG, and DOL-OIG.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Bernstein prosecuted the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Gabrielle Charest-Turken is handling asset forfeiture.

    In March 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act was enacted. It was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Among other sources of relief, the CARES Act authorized and provided funding to the SBA to provide EIDLs to eligible small businesses, including sole proprietorships and independent contractors, experiencing substantial financial disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic to allow them to meet financial obligations and operating expenses that could otherwise have been met had the disaster not occurred.  EIDL applications were submitted directly to the SBA via the SBA’s on-line application website, and the applications were processed and the loans funded for qualifying applicants directly by the SBA.

    On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

    On September 15, 2022, the Attorney General selected the Southern District of Florida’s U.S. Attorney’s Office to head one of three national COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force Teams. The Department of Justice established the Strike Force to enhance existing efforts to combat and prevent COVID-19 related financial fraud. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please click here.

    Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number  24-cr-20321.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 18, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Australia: Four year approach for new Revenue and Rating Plan

    Source: New South Wales Ministerial News

    A new Revenue and Plan 2025-2029 has been adopted which outlines how revenue is calculated and collected.

    Adopted at last Monday’s Council meeting, the Revenue and Rating Plan explains how the City of Greater Bendigo will raise funds to provide services, facilities and infrastructure over the next four years.

    This includes finding the most appropriate and affordable rates approach for Greater Bendigo’s residents and businesses. It also includes principles for decision-making for other income sources such as fees and charges.

    Mayor Cr Andrea Metcalf said the new Rating and Revenue Plan provided responsible fiscal planning and is informed by the new Council Plan Mir wimbul 2025-2029.

    “The City provides around 60 services, maintains facilities and infrastructure and looks after important projects and initiatives. It must collect revenue to cover the costs for these services and assets,” Cr Metcalf said.

    “The most significant revenue streams are from rates revenue, user fees and charges and government grants which together make up over 90% of council revenue each year.

    “The total revenue raised for the 2025/2026 financial year is expected to be $263M with $160M from rates and charges, $28M from user charges, fees and fines, and $49M from government grants. In-kind contributions valued at $18M for infrastructure assets are expected to be given during the new fiscal year at no cost to the City. Capital works expenditure is estimated at nearly $70M.

    “Greater Bendigo currently has different rating types for different properties, known as differential rates, to allow classes of properties to be assessed at different levels to the general rate set for the municipality. This allows for a more equal distribution of the rate burden, depending on the use of the land.

    “In May, the community was invited to complete a Revenue and Rating Plan survey on the City’s engagement platform Let’s Talk Greater Bendigo.

    “Drawing on community feedback from the survey and engagement throughout the Budget project, there is a change to the rates and charges structure for 2025/2026 across the different classes of land.

    “This includes a 10% reduction in the Farm Land differential rate and 5% increase to the commercial and industrial differential rates to ensure there is a fair and equitable distribution of the rating burden across the different classes of land,” Cr Metcalf said.

    MIL OSI News –

    June 18, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Security: Former SBA Employee from South Florida Headed to Federal Prison After Defrauding COVID-19 Relief Programs

    Source: United States Department of Justice (National Center for Disaster Fraud)

    MIAMI – A former Small Business Administration (SBA) employee who fraudulently obtained COVID-19 relief money to spend on luxury items was sentenced on June 13.

    United States District Judge Rodolfo A. Ruiz II sentenced Malaina Chapman, 38, to 54 months imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release. Judge Ruiz further ordered Chapman to pay $1,297,178 in restitution.

    According to court documents and statements made in court, Chapman was employed as a Disaster Relief Specialist with the SBA from September 28, 2020 through March 18, 2021.   While employed by the SBA, Chapman became involved in multiple schemes to defraud the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan program, as well as local credit unions and local and state programs designed to assist those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

    On February 10, 2021, Chapman submitted an online loan application in the name of Upscale Credit Lounge, LLC to a lender. In support of her application, Chapman submitted a false and fraudulent Schedule C (Form 1040) that reported gross revenues of $103,674 and a tentative profit of $81,860 for 2020. The lender relied upon the representations in Chapman’s application to approve a loan in the amount of $17,052.50. 

    On February 19, 2021, Chapman submitted an online PPP loan application with the lender on behalf of DA TRAP, LLC. In her application, Chapman claimed that she had four employees and an average monthly payroll of $14,191.  In support of her application, Chapman submitted a false and fraudulent Employers Quarterly Tax Return (Form 941), which purportedly documented the wages paid by DA TRAP.  Relying on the representations in the application, the lender approved a loan in the amount of $35,477.50.

    In total, Chapman received $230,246 for the loan applications she submitted on her own behalf.

    Chapman also conspired with others to submit false and fraudulent PPP loan applications on their behalf. Six defendants were charged under case number 24-cr-20079. For that conspiracy, Chapman was held accountable for losses of $837,716.

    In addition to defrauding the PPP program, Chapman also took advantage of the State of Florida and the City of Miami’s COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Programs. 

    Chapman spent the money on luxury items from Louis Vuitton, Nordstrom, Goyard, Chanel, Fendi, as well as a designer teacup puppy. Chapman also spent over $7,500 on a stay at a Key Largo luxury resort.

    U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida; Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Ulrich, U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (USPS OIG); Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite, U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General (SBA OIG), Investigations Division’s Eastern Region; and Special Agent in Charge Mathew Broadhurst of the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG), Southeast Region, made the announcement.

    This case was investigated by USPS-OIG, SBA-OIG, and DOL-OIG.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Bernstein prosecuted the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Gabrielle Charest-Turken is handling asset forfeiture.

    In March 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act was enacted. It was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Among other sources of relief, the CARES Act authorized and provided funding to the SBA to provide EIDLs to eligible small businesses, including sole proprietorships and independent contractors, experiencing substantial financial disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic to allow them to meet financial obligations and operating expenses that could otherwise have been met had the disaster not occurred.  EIDL applications were submitted directly to the SBA via the SBA’s on-line application website, and the applications were processed and the loans funded for qualifying applicants directly by the SBA.

    On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

    On September 15, 2022, the Attorney General selected the Southern District of Florida’s U.S. Attorney’s Office to head one of three national COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force Teams. The Department of Justice established the Strike Force to enhance existing efforts to combat and prevent COVID-19 related financial fraud. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please click here.

    Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number  24-cr-20321.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

    June 18, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Security: Former SBA Employee from South Florida Headed to Federal Prison After Defrauding COVID-19 Relief Programs

    Source: United States Department of Justice (National Center for Disaster Fraud)

    MIAMI – A former Small Business Administration (SBA) employee who fraudulently obtained COVID-19 relief money to spend on luxury items was sentenced on June 13.

    United States District Judge Rodolfo A. Ruiz II sentenced Malaina Chapman, 38, to 54 months imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release. Judge Ruiz further ordered Chapman to pay $1,297,178 in restitution.

    According to court documents and statements made in court, Chapman was employed as a Disaster Relief Specialist with the SBA from September 28, 2020 through March 18, 2021.   While employed by the SBA, Chapman became involved in multiple schemes to defraud the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan program, as well as local credit unions and local and state programs designed to assist those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

    On February 10, 2021, Chapman submitted an online loan application in the name of Upscale Credit Lounge, LLC to a lender. In support of her application, Chapman submitted a false and fraudulent Schedule C (Form 1040) that reported gross revenues of $103,674 and a tentative profit of $81,860 for 2020. The lender relied upon the representations in Chapman’s application to approve a loan in the amount of $17,052.50. 

    On February 19, 2021, Chapman submitted an online PPP loan application with the lender on behalf of DA TRAP, LLC. In her application, Chapman claimed that she had four employees and an average monthly payroll of $14,191.  In support of her application, Chapman submitted a false and fraudulent Employers Quarterly Tax Return (Form 941), which purportedly documented the wages paid by DA TRAP.  Relying on the representations in the application, the lender approved a loan in the amount of $35,477.50.

    In total, Chapman received $230,246 for the loan applications she submitted on her own behalf.

    Chapman also conspired with others to submit false and fraudulent PPP loan applications on their behalf. Six defendants were charged under case number 24-cr-20079. For that conspiracy, Chapman was held accountable for losses of $837,716.

    In addition to defrauding the PPP program, Chapman also took advantage of the State of Florida and the City of Miami’s COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Programs. 

    Chapman spent the money on luxury items from Louis Vuitton, Nordstrom, Goyard, Chanel, Fendi, as well as a designer teacup puppy. Chapman also spent over $7,500 on a stay at a Key Largo luxury resort.

    U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida; Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Ulrich, U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (USPS OIG); Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite, U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General (SBA OIG), Investigations Division’s Eastern Region; and Special Agent in Charge Mathew Broadhurst of the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG), Southeast Region, made the announcement.

    This case was investigated by USPS-OIG, SBA-OIG, and DOL-OIG.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Bernstein prosecuted the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Gabrielle Charest-Turken is handling asset forfeiture.

    In March 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act was enacted. It was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Among other sources of relief, the CARES Act authorized and provided funding to the SBA to provide EIDLs to eligible small businesses, including sole proprietorships and independent contractors, experiencing substantial financial disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic to allow them to meet financial obligations and operating expenses that could otherwise have been met had the disaster not occurred.  EIDL applications were submitted directly to the SBA via the SBA’s on-line application website, and the applications were processed and the loans funded for qualifying applicants directly by the SBA.

    On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

    On September 15, 2022, the Attorney General selected the Southern District of Florida’s U.S. Attorney’s Office to head one of three national COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force Teams. The Department of Justice established the Strike Force to enhance existing efforts to combat and prevent COVID-19 related financial fraud. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please click here.

    Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number  24-cr-20321.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

    June 18, 2025
  • MIL-OSI USA: FAA Announces $1.9 Million for Projects at North Dakota Airports

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced an award of $1,906,102 through the Airport Infrastructure Grant (AIG) program for projects at several airports across North Dakota. The funding will be distributed as follows:

    • $1,000,000 to the City of Minot to reconstruct 1,500 feet of the existing airport firefighting, rescue building, and hangar access road.
    • $322,254 to the Washburn Municipal Airport Authority for a new 200-foot Taxilane midfield to provide airfield access to a nonexclusive hangar development area to bring the airport into conformity with current standards.
    • $250,000 to the Barnes County Municipal Airport Authority to fund the final reconstruction of an existing lighting vault building and equipment.
    • $225,000 to the Oakes Municipal Airport Authority to replace one existing airport rotating beacon.
    • $108,848 to the Cando Municipal Airport Authority to reseal 4,433 square yards of existing North Apron pavement and pavement joints, reseal 450 feet of existing Taxiway A pavement and pavement joints, and reseal 466 feet of existing Taxilane East pavement and pavement joints to extend its useful life.

    The AIG Program was established by the fully-paid-for Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to provide airports with funding for modernization and safety projects. Since its creation, airports in North Dakota have received over $49 million in program funding.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 18, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Canada: Prime Minister Carney concludes 2025 G7 Leaders’ Summit

    Source: Government of Canada – Prime Minister

    In an increasingly dangerous and divided world, co-operation with reliable partners is more important than ever. With G7 partners, Canada will build a new era of collaboration – one rooted in mutual support and resilient partnerships. Canada is ready to lead.

    Today, the Prime Minister, Mark Carney, concluded his participation in the 2025 G7 Leaders’ Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta. Under Canada’s Presidency, this G7 deepened co-operation with joint statements in the following areas: 

    Prime Minister Carney also announced the following measures in support of Ukraine:

    • Sanctions on individuals, entities, and vessels that continue to support Russia’s aggression in Ukraine.
    • An additional $2 billion in military assistance this year.
    • The disbursement of a $2.3 billion loan to Ukraine through the G7 Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration Loans mechanism.
    • The allocation of $57.4 million in security-related assistance.

    Canada will also be taking action to build stronger economies and international systems:

    • $391.3 million to catalyze private capital toward economic growth and development projects around the world.
    • Up to $185.6 million to accelerate the adoption and commercialization of artificial intelligence.
    • $120.4 million to global wildfire prevention, response, and recovery.
    • $80.3 million to build reliable critical minerals supply chains.
    • $22.5 million to accelerate the development and use of quantum technologies.
    • Up to $544 million in guarantees for new development financing in Latin America and the Caribbean.

    While our threats cross borders, so do our partnerships and opportunities. In these areas of common interest, Canada is leading G7 co-operation to deliver stability, security, and prosperity. 

    Quote

    “In Kananaskis, Canada’s Presidency showed that we’re ready to create new international partnerships, deepen alliances, and lead member nations into a new era of global co-operation. Canada has the resources the world wants and the values to which others aspire. Canada is meeting this moment with purpose and strength.”

    Related Products

    Associated Link

    MIL OSI Canada News –

    June 18, 2025
  • MIL-OSI USA: RGA Statement: A Contrast of Records in Virginia

    Source: US Republican Governors Association

    The following text contains opinion that is not, or not necessarily, that of MIL-OSI –

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Republican Governors Association (RGA) released the following statement on the Virginia gubernatorial election:

    “The general election is officially on, and the contrast could not be more clear between Lt. Governor Winsome Earle-Sears’ record of commonsense leadership alongside Governor Youngkin versus Abigail Spanberger’s failed record in Washington. While Winsome Earle-Sears is ready to axe the Car Tax and the Tax on Tips, Spanberger will continue to protect illegal criminals over Virginia families and oppose commonsense tax cuts – just like she did in Washington,” said RGA Rapid Response Director Kollin Crompton. “Abigail Spanberger would take Virginia backward and stunt the growth Virginians have seen under Lt. Governor Earle-Sears and Governor Youngkin’s leadership.”

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 18, 2025
  • MIL-OSI: Diversified Royalty Corp. Announces Acquisition of US-Based Cheba Hut Franchising, Inc.’s Trademarks, a 10% Dividend Increase, and an Increase in Size of its Acquisition Facility

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Diversified Royalty Corp. (TSX: DIV and DIV.DB.A) (the “Corporation” or “DIV”) is pleased to announce that it has acquired the trademarks and certain other intellectual property used by Cheba Hut Franchising, Inc. (“Cheba Hut”) of Fort Collins, Colorado, adding a ninth royalty stream (and the second based in the United States) to DIV’s portfolio. All dollar amounts in this news release, unless specifically denominated in U.S. dollars, are represented in Canadian dollars.

    Highlights

    • Acquisition of Cheba Hut’s worldwide trademark portfolio and certain other intellectual property rights for US$36 million and certain additional consideration
    • Initial annual royalty revenue from Cheba Hut of US$4 million, representing approximately 7% of DIV’s pro-forma adjusted revenue1
    • The royalty grows at a fixed rate equal to the greater of 3.5% and the U.S. Consumer Price Index (“U.S. CPI”) + 1.5% per year
    • Annual dividend on DIV’s common shares to be increased 10% from 25 cents per share to 27.5 cents per share, effective July 1, 2025
    • DIV’s strong balance sheet enabled it to fund the Transaction without the need to raise equity

    1. Pro-forma adjusted revenue is a non-IFRS financial measure and as such, does not have a standardized meaning under IFRS. For additional information, refer to “Non-IFRS Measures” in this news release.

    Acquisition Overview

    DIV and its wholly-owned subsidiary Cheeb Royalties Limited Partnership (“Cheeb LP”) entered into an acquisition agreement dated June 17, 2025 (the “Acquisition Agreement”) with Cheba Hut and an affiliate of Cheba Hut pursuant to which Cheeb LP acquired (the “Acquisition”) Cheba Hut’s worldwide trademarks portfolio and certain other intellectual property rights utilized by Cheba Hut in its fast casual, toasted sub sandwich restaurants (the “Cheba Rights”) for a purchase price (the “Purchase Price”), of US$36 million cash. The Purchase Price was funded with (i) approximately US$18 million drawn from DIV’s amended acquisition facility (further details below) (the “Acquisition Facility”), (ii) approximately US$8 million from DIV’s cash on hand, (iii) US$5 million drawn from a new senior credit facility issued to Cheeb LP (the “Cheeb Credit Facility”), and (iv) US$5 million drawn from a new senior term credit facility issued to DIV (the “Additional Term Facility”).

    Immediately following the closing of the Acquisition, DIV licensed the Cheba Rights in the United States back to Cheba Hut for 50 years, in exchange for an initial royalty payment of US$4 million per annum (the “Royalty” and together with the Acquisition, the “Transaction”). The Royalty will be automatically increased at a rate equal to the greater of 3.5% and the U.S. CPI + 1.5% per year without any further consideration payable by DIV or Cheeb LP. Cheba Hut may also increase the annual royalty payable on April 1st of each year following the closing (each an “Adjustment Date”) subject to Cheba Hut satisfying certain royalty coverage tests. The amount of each royalty increase cannot be less than US$500,000 per annum and must, in respect of amounts over that threshold, be in increments of US$100,000 per annum. In consideration for a royalty increase on an Adjustment Date, Cheeb LP will pay an amount to Cheba Hut in cash, based on a multiple between 7 and 8 times (depending on certain conditions being met) the incremental annual royalty purchased, as additional consideration for the Cheba Rights.

    Payment of the Royalty will be secured by a general security agreement granted by Cheba Hut to Cheeb LP, and by secured corporate guarantees to be granted to Cheeb LP by several affiliates of Cheba Hut.

    The Acquisition is expected to increase DIV’s tax pools by approximately $51 million to a total of approximately $424 million, which can be depreciated over time to reduce DIV’s cash taxes. Amounts paid for incremental annual royalties will also increase DIV’s tax pools.

    Founded in 1998, Cheba Hut has 77 fast casual, toasted sub sandwich restaurants in the US. All of Cheba Hut’s locations are franchised, except for two corporate stores and substantially all future growth is currently expected to result from opening additional franchised locations. Cheba Hut had US$149 million of system sales2 and SSSG2 of 5% in 2024. Cheba Hut is forecasting over US$187 million in system sales2 in the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025.

    2. System sales and same store sales growth (SSSG) are supplementary financial measures and as such, do not have standardized meanings under IFRS. For additional information, refer to “Non-IFRS Measures” in this news release.

    Sean Morrison, Chief Executive Officer of DIV, stated, “The Cheba Hut trademark acquisition and royalty agreement adds a ninth royalty stream to DIV’s portfolio, representing approximately 7% of DIV’s pro-forma adjusted revenue3 and is another step in our strategy of purchasing royalties from a diverse group of proven multi-location businesses and franchisors. We believe Cheba Hut’s impressive track record of growth is a result of its strong store-level economics, quality of its franchisees and experience of its management team. Scott Jennings, the founder of Cheba Hut, and his management team represent a great partner for DIV, as they strongly believe in the continued success of Cheba Hut over the long term and therefore partnering with DIV was far superior to selling equity ownership. We look forward to working with Scott and Cheba Hut’s management team to continue expanding the business across the U.S.

    DIV has worked to promote its royalty model in the U.S. market and now, with its second US-based royalty transaction, is building significant momentum in that market. Such continued momentum in the U.S. franchisor market will become significant to DIV as it scales its business going forward.

    Further, DIV’s strong balance sheet (cash on hand, under-levered existing royalty LP’s, an unused acquisition facility) enabled it to fund the Transaction without the need to raise equity. DIV’s less than 100% payout ratio4, automated DRIP program and ability to refinance existing LP’s will enable it to substantially pay down the acquisition facility within 12 months. This is a game-changer for DIV as all prior trademarks acquisitions have been funded concurrently, or shortly thereafter, with a sizeable equity raise.”

    Scott Jennings, stated, “DIV understands and believes that leaving us in control of our company keeps us in the best position to sustain our controlled growth. In addition, we can continue to take care of our product, partners, crew, and most importantly our CUSTOMERS the way we have for the last 27 years. We thank DIV for believing in Cheba Hut and helping us stay in excellent position to keep our soul intact for the next 50 years and beyond!!!”

    3. Pro-forma adjusted revenue is a non-IFRS financial measure, and as such, does not have a standardized meaning under IFRS. For additional information, refer to “Non-IFRS Measures” in this news release.

    Amendment to Acquisition Facility

    DIV amended its Acquisition Facility to increase the size from $50 million to $70 million and extend the maturity date to May 30, 2027, and thereafter to June 17, 2028 (if certain conditions are met).

    DIV and Cheeb LP Credit Facilities

    Cheeb LP financed US$5 million of the Purchase Price with new bank debt having a term of three years from closing. The Cheeb Credit Facility is non-amortizing and has a floating interest rate equal to SOFR + 2.5% per annum; however, DIV will have 90 days following closing to effectively fix the interest rate on 75% of the amount borrowed under this facility through an interest rate swap. The Cheeb Credit Facility is secured by the Cheba Rights and the Royalty payable by Cheba Hut, and has covenants customary for this type of a credit facility.

    DIV financed approximately US$18 million of the Purchase Price from the Acquisition Facility as amended and described above. The approximately US$18 million drawn on the Acquisition Facility is interest-only for twelve months and thereafter amortizes over a 60-month period. In connection with the Transaction, DIV financed US$5 million of the Purchase Price from an Additional Term Facility of US$5 million with a term of approximately 18 months. The Additional Term Facility is non-amortizing and has a floating interest rate based on SOFR plus a spread based on prevailing market rates. The Additional Term Facility is secured by a general security interest over the assets of the Corporation and, if requested by the lender, may be secured by specific assignments of certain material agreements entered into by the Corporation from time to time, and has covenants customary for this type of credit facility. DIV intends to pay down the Acquisition Facility through a combination of cash flows, debt refinancings and/or capital markets transactions.

    Dividend Policy Increase

    DIV’s board of directors has approved an increase in DIV’s dividend policy to increase its annualized dividend from 25.0 cents per share to 27.5 cents per share effective July 1, 2025, an increase of 10%. DIV estimates its pro-forma payout ratio4 will be approximately 94.9% (pro-forma payout ratio, net of DRIP is approximately 83.0%)4.

    4. Pro-forma payout ratio and pro-forma payout ratio, net of DRIP are non-IFRS ratios, and as such, do not have standardized meanings under IFRS. For additional information, refer to “Non-IFRS Measures” in this news release.

    Investor Conference Call

    Management of DIV will host a conference call on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, at 7:00 am Pacific Time (10:00 am Eastern Time). To participate by telephone across Canada, call toll free at 1 (800)  717-1738 or 1 (289) 514-5100 (conference ID 02753). The presentation will be followed by a question-and-answer session. An archived telephone recording of the call will be available until Wednesday, September 17, 2025, by calling 1 (888) 660-6264 or 1 (289) 819-1325 (playback passcode: 02753 #). The management presentation for the conference call will be available on DIV’s website https://www.diversifiedroyaltycorp.com/investors/investor-presentation/ prior to the call. Alternatively, the link to the webcast of the conference can be found below:

    https://onlinexperiences.com/Launch/QReg/ShowUUID=AE82A2E9-8F95-4F22-BF7D-3DF54A94A39D

    About Diversified Royalty Corp.

    DIV is a multi-royalty corporation, engaged in the business of acquiring top-line royalties from well-managed multi-location businesses and franchisors in North America. DIV’s objective is to acquire predictable, growing royalty streams from a diverse group of multi-location businesses and franchisors.

    DIV currently owns the Mr. Lube + Tires, AIR MILES®, Sutton, Mr. Mikes, Nurse Next Door, Oxford Learning Centres, Stratus Building Solutions, BarBurrito and Cheba Hut trademarks. Mr. Lube + Tires is the leading quick lube service business in Canada, with locations across Canada. AIR MILES® is Canada’s largest coalition loyalty program. Sutton is among the leading residential real estate brokerage franchisor businesses in Canada. Mr. Mikes operates casual steakhouse restaurants primarily in western Canadian communities. Nurse Next Door is a home care provider with locations across Canada and the United States as well as in Australia. Oxford Learning Centres is one of Canada’s leading franchisee supplemental education services. Stratus Building Solutions is a leading commercial cleaning service franchise company providing comprehensive janitorial, building cleaning, and office cleaning services primarily in the United States. BarBurrito is the largest quick service Mexican restaurant food chain in Canada. Cheba Hut is a fast casual toasted sub sandwich franchise with locations across 19 U.S. states.

    DIV’s objective is to increase cash flow per share by making accretive royalty purchases and through the growth of purchased royalties. DIV intends to continue to pay a predictable and stable monthly dividend to shareholders and increase the dividend over time, in each case as cash flow per share allows.

    Forward Looking Statements

    Certain statements contained in this news release may constitute “forward-looking information” or “financial outlook” within the meaning of applicable securities laws that involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking information or financial outlook. The use of any of the words “anticipate”, “continue”, “estimate”, “expect”, “intend”, “may”, “will”, ”project”, “should”, “believe”, “confident”, “plan” and “intends” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking information, although not all forward-looking information contains these identifying words. Specifically, forward-looking information or financial outlook in this news release includes, but are not limited to, statements made in relation to: the increase in DIV’s annual dividend; statements related to the expected tax implications of the Acquisition on DIV; substantially all future growth for Cheba Hut is currently expected to result from opening additional franchised locations; Cheba Hut’s forecasted system sales in the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025; the expected financial impact of the Transaction on DIV, including on its pro-forma payout ratio, pro-forma payout ratio, net of DRIP and pro-forma adjusted revenue; DIV intends to pay down the Acquisition Facility through a combination of cash flows, debt refinancings and/or capital markets transactions; the continued expansion in the U.S. franchisor market and the expected effect on DIV and its business; DIV’s intention to continue to pay a predictable and stable monthly dividend to shareholders and increase the dividend over time; and DIV’s corporate objectives. The forward-looking information and financial outlook contained herein involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events, performance, or achievements of DIV to differ materially from those anticipated or implied therein. DIV believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information and financial-outlook are reasonable but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct. In particular there can be no assurance that: DIV will realize the expected benefits of the Transaction, or that it will be accretive; the actual tax implications of the Acquisition and the Transaction on DIV will be consistent with the tax implications expected by DIV; Cheba Hut will pay the Royalty and otherwise comply with its obligations under the agreements governing the Transaction; Cheba Hut will not be adversely affected by the other risks facing its business; DIV may not complete any further royalty acquisitions; DIV may not increase its dividend in accordance with the currently expected timing or amounts; DIV will be able to make monthly dividend payments to the holders of the DIV common shares; or DIV will achieve any of its corporate objectives. Given these uncertainties, readers are cautioned that forward-looking information and financial outlook included in this news release are not guarantees of future performance, and such forward-looking information and financial outlook should not be unduly relied upon. More information about the risks and uncertainties affecting DIV’s business and the businesses of its royalty partners can be found in the “Risk Factors” section of its Annual Information Form dated March 24, 2025 and the “Risk Factors” section of its management’s discussion and analysis for the three months ended March 31, 2025 that are available under DIV’s profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.

    In formulating the forward-looking statements contained herein, management has assumed that, among other things, Cheba Hut will be successful in meeting its stated corporate objectives, including its growth targets; DIV will realize the expected benefits of the Transaction; the Cheba Hut business will not suffer any material adverse effect; the actual tax implications of the Acquisition, the Transaction and the payment of the Royalty will be consistent with the tax implications expected by DIV; and the business and economic conditions affecting DIV and Cheba Hut will continue substantially in the ordinary course, including without limitation with respect to general industry conditions, general levels of economic activity and regulations. These assumptions, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect.

    To the extent any forward-looking information in this news release constitute a “financial outlook” within the meaning of applicable securities laws, such information is being provided to assist investors in understanding the potential financial impact of the Transaction, the Cheeb Credit Facility, the Additional Term Facility and the dividend increase and may not appropriate for other purposes.

    All of the forward-looking information and financial outlook disclosed in this news release is qualified by these cautionary statements and other cautionary statements or factors contained herein, and there can be no assurance that the actual results or developments contemplated thereby will be realized or, even if substantially realized, that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on, DIV contemplated by such forward-looking information and financial outlook contained herein. The forward-looking information and financial outlook included in this news release is made as of the date of this news release and DIV assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise such information to reflect new events or circumstances, except as may be required by applicable law.

    Non-IFRS Measures

    Management believes that disclosing certain non-IFRS financial measures, non-IFRS ratios and supplementary financial measures provides readers with important information regarding the Corporation’s financial performance and its ability to pay dividends, the performance of its royalty partners and the financial impacts to DIV of the Transaction. By considering these measures in combination with the most closely comparable IFRS measure, management believes that investors are provided with additional and more useful information about the Corporation, its royalty partners and the Transaction than investors would have if they simply considered IFRS measures alone. The non-IFRS financial measures, non-IFRS ratios and supplementary financial measures used in this news release do not have standardized meanings prescribed by IFRS and therefore are unlikely to be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. Investors are cautioned that non-IFRS financial measures should not be construed as a substitute or an alternative to net income or cash flows from operating activities as determined in accordance with IFRS.

    The non-IFRS financial measure used in this news release is pro-forma adjusted revenue, which includes as components the following non-IFRS financial measures: DIV royalty entitlement, adjusted revenue and run-rate adjusted revenue. Run-rate adjusted revenue is calculated as the sum of DIV’s adjusted revenue for each of the three months ended December 31, 2024 and March 31, 2025, multiplied by two for purposes of annualizing such amount, plus the amount of Mr. Lube’s roll-in of royalties from 5 net new store locations on May 1, 2025. Pro-forma adjusted revenue is calculated as the run-rate adjusted revenue plus the amount of the initial adjusted revenue contribution payable by Cheba Hut. DIV management believes run-rate adjusted revenue provides useful information as it provides supplemental information regarding DIV’s consolidated revenues, and pro-forma adjusted revenue provides useful information as it provides supplemental information regarding DIV’s consolidated revenues after giving effect to the Transaction. For an explanation of the composition of DIV royalty entitlement and adjusted revenue, including a reconciliation to the most directly comparable IFRS measure, see the disclosure under the heading “Description of Non-IFRS Financial Measures, Non-IFRS Ratios and Supplementary Financial Measures” in DIV’s management discussion and analysis for the three months and year ended December 31, 2024 and three months ended March 31, 2025, copies of which are available under DIV’s profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca, which is incorporated by reference herein.

    The following table reconciles revenue for the three months ended December 31, 2024 and March 31, 2025 to pro-forma adjusted revenue and run-rate adjusted revenue:

    (Cdn$000’s)  (a)
    Q4 2024
    (b)
    Q1 2025
    =(a+b) x 2
    Annualized
    Revenues 17,032 15,639 65,342
    DIV royalty entitlement 1,320 1,329 5,298
    Adjusted revenue 18,352 16,968 70,640
           
    Adjustment:      
    Mr. Lube roll-in – May 1, 2025(1)     668
    Run-rate adjusted revenue      71,308
           
    Cheba Hut contribution(2)     5,600
    Pro-forma adjusted revenue     76,908
           

    1) Adjustment for Mr. Lube’s roll-in of royalties from 5 net new store locations on May 1, 2025, assuming incremental annual net system sales (system sales is a non-IFRS supplementary measure and as such, does not have a standardized meaning under IFRS – see the disclosure under the heading “Description of Non-IFRS Financial Measures, Non-IFRS Ratios and Supplementary Financial Measures” in DIV’s management discussion and analysis for the three months and year ended December 31, 2024 and three months ended March 31, 2025) of $8.4 million, multiplied by 7.95% royalty rate

    2) Cheba Hut contribution is calculated as the initial adjusted revenue contribution of USD$4,000,000 payable by Cheba Hut, multiplied by a USD to CAD exchange rate of $1.4:1

    The non-IFRS ratios used in this news release are pro-forma payout ratio and pro-forma payout ratio, net of DRIP, which include as components the following non-IFRS financial measures: EBITDA, normalized EBITDA, distributable cash, run-rate distributable cash, pro-forma distributable cash, pro-forma dividends declared and DIV royalty entitlement net of NND Royalties LP expenses. Run-rate distributable cash is calculated as the sum of DIV’s distributable cash for each of the three months ended December 31, 2024 and March 31, 2025, multiplied by two for purposes of annualizing such amount, plus the after-tax amount of Mr. Lube’s roll-in of royalties from 5 net new store locations on May 1, 2025, less adjustments for interest income and current tax. Pro-forma distributable cash is calculated as run-rate distributable cash plus the amount of the initial adjusted revenue contribution payable by Cheba Hut, less incremental operating expenses, interest expenses and taxes. DIV management believes run-rate distributable cash provides useful information as it provides supplemental information regarding DIV’s ability to generate cash available for payment of dividends after adjusting for non-recurring expenses and pro-forma distributable cash provides useful information as it provides supplemental information regarding DIV’s ability to generate cash available for payment of dividends after giving effect to the Transaction. Pro-forma dividends declared is calculated as DIV’s new annualized dividend of $0.275 per share multiplied by the number of DIV common shares issued and outstanding as of March 31, 2025. Pro-forma dividends declared is used to calculate the pro-forma payout ratio, and thus management believes that it provides useful information as to DIV’s expected future aggregate annualized dividend payments. Pro-forma payout ratio is calculated as pro-forma dividends declared divided by pro-forma distributable cash. Pro-forma payout ratio, net of DRIP is calculated as the difference of (X) pro-forma dividends declared less (Y) dividends paid by DIV in the form of DIV common shares issued under DIV’s dividend reinvestment plan (“DRIP”) at an estimated participation rate of 12.5%, divided by pro-forma distributable cash. For an explanation of the composition of EBITDA, normalized EBITDA, distributable cash and DIV royalty entitlement net of NND Royalties LP expenses, including a reconciliation to the most directly comparable IFRS measure, see the disclosure under the heading “Description of Non-IFRS Financial Measures, Non-IFRS Ratios and Supplementary Financial Measures” in DIV’s management discussion and analysis for the three months and year ended December 31, 2024 and three months ended March 31, 2025, copies of which are available under DIV’s profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca, which is incorporated by reference herein. DIV management believes that (i) pro-forma payout ratio provides useful information as it provides supplemental information regarding DIV’s ability to generate cash to pay dividends following the completion of the Transaction and the increase to the dividend, and (ii) pro-forma payout ratio, net of DRIP provides useful information as it provides supplemental information regarding DIV’s ability to generate cash to pay dividends following the completion of the Transaction and the increase to the dividend after adjusting for dividends paid by DIV in the form of DIV common shares issued under the DRIP.

    The following table reconciles net income for the three months ended December 31, 2024 and March 31, 2025, to run-rate distributable cash and pro-forma distributable cash and illustrates the calculation of pro-forma payout ratio and pro-forma payout ratio, net of DRIP:

    (Cdn$000’s) (a)
    Q4 2024
    (b)
    Q1 2025
    =(a+b) x 2
    Annualized
    Net income 4,015 7,993 24,016
           
    Interest expense on credit facilities 3,368 3,150 13,036
    Income tax expense 1,653 2,997 9,300
    Depreciation expense 25 24 98
    EBITDA 9,061 14,164 46,450
           
    Adjustments:      
    Share-based compensation 645 368 2,026
    Other finance costs, net (2,044) 995 (2,098)
    Fair value adjustment on financial instruments 15 (904) (1,778)
    Payment of lease obligations (28) (28) (112)
    DIV royalty entitlement net of NND Royalties LP expenses 1,314 1,325 5,278
    Impairment loss 8,204 – 16,408
    Normalized EBITDA 17,167 15,920 66,174
    Add: interest income 139 135 548
    Less: Distributions on exchangeable MRM units (34) (48) (164)
    Less: current tax expense (1,301) (1,719) (6,040)
    Less: interest expense on credit facilities (3,368) (3,150) (13,036)
    Distributable cash 12,603 11,138 47,482
           
    Adjustment:      
    Mr. Lube roll-in – May 1, 2025, net of taxes(1)     487
    Interest income adjustment     (493)
    Current tax adjustment     (2,000)
    Run-rate distributable cash     45,476
    Cheba Hut distributable cash contribution(2)     3,075
    Pro-forma distributable cash     48,551
           
    Pro-forma dividends declared(3)     46,081
    Pro-forma payout ratio     94.9%
           
    Pro-forma dividends declared, net of DRIP(4)     40,321
    Pro-forma payout ratio, net of DRIP     83.0%
           

    1) Adjustment for Mr. Lube’s roll-in of royalties from 5 net new store locations on May 1, 2025, assuming incremental annual net system sales (system sales is a non-IFRS supplementary measure and as such, does not have a standardized meaning under IFRS – see the disclosure under the heading “Description of Non-IFRS Financial Measures, Non-IFRS Ratios and Supplementary Financial Measures” in DIV’s management discussion and analysis for the three months and year ended December 31, 2024 and three months ended March 31, 2025) of $8.4 million, multiplied by 7.95% royalty rate, less marginal income taxes assumed at 27%

    2) Cheba Hut contribution is calculated as the initial adjusted revenue contribution of USD$4,000,000, multiplied by a USD to CAD exchange rate of $1.4:1, less incremental operating expenses of $50,000, interest expense of $1,890,000 and taxes of $586,000

    3) Calculated as the number of DIV common shares issued and outstanding as of March 31, 2025 (167,567,468) multiplied by the new annualized dividend of $0.275 per share

    4) Calculated as pro-forma dividends declared, multiplied by 1 minus the effective DRIP rate of 12.5%

    System Sales is a supplementary financial measure and is a reference to the top-line sales revenue reported to Cheba Hut by all Cheba Hut franchisees. System sales is a supplementary financial measure and does not have a standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS. The Corporation believes system sales is a useful measure as it provides investors with an indication of performance of the franchisees underlying Cheba Hut’s business.

    Same store sales growth or SSSG is a supplementary financial measure and is a reference to the percentage increase in system sales over the prior comparable period for Cheba Hut locations that were in operation in both the current and prior periods, excluding stores that were permanently closed. The Corporation believes that SSSG is a useful measure as it provides investors with an indication of the change in year-over-year sales of Cheba Hut locations.

    Third Party Information

    This news release includes information obtained from third party reports and other publicly available sources as well as financial statements and other reports provided to DIV by its royalty partners and Cheba Hut. Although DIV believes these sources to be generally reliable, such information cannot be verified with complete certainty. Accordingly, the accuracy and completeness of this information is not guaranteed. DIV has not independently verified any of the information from third party sources referred to in this news release nor ascertained the underlying assumptions relied upon by such sources.

    THE TORONTO STOCK EXCHANGE HAS NOT REVIEWED AND DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR THE ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

    Additional Information

    Additional information relating to the Corporation and other public filings, is available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.

    Contact:
    Sean Morrison, President and Chief Executive Officer
    Diversified Royalty Corp.
    (236) 521-8470

    Greg Gutmanis, Chief Financial Officer and VP Acquisitions
    Diversified Royalty Corp.
    (236) 521-8471

    The MIL Network –

    June 18, 2025
  • MIL-OSI: Purpose Investments Inc. Announces June 2025 Distributions

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    TORONTO, June 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Purpose Investments Inc. (“Purpose”) is pleased to announce distributions for the month of June 2025 for its open-end exchange traded funds and closed-end funds (“the Funds”).                                                        

    The ex-distribution date for all Open-End Funds is June 26, 2025. The ex-distribution date for all closed-end funds is June 30, 2025.

    Open-End Funds Ticker
    Symbol
    Distribution
    per
    share/unit
    Record
    Date
    Payable
    Date
    Distribution
    Frequency
    Apple (AAPL) Yield Shares Purpose ETF – ETF Units APLY $0.1667 06/26/2025 07/03/2025 Monthly
    Purpose Canadian Financial Income Fund – ETF Series BNC $0.1225¹ 06/26/2025 07/03/2025 Monthly
    Purpose Global Bond Fund – ETF Units BND $0.0866 06/26/2025 07/03/2025 Monthly
    Berkshire Hathaway (BRK) Yield Shares Purpose ETF – ETF Units BRKY $0.1000 06/26/2025 07/03/2025 Monthly
    Purpose Bitcoin Yield ETF – ETF Units BTCY $0.0850 06/26/2025 07/03/2025 Monthly
    Purpose Bitcoin Yield ETF – ETF Non-Currency Hedged Units BTCY.B $0.0970 06/26/2025 07/03/2025 Monthly
    Purpose Bitcoin Yield ETF – ETF USD Units BTCY.U US $0.0815 06/26/2025 07/03/2025 Monthly
    Purpose Credit Opportunities Fund – ETF Units CROP $0.0875 06/26/2025 07/03/2025 Monthly
    Purpose Credit Opportunities Fund – ETF USD Units CROP.U US $0.0975 06/26/2025 07/03/2025 Monthly
    Purpose Ether Yield – ETF Units ETHY $0.0405 06/26/2025 07/03/2025 Monthly
    Purpose Ether Yield ETF – ETF Non-Currency Hedged Units ETHY.B $0.0500 06/26/2025 07/03/2025 Monthly
    Purpose Ether Yield ETF – ETF Units Non-Currency Hedged USD Units ETHY.U US $0.0395 06/26/2025 07/03/2025 Monthly
    Purpose Global Flexible Credit Fund – ETF Units FLX $0.0461 06/26/2025 07/03/2025 Monthly
    Purpose Global Flexible Credit Fund – Non-Currency Hedged – ETF Units FLX.B $0.0551 06/26/2025 07/03/2025 Monthly
    Purpose Global Flexible Credit Fund – Non-Currency Hedged USD – ETF Units FLX.U US $0.0385 06/26/2025 07/03/2025 Monthly
    Purpose Global Bond Class – ETF Units IGB $0.0860¹ 06/26/2025 07/03/2025 Monthly
    Microsoft (MSFT) Yield Shares Purpose ETF – ETF units MSFY $0.1300 06/26/2025 07/03/2025 Monthly
    Purpose Active Balanced Fund – ETF Units PABF $0.1650 06/26/2025 07/03/2025 Quarterly
    Purpose Active Conservative Fund – ETF Units PACF $0.1900 06/26/2025 07/03/2025 Quarterly
    Purpose Active Growth Fund – ETF Units PAGF $0.1550 06/26/2025 07/03/2025 Quarterly
    Purpose Enhanced Premium Yield Fund – ETF Series PAYF $0.1375¹ 06/26/2025 07/03/2025 Monthly
    Purpose Total Return Bond Fund – ETF Series PBD $0.0590¹ 06/26/2025 07/03/2025 Monthly
    Purpose Core Dividend Fund – ETF Series PDF $0.1050¹ 06/26/2025 07/03/2025 Monthly
    Purpose Enhanced Dividend Fund – ETF Series PDIV $0.0950¹ 06/26/2025 07/03/2025 Monthly
    Purpose Real Estate Income Fund – ETF Series PHR $0.0720¹ 06/26/2025 07/03/2025 Monthly
    Purpose International Tactical Hedged Equity Fund – ETF Series PHW $0.1500 06/26/2025 07/03/2025 Quarterly
    Purpose International Dividend Fund – ETF Series PID $0.0780 06/26/2025 07/03/2025 Monthly
    Purpose Monthly Income Fund – ETF Series PIN $0.0830¹ 06/26/2025 07/03/2025 Monthly
    Purpose Multi-Asset Income Fund – ETF Units PINC $0.0840 06/26/2025 07/03/2025 Monthly
    Purpose Diversified Real Asset Fund – ETF Series PRA $0.2100 06/26/2025 07/03/2025 Quarterly
    Purpose Conservative Income Fund – ETF Series PRP $0.0600¹ 06/26/2025 07/03/2025 Monthly
    Purpose Premium Yield Fund – ETF Series PYF $0.1100¹ 06/26/2025 07/03/2025 Monthly
    Purpose Premium Yield Fund Non-Currency Hedged – ETF Series PYF.B $0.1230¹ 06/26/2025 07/03/2025 Monthly
    Purpose Premium Yield Fund Non-Currency Hedged – ETF USD Series PYF.U US $0.1200¹ 06/26/2025 07/03/2025 Monthly
    Purpose Core Equity Income Fund – ETF Series RDE $0.0875¹ 06/26/2025 07/03/2025 Monthly
    Purpose Emerging Markets Dividend Fund – ETF Units REM $0.0950 06/26/2025 07/03/2025 Monthly
    Purpose Canadian Preferred Share Fund – ETF Units RPS $0.0950 06/26/2025 07/03/2025 Monthly
    Purpose US Preferred Share Fund – ETF Series RPU $0.0940 06/26/2025 07/03/2025 Monthly
    Purpose US Preferred Share Fund Non-Currency Hedged – ETF Units2 RPU.B / RPU.U $0.0940 06/26/2025 07/03/2025 Monthly
    Purpose Strategic Yield Fund – ETF Units SYLD $0.0970 06/26/2025 07/03/2025 Monthly
    AMD (AMD) Yield Shares Purpose ETF – ETF Series YAMD $0.2500 06/26/2025 07/03/2025 Monthly
    Amazon (AMZN) Yield Shares Purpose ETF- ETF Units YAMZ $0.4000 06/26/2025 07/03/2025 Monthly
    Broadcom (AVGO) Yield Shares Purpose ETF – ETF Series YAVG $0.1800 06/26/2025 07/03/2025 Monthly
    Coinbase (COIN) Yield Shares Purpose ETF – ETF Series YCON $0.3000 06/26/2025 07/03/2025 Monthly
    Costco (COST) Yield Shares Purpose ETF – ETF Series YCST $0.1200 06/26/2025 07/03/2025 Monthly
    Alphabet (GOOGL) Yield Shares Purpose ETF – ETF Units YGOG $0.2500 06/26/2025 07/03/2025 Monthly
    Tech Innovators Yield Shares Purpose ETF – ETF Series YMAG $0.2000 06/26/2025 07/03/2025 Monthly
    META (META) Yield Shares Purpose ETF – ETF Series YMET $0.2400 06/26/2025 07/03/2025 Monthly
    Netflix (NFLX) Yield Shares Purpose ETF – ETF Series YNET $0.1500 06/26/2025 07/03/2025 Monthly
    NVIDIA (NVDA) Yield Shares Purpose ETF – ETF Units YNVD $0.7500 06/26/2025 07/03/2025 Monthly
    Palantir (PLTR) Yield Shares Purpose ETF – ETF Series YPLT $0.2500 06/26/2025 07/03/2025 Monthly
    Tesla (TSLA) Yield Shares Purpose ETF – ETF Units YTSL $0.5500 06/26/2025 07/03/2025 Monthly
    UnitedHealth Group (UHN) Yield Shares Purpose ETF – ETF Series YUNH $0.1100 06/26/2025 07/03/2025 Monthly
               
    Closed-End Funds Ticker
    Symbol
    Distribution 
    per
    share/unit
    Record
    Date
    Payable
    Date
    Distribution
    Frequency
    Big Banc Split Corp, Class A BNK $0.1200¹ 06/30/2025 07/14/2025 Monthly
    Big Banc Split Corp – Preferred Shares BNK.PR.A $0.0700¹ 06/30/2025 07/14/2025 Monthly
               

    Estimated June 2025 Distributions for Purpose USD Cash Management Fund, Purpose Cash Management Fund, Purpose High Interest Savings Fund, and Purpose US Cash Fund

    The June 2025 distribution rates for Purpose USD Cash Management Fund, Purpose Cash Management Fund, Purpose High Interest Savings Fund, and Purpose US Cash Fund are estimated to be as follows:

    Fund Name Ticker
    Symbol
    Estimated
    Distribution
    per unit
    Record
    Date
    Payable
    Date
    Distribution
    Frequency
    Purpose USD Cash Management Fund – ETF Units MNU.U US $0.3405 06/26/2025 07/03/2025 Monthly
    Purpose Cash Management Fund – ETF Units MNY $0.2175 06/26/2025 07/03/2025 Monthly
    Purpose High Interest Savings Fund – ETF Units PSA $0.1030 06/26/2025 07/03/2025 Monthly
    Purpose US Cash Fund – ETF Units PSU.U US $0.3375 06/26/2025 07/03/2025 Monthly
               

    Purpose expects to issue a press release on or about June 25, 2025, which will provide the final distribution rate for Purpose USD Cash Management Fund, Purpose Cash Management Fund, Purpose High Interest Savings Fund, and Purpose US Cash Fund. The ex-distribution date will be June 26, 2025.

    1. Dividend is designated as an “eligible” Canadian dividend for purposes of the Income Tax Act (Canada) and any similar provincial and territorial legislation.
    2. Purpose US Preferred Share Fund Non-Currency Hedged – ETF Units have both a CAD and USD purchase option. Distribution per unit is declared in CAD, however, the USD purchase option (RPU.U) distribution will be made in the USD equivalent. Conversion into USD will use the end-of-day foreign exchange rate prevailing on the ex-distribution date.

    About Purpose Investments Inc.

    Purpose Investments is an asset management company with more than $21 billion in assets under management. Purpose Investments has an unrelenting focus on client-centric innovation and offers a range of managed and quantitative investment products. Purpose Investments is led by well-known entrepreneur Som Seif and is a division of Purpose Unlimited, an independent technology-driven financial services company.

    For further information please contact:
    Keera Hart
    Keera.Hart@kaiserpartners.com
    905-580-1257

    Commissions, trailing commissions, management fees and expenses all may be associated with investment fund investments. Please read the prospectus and other disclosure documents before investing. Investment funds are not covered by the Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government deposit insurer. There can be no assurance that the full amount of your investment in a fund will be returned to you. If the securities are purchased or sold on a stock exchange, you may pay more or receive less than the current net asset value. Investment funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated.

    The MIL Network –

    June 18, 2025
  • MIL-OSI: Logan Ridge Finance Corporation Announces Adviser Funded Cash Payment to Shareholders in Connection with its Merger with Portman Ridge Finance Corporation

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    The Company’s Investment Adviser Will Finance an Incremental $0.47 Per Share Payment to Logan Ridge Shareholders Immediately Prior to Closing.

    Payment Effectively Results in Logan Ridge Shareholders Receiving 100% of NAV as of March 31, 2025 Adjusted for Estimated Transaction Costs.

    NEW YORK, June 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Logan Ridge Finance Corporation (NASDAQ: LRFC) (“Logan Ridge” or “LRFC”), today announced that it has entered into an agreement with Mount Logan Management LLC, LRFC’s investment adviser (“Mount Logan” or “Investment Adviser”), in connection with its previously announced merger with and into Portman Ridge Finance Corporation (NASDAQ: PTMN) (“Portman Ridge” or “PTMN” and the “Merger”).

    Pursuant to the terms of the agreement, and contingent upon the closing of the Merger, LRFC’s Investment Adviser will finance a pre-closing cash payment of $0.47 per share to LRFC shareholders of record as of May 6, 2025. This payment, when combined with the previously announced Tax Distribution of no less than $1,000,000, or $0.38 per share, and the 1.5x PTMN shares received for each LRFC share outstanding, will equal 100% of Logan Ridge’s net asset value (“NAV”), based on both Logan Ridge’s and Portman Ridge’s respective NAVs per share as of March 31, 2025 adjusted for estimated transaction costs.

    All terms and conditions of the Merger remain unchanged and in full effect. The Mount Logan funded payment outlined above represents a commitment by Mount Logan to the combined company and was designed to further align the Merger with shareholder feedback, while maintaining the core strategic and financial rationale for the combination.

    Management Commentary

    Ted Goldthorpe, President and Chief Executive Officer of LRFC and PTMN, and Head of the BC Partners Credit Platform, stated, “We are pleased to announce this agreement, which will provide enhanced value to Logan Ridge shareholders through an additional $0.47 per share payment. We appreciate our shareholders’ support and constructive engagement throughout this process and we look forward to successfully closing the Merger.”

    Special Meeting of Shareholders

    The LRFC special meeting is scheduled for June 20, 2025, at 10:30 am ET. LRFC urges its shareholders to cast their votes by following the instructions outlined in the joint proxy statement. Shareholders of LRFC can also access the virtual meeting and vote by going to the following website: http://www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/LRFC2025SM, or by calling 1-833-218-3962 and providing the control number which is listed in the proxy card received.

    Shareholders can access the joint proxy statement and prospectus by clicking HERE. Shareholders who have questions about the joint proxy statement or about voting their shares should contact the companies’ proxy solicitor, Broadridge, at 1-833-218-3962.

    About Logan Ridge Finance Corporation

    LRFC is a business development company (a “BDC”) that invests primarily in first lien loans and, to a lesser extent, second lien loans and equity securities issued by lower middle-market companies. LRFC invests in performing, well-established middle-market businesses that operate across a wide range of industries. It employs fundamental credit analysis, targeting investments in businesses with relatively low levels of cyclicality and operating risk. For more information, visit www.loganridgefinance.com.

    About Portman Ridge Finance Corporation

    PTMN is a publicly traded, externally managed investment company that has elected to be regulated as a BDC under the 1940 Act. PTMN’s middle market investment business originates, structures, finances and manages a portfolio of term loans, mezzanine investments and selected equity securities in middle market companies. PTMN’s investment activities are managed by its investment adviser, Sierra Crest Investment Management LLC (“Sierra Crest”). PTMN’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), earnings releases, press releases and other financial, operational and governance information are available on Portman Ridge’s website at www.portmanridge.com.

    About BC Partners Advisors L.P. and BC Partners Credit
    BC Partners Advisors L.P. (“BC Partners”) is a leading international investment firm in private equity, private credit and real estate strategies. Established in 1986, BC Partners has played an active role in developing the European buyout market for three decades.

    Today, BC Partners executives operate across markets as an integrated team through the firm’s offices in North America and Europe. For more information, please visit https://www.bcpartners.com/.

    BC Partners Credit was launched in February 2017 and has pursued a strategy focused on identifying attractive credit opportunities in any market environment and across sectors, leveraging the deal sourcing and infrastructure made available from BC Partners.

    Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

    Some of the statements in this communication constitute forward-looking statements because they relate to future events, future performance or financial condition. The forward-looking statements may include statements as to future operating results of PTMN and LRFC, and distribution projections; business prospects of PTMN and LRFC, and the prospects of their portfolio companies; and the impact of the investments that PTMN and LRFC expect to make. In addition, words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “expect,” “seek,” “plan,” “should,” “estimate,” “project” and “intend” indicate forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements include these words. The forward-looking statements contained in this communication involve risks and uncertainties. Certain factors could cause actual results and conditions to differ materially from those projected, including the uncertainties associated with (i) the ability of the parties to consummate the merger on the expected timeline, or at all; (ii) the expected synergies and savings associated with the merger; (iii) the ability to realize the anticipated benefits of the merger, including the expected elimination of certain expenses and costs due to the merger; (iv) the percentage of PTMN shareholders and LRFC shareholders voting in favor of the applicable Proposal (as defined below) submitted for their approval; (v) the possibility that competing offers or acquisition proposals will be made; (vi) the possibility that any or all of the various conditions to the consummation of the merger may not be satisfied or waived; (vii) risks related to diverting management’s attention from ongoing business operations; (viii) the combined company’s plans, expectations, objectives and intentions, as a result of the merger; (ix) any potential termination of the merger agreement; (x) the future operating results and net investment income projections of PTMN, LRFC or, following the closing of the merger, the combined company; (xi) the ability of Sierra Crest to implement its future plans with respect to the combined company; (xii) the ability of Sierra Crest and its affiliates to attract and retain highly talented professionals; (xiii) the business prospects of PTMN, LRFC or, following the closing of the merger, the combined company, and the prospects of their portfolio companies; (xiv) the impact of the investments that PTMN, LRFC or, following the closing of the merger, the combined company expect to make; (xv) the ability of the portfolio companies of PTMN, LRFC or, following the closing of the merger, the combined company to achieve their objectives; (xvi) the expected financings and investments and additional leverage that PTMN, LRFC or, following the closing of the merger, the combined company may seek to incur in the future; (xvii) the adequacy of the cash resources and working capital of PTMN, LRFC or, following the closing of the merger, the combined company; (xviii) the timing of cash flows, if any, from the operations of the portfolio companies of PTMN, LRFC or, following the closing of the merger, the combined company; (xix) the risk that stockholder litigation in connection with the merger may result in significant costs of defense and liability; and (xx) future changes in laws or regulations (including the interpretation of these laws and regulations by regulatory authorities). PTMN and LRFC have based the forward-looking statements included in this document on information available to them on the date hereof, and they assume no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Although PTMN and LRFC undertake no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, you are advised to consult any additional disclosures that they may make directly to you or through reports that PTMN and LRFC in the future may file with the SEC, including the Registration Statement and Joint Proxy Statement (in each case, as defined below), annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K.

    No Offer or Solicitation

    This communication is not, and under no circumstances is it to be construed as, a prospectus or an advertisement and the communication is not, and under no circumstances is it to be construed as, an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to purchase any securities in PTMN, LRFC or in any fund or other investment vehicle managed by BC Partners or any of its affiliates.

    Additional Information and Where to Find It

    This communication relates to the proposed merger of PTMN and LRFC and certain related matters (the “Proposals”). In connection with the Proposals, PTMN has filed a registration statement (Registration No. 333-285230) with the SEC (the “Registration Statement”) that contains a combined joint proxy statement for PTMN and LRFC and a prospectus of PTMN (the “Joint Proxy Statement”) and has mailed the Joint Proxy Statement to its and LRFC’s respective shareholders. The Registration Statement and Joint Proxy Statement will contain important information about PTMN, LRFC and the Proposals. This communication does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities or a solicitation of any vote or approval. No offer of securities shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. SHAREHOLDERS OF PTMN AND LRFC ARE URGED TO READ THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT, JOINT PROXY STATEMENT AND OTHER DOCUMENTS THAT ARE FILED OR WILL BE FILED WITH THE SEC, AS WELL AS ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS TO THESE DOCUMENTS, CAREFULLY AND IN THEIR ENTIRETY WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT PTMN, LRFC AND THE PROPOSALS. Investors and security holders will be able to obtain the documents filed with the SEC free of charge at the SEC’s website, http://www.sec.gov or, for documents filed by PTMN, from PTMN’s website at https://www.portmanridge.com, and, for documents filed by LRFC, from LRFC’s website at https://www.loganridgefinance.com.

    Participants in the Solicitation

    LRFC, its directors, certain of its executive officers and certain employees and officers of Mount Logan and its affiliates may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies in connection with the Proposals. Information about the directors and executive officers of LRFC is set forth in the Annual Report on Form 10-K/A, which was filed with the SEC on April 29, 2025. Information regarding the persons who may, under the rules of the SEC, be considered participants in the solicitation of the LRFC shareholders in connection with the Proposal will be contained in the Registration Statement, including the Joint Proxy Statement included therein, and other relevant materials when such documents become available. These documents may be obtained free of charge from the sources indicated above.

    Contacts:
    Logan Ridge Finance Corporation
    650 Madison Avenue, 3rd floor
    New York, NY 10022

    Brandon Satoren
    Chief Financial Officer (PTMN and LRFC)
    Brandon.Satoren@bcpartners.com
    (212) 891-2880

    The Equity Group Inc.
    Lena Cati
    lcati@equityny.com
    (212) 836-9611

    Val Ferraro
    vferraro@equityny.com
    (212) 836-9633

    The MIL Network –

    June 18, 2025
←Previous Page
1 … 51 52 53 54 55 … 268
Next Page→
NewzIntel.com

NewzIntel.com

MIL Open Source Intelligence

  • Blog
  • About
  • FAQs
  • Authors
  • Events
  • Shop
  • Patterns
  • Themes

Twenty Twenty-Five

Designed with WordPress