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Credit Builders Alliance and VantageScore Expand Nonprofit Lenders Pilot Program with Ten New Participants

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Initial Pilot Data Shows Improved Predictive Lift for Thin, Inactive Credit Files Provides Clearer Risk Segmentation Between Higher- and Lower-Scoring CandidatesPreviously Declined Applicants May Benefit from Reconsideration

WASHINGTON and SAN FRANCISCO, April 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Credit Builders Alliance (CBA) and VantageScore today announced that ten nonprofit financial institutions will participate in their ongoing pilot program for VantageScore 4plus. The platform—developed in collaboration with data firm Pentadata—provides lenders with a comprehensive view of consumers’ financial behavior by combining traditional credit data with real-time, consumer-permissioned cash flow insights from bank accounts.

“Our collaboration gives nonprofit lenders access to modern, high-quality credit scores, equipping them to better serve their communities while maintaining sound lending practices,” said Dara Duguay, CEO of Credit Builders Alliance. “When you add real-time, permissioned data to the credit decisioning process, you not only improve predictive performance—you also create more opportunities for expanding responsible access to credit.”

“Nonprofit lenders need tools that are both inclusive and predictive,” said Andrada Pacheco, EVP and Chief Data Scientist at VantageScore. “This initiative is proving that with the right data, lenders can expand access responsibly without sacrificing performance.”

VantageScore 4plus gives lenders a deeper and more dynamic view of borrower stability—especially valuable when credit file information is limited or outdated.

Initial data from the pilot show meaningful improvements in the ways nonprofit lenders can assess and serve potential borrowers. Key insights include:

Improved Predictive Lift: Applicants with thin or inactive credit files, who make up 15% of participants in the pilot program, benefitted significantly from the addition of open banking data.Clearer Risk Segmentation: Scores moved in both directions, with nearly equal numbers of consumers seeing increases and decreases—signaling better separation between higher- and lower-risk applicants.Expanded Decisioning Opportunities: Up to 50% of previously declined applicants could be reconsidered in a second-look strategy using VantageScore 4plus, potentially unlocking credit while preserving underwriting rigor.

To learn more about the program or VantageScore 4plus, visit www.creditbuildersalliance.org or vs4plus.vantagescore.com.

About Credit Builders Alliance
Credit Builders Alliance (CBA) is a national nonprofit network dedicated to helping mission-driven lenders connect their clients to the modern credit system. Through tools, training, and advocacy, CBA supports hundreds of organizations working to improve credit access and financial health across the country.

About VantageScore®
VantageScore is the fastest-growing credit scoring company in the U.S., and is known for the industry’s most innovative, predictive, and inclusive credit score models. In 2023, usage of VantageScore increased by 42% to more than 27 billion credit scores. More than 3,400 institutions, including 8 of the top 10 banks, use VantageScore credit scores to provide consumer credit products including credit cards, auto loans, personal loans and mortgages. The VantageScore 4.0 credit scoring model scores 33 million more people than traditional models. With the FHFA mandating the use of VantageScore 4.0 for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac guaranteed mortgages, the company is also ushering in a new era for mortgage lending and helping to close the homeownership gap. 

VantageScore is an independently managed joint venture company of the three Nationwide Consumer Reporting Agencies (NCRAs) – Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.  

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/credit-builders-alliance-and-vantagescore-expand-nonprofit-lenders-pilot-program-with-ten-new-participants-302432111.html

SOURCE VantageScore

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Budget 2026 advances national electricity strategy, a downpayment on unlocking $3 trillion in economic growth

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Proposed tax credit extensions and support for industrial electrification and EV charging can help build more clean power and put it to work

OTTAWA, ON, Nov. 5, 2026 /CNW/ — New Economy Canada strongly supports the finalization and funding of Powering Canada Strong in Budget 2026 with a $50 billion commitment, marking an important step toward doubling Canada’s electricity supply by 2050. Budget 2026 puts electrification at the heart of Canada’s economy, ensuring energy security and affordability for businesses and households.  

Ian Bruce, President of New Economy Canada said:

“Today we are celebrating a critical win for Canada. By finalizing and funding Powering Canada Strong, the federal government has made electricity an economic priority.  Budget 2026’s $50B commitment to doubling the grid, including strengthening and extending the clean economy investment tax credits, is a significant step.

Budget 2026 puts an electrified economy at the heart of Canada’s economic strategy. We are glad to see the federal government recognize that building more clean electricity, electrifying more of our economy, and improving energy efficiency are some of the most effective ways to build a competitive, strong economy and ensure energy security for businesses and households alike.

Our economic report shows the opportunity on the table. Doubling electricity supply and doubling the share of energy that homes, businesses and industry meet with electricity could add more than $3 trillion cumulatively to Canada’s economy by 2050. Getting there will take sustained investment and a workforce that can build projects at the pace and scale we need.”

Why this matters:

Affordable, clean electricity can help Canada win investment, strengthen competitiveness, modernize manufacturing and create jobs. As Canada looks for new investors and trading partners in an electrifying global economy, its abundant, affordable and clean electricity is a competitive advantage.Doubling Canada’s electricity supply and putting it to work could unlock $3 trillion of economic opportunity for Canada and 1.6 million jobs.The budget’s extension of investment tax credits will support much-needed investment in generating and transmitting more electricity. And support for industrial electrification and EV charging will help businesses and households make greater use of that power.Every province stands to benefit, with cross-sectoral growth. Growth associated with an electrified economy spans all provinces and beyond electricity generation to services, mining, construction and more. 

New Economy Canada is a non-partisan initiative uniting 70+ companies, labour unions and Indigenous organizations, all committed to accelerating investment in Canada’s clean economy. Our partners employ or represent over 750,000 workers. https://neweconomycanada.ca 

SOURCE New Economy Canada

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East Side Games Group to Announce Third Quarter 2026 Financial Results

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VANCOUVER, BC, Nov. 5, 2026 /CNW/ — East Side Games Group (“ESGG” or the “Company”), Canada’s leading free-to-play mobile game group, will release its third quarter ended September 30th, 2026, after market close on November 12th. Following the release, the Company will host a conference call to review its performance with the investment community at 3:30pm PT (Western Canada), 2:30pm PT, 5:30pm ET on the same day.

Related earnings release materials can be found in the Investors section of ESGG’s website at https://eastsidegamesgroup.com/investors/financial-information/.

Conference Call Details:

Toll Free Dial-In Number:       (+1) 800 717 1738
Local Dial-In Number:            (+1) 289 514 5100
Conference ID:                       53358

A replay will be available by dialing (+1) 888 660-6264 or (+1) 289 819-1325 and entering passcode 53358#.

ABOUT EAST SIDE GAMES GROUP

ESGG is a leader in free-to-play mobile gaming, thrilling players with unforgettable experiences that spark lifelong fandom. Fueled by an entrepreneurial spirit, we are driven by creativity, flawless execution, and a laser-focused growth strategy. We develop and publish both original and licensed IP titles, license our cutting-edge GameKit(s) platforms, and strategically acquire studios or games to expand our family. Headquartered in Vancouver with around 80 talent-dense team members, we operate over a dozen titles under East Side Games (“ESG”) and LDRLY (Technologies) Inc. (“LDRLY”). Together, we’re crafting, launching, and publishing mobile games across our own studios and an extended Game Kit partner network–reaching players on iOS and Android worldwide.

We power our success through in-app purchases (“IAP”)–offering exclusive, game-enhancing virtual items–and in-game advertising. To keep growing, we focus on captivating audiences, keeping them engaged, and unlocking exciting new ways to monetize. We’ll drive this momentum by launching bold new titles, enriching our current lineup, innovating discovery, expanding into fresh markets and exploring new distribution platforms.

Additional information about the Company continues to be available under its legal name, East Side Games Group Inc., at www.sedar.com.

Forward-looking Information

Certain statements in this release are forward-looking statements, which reflect the expectations of management regarding the proposed transactions described herein. Forward-looking statements consist of statements that are not purely historical, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in the statements. No assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will occur or, if they do occur, what benefits the Company will obtain from them. These forward-looking statements reflect management’s current views and are based on certain expectations, estimates and assumptions which may prove to be incorrect. A number of risks and uncertainties could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including factors beyond the Company’s control. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release.

SOURCE East Side Games Group Inc.

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Drake Software Expands Native AI Features for Tax Year 2026

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AI-powered tax document extraction, reimagined client intake and an in-workflow Assistant help tax professionals spend less time on manual work and more time with clients.

FRANKLIN, N.C., Nov. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — This upcoming season, Drake Software®, a leader in professional tax preparation software, is putting more native AI capabilities to work right in the software that more than 70,000 tax professionals know and trust. With Drake SmartExtract™ (beta), a reimagined Drake Portals® experience and an AI Assistant built into Drake Tax® and Drake Tax Online®, preparers can reduce repetitive work and focus more of their time on their clients.

Developed by Drake in conjunction with its customers, these AI capabilities integrate natively with Drake’s tax preparation workflows and wider product suite. They are designed to help professionals move quickly to turn client documents into populated return fields and allow them to get answers instantly while working in a return, with the preparer firmly in control of all tax review and filing decisions.

“Tax professionals want time back during their busiest months, and they want technology they can trust,” said Noha Ghazouani, Vice President of Product Management at Drake Software. “We’re thoughtfully integrating AI into the familiar Drake workflows they already rely on, making it easier to get help with everyday tasks while keeping tax professionals in control. It’s about supporting their expertise, reducing manual work, and giving them more time to focus on their clients.”

Drake SmartExtract turns client tax documents into return-ready data

Drake SmartExtract applies AI to one of tax preparation’s most time-consuming tasks: moving information from client tax documents into a return. Available in beta for Drake Tax® and Drake Tax Online®, Drake SmartExtract extracts data from supported documents and maps it to the corresponding return fields. Preparers can review and adjust extracted information before adding it to the return, reducing manual rekeying.

Drake SmartExtract will be available for purchase in December at $5 per return, with package pricing as low as $1.50 per return when customers purchase 100 or more returns. Pricing is subject to change. Visit our website for more information.

Supported documents include Forms W-2 and 1098; Forms 1099-B, 1099-DA, 1099-DIV, 1099-INT, 1099-K, 1099-MISC, 1099-NEC and 1099-R; Consolidated 1099 statements; and Schedule K-1 (Form 1065).

For Tax Year 2026, planned form expansion includes Forms 1095-A, 1095-B, 1095-C, 1098-E, 1098-T, 1099-C, 1099-G, 1099-Q, 1099-S, 1099-SA, SSA-1099, W-2G, 5498-SA and 5498 for IRA contributions. Planned expansion also includes additional Schedule K-1 data for Forms 1065, 1041 and 1120-S, including related supplemental statements.

Planned Drake SmartExtract enhancements for Tax Year 2026 include deeper integration with Drake Portals and Drake Workflow. These enhancements will help firms move client documents through preparation more seamlessly, focus review on items that need attention, and identify returns that are ready for preparers.

A reimagined Drake Portals experience simplifies client intake

Drake Portals provides the secure, client-facing starting point for tax preparation. Redesigned for 2026, it makes it easier for clients to upload tax documents, complete requests and communicate securely with their preparer. Its AI-powered document ingestion recognizes and then categorizes supported tax documents and connects them to the appropriate checklist items, reducing the time staff spend sorting through files and tracking what has arrived.

The newly launched Guided Organizer™ helps practices onboard clients with customizable questions and personalized document checklists. Preparers can use a client’s prior-year return to help tailor the intake experience, making it clearer what the client needs to provide.

Together with Drake SmartExtract in supported Drake workflows, Portals seamlessly connects document collection with tax preparation: clients upload their documents securely, AI helps organize them, and Drake SmartExtract extracts supported tax data for preparer review and direct population into the return.

An AI Assistant answers questions within the return workflow

The all-new AI Assistant is built directly into the return preparation workflow in Drake Tax and Drake Tax Online, where preparers can ask questions in natural-language chat. Using the screen they’re viewing and information from the return, it answers tax questions, explains forms and alerts, clarifies how amounts were calculated, and suggests next steps. Preparers can get relevant guidance while continuing their work in Drake. A side-by-side view keeps the Assistant and the return visible together, so preparers can review guidance alongside their work without switching screens.

“Our focus is helping preparers accomplish more this season with the Drake software they already rely on,” said Ghazouani. “These capabilities reduce manual work while keeping tax professionals in charge of the return and the client relationship.”

Preparers should verify AI-assisted information against source documents and apply professional judgment before use.

Feature availability, supported documents, beta terms and pricing vary by product and release.

Explore these AI-powered features across Drake products under Drake Intelligence.

About Drake Software

Founded in 1977, Drake Software provides award-winning tax preparation software that helps tax professionals serve their clients with confidence. Its growing portfolio connects tax preparation with client intake, document sharing, signatures, payments and post-filing support, helping firms work more efficiently.

Media Contact

Colleen Woods Heikka
Sr. Director, Product Marketing
Colleen.woods@Taxact.com
+1-781-588-6339

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/drake-software-expands-native-ai-features-for-tax-year-2026-302931448.html

SOURCE Drake Software, LLC

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