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GBank Financial Holdings Inc. Announces Second Quarter 2024 Financial Results

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LAS VEGAS, July 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — GBank Financial Holdings Inc. (the “Company”) (OTCQX: GBFH), the parent company of GBank (the “Bank”), today reported record net income for the quarter ended June 30, 2024, of $4.7 million, or $0.35 per diluted share. This represents an increase from $2.3 million, or $0.18 per diluted share, for the same period in 2023. For the six months ended June 30, 2024, net income was $8.4 million, or $0.63 per diluted share, compared to $5.6 million, or $0.43 per diluted share, for the comparable period of 2023.

Click here: Quarterly Detailed Financials and Key Metrics

Financial Highlights

Record net income of $4.7 million and diluted earnings per share of $0.35Record net revenue of $15.5 millionGain on sale of loans of $3.2 million, representing an increase of $1.1 million, or 52%, compared to the first quarter of 2024Net interest margin of 4.82%Gross loan growth of $35.6 million, or 5% sequentiallyTotal on-balance sheet guaranteed loans of $252.2 millionLoans sold of $77.9 million, an increase of $9.3 million, or 14%, compared to the first quarter of 2024, and an increase of $42.2 million, or 118%, compared to the second quarter of 2023Total non-performing assets were $7.6 million, representing 0.75% of total assetsNon-performing assets, excluding guaranteed portions, were $2.2 million, representing 0.22% of total assets

Edward M. Nigro, Executive Chairman, stated, “This quarter marks significant milestones for our Company – $1 billion in total assets – the most profitable quarter in history – and the completion of our 32.99% investment in BCS. These are all powerful foundations for our future growth.”

Non-voting Equity Investment in BankCard Services, LLC

On June 26, 2024, the Company announced the acquisition of a 32.99% non-voting equity interest in BankCard Services, LLC (“BCS“). This acquisition was completed by exchanging 231,508 shares of restricted, non-voting GBFH common stock for 143,371 shares of non-voting BCS common stock. The GBFH non-voting stock must be held by BCS for a minimum of one year and can only be converted into voting shares upon a disposition by BCS, in accordance with applicable Federal Reserve regulations.

Financial Results

Income Statement

Net interest income totaled $11.3 million in the second quarter of 2024, an increase of $546 thousand, or 5.1%, from $10.8 million in the first quarter of 2024, and an increase of $2.6 million, or 29.9%, compared to the second quarter of 2023. The increase in net interest income from the first quarter of 2024 was primarily due to higher average loan balances, partially offset by an increase in deposit balances and rates. The increase in net interest income from the second quarter of 2023 was driven by an increase in average loan balances and yields, along with a decrease in lower-yield investment securities. These increases were partially offset by higher balances and rates on deposits.

The Company recorded a provision for credit losses on loans of $283 thousand in the second quarter of 2024, compared to no provision recorded in the first quarter of 2024, and a decrease of $125 thousand from $408 thousand in the second quarter of 2023. The provision for credit losses on loans in the second quarter of 2024 primarily reflects growth in non-guaranteed loans.

The Company’s net interest margin in the second quarter of 2024 was 4.82%, a decrease from 4.85% in the first quarter of 2024, and a decrease from 5.40% in the second quarter 2023. The decrease in net interest margin from the first quarter of 2024 was primarily due to higher balances and rates on interest-bearing deposits. The decrease in net interest margin from the second quarter 2023 was also driven by higher balances and rates on interest-bearing deposits, which offset higher balances and rates on total earning assets.

Non-interest income was $4.2 million for the second quarter of 2024, compared to $2.4 million for the first quarter of 2024, and $2.3 million for the second quarter of 2023. The $1.8 million increase in non-interest income from the first quarter of 2024 was primarily due to a $1.1 million increase in income from gain on sale of loans and a $474 thousand increase in loan servicing income. The $1.9 million increase in non-interest income from the second quarter of 2023 was mainly driven by a $1.5 million increase in income from gain on sale of loans.

Net revenue totaled $15.5 million for the second quarter of 2024, representing an increase of $2.3 million or 17.5%, compared to $13.2 million in the first quarter of 2024. This also marks an increase of $4.5 million, or 40.9%, compared to $11.1 million in the second quarter of 2023.

Non-interest expense was $9.1 million for the second quarter of 2024, compared to $8.4 million for the first quarter of 2024 and $7.6 million for the second quarter of 2023. The Company’s efficiency ratio was 58.9% for the second quarter of 2024, compared to 63.4% in the first quarter of 2024 and 69.0% for the second quarter of 2023. The increase in non-interest expense from the first quarter of 2024 is primarily due to an increase of $462 thousand in employee compensation costs, largely driven by higher incentive commissions on increased loan origination volume during the quarter by the Bank’s SBA Lending Division. Additionally, there were non-recurring expenses of approximately $268 thousand related to the Company’s non-voting equity investment in BCS. The increase in non-interest expense from the second quarter of 2023 is also primarily attributable to a $1.1 million increase in employee compensation costs, again largely due to higher incentive commissions on increased loan origination volume, as well as the aforementioned non-recurring expenses. 

Income tax expense was $1.4 million for the second quarter of 2024, compared to $1.1 million for the first quarter of 2024 and $725 thousand for the second quarter of 2023. The increase in income tax expense from both the first quarter of 2024 and the second quarter of 2023 is primarily due to increased earnings. The increase in income tax expense from the second quarter of 2023 was partially offset by a decrease in the effective tax rate, which declined to 23.2% from 24.0%.

Net income was $4.7 million for the second quarter of 2024, an increase of $975 thousand from $3.7 million for the first quarter of 2024, and an increase of $2.4 million from $2.3 million in the second quarter of 2023. Earnings per share totaled $0.35 for the second quarter of 2024, compared to $0.28 for the first quarter of 2024 and $0.18 for the second quarter of 2023.

The Company had 155 full-time equivalent employees as of June 30, 2024, compared to 150 full-time equivalent employees as of March 31, 2024, and 158 full-time equivalent employees as of June 30, 2023.

Balance Sheet

Total gross loans were $812.3 million as of June 30, 2024, compared to $776.7 million as of March 31, 2024, and $458.0 million as of June 30, 2023. The increase in gross loans of $35.6 million from the prior quarter was primarily driven by an increase of $43.1 million in commercial real estate loans, partially offset by decreases of $4.4 million in guaranteed loans held for sale and $3.0 million in guaranteed loans held for investment. The increase in gross loans of $354.2 million from June 30, 2023, was primarily driven by increases of $212.9 million in guaranteed loans held for investment and $123.9 million in commercial real estate loans. This increase was partially offset by a decrease of $8.3 million in guaranteed loans held for sale. Total guaranteed loans as a percentage of gross loans were 31.0% as of June 30, 2024, compared to 33.4% as of March 31, 2024, and 10.4% as of June 30, 2023.

The Company’s allowance for credit losses totaled $7.3 million as of June 30, 2024. The allowance for loan losses as a percentage of total gross loans was 0.90% as of June 30, 2024, compared to 0.91% as of March 31, 2024, and 1.56% as of June 30, 2023. The allowance for loan losses as a percentage of total net loans, excluding guaranteed portions, was 1.31% as of June 30, 2024, compared to 1.37% as of March 31, 2024, and 1.76% as of June 30, 2023.

Deposits totaled $840.4 million as of June 30, 2024, an increase of $33.4 million from $806.9 million as of March 31, 2024, and an increase of $287.9 million from $552.5 million as of June 30, 2023. By deposit type, the increase from the prior quarter was driven by an increase of $22.6 million in savings and money market accounts and a $5.4 million increase in certificates of deposit. From June 30, 2023, certificates of deposit increased by $225.0 million, and savings and money market accounts increased by $74.0 million. Non-interest bearing deposits totaled $220.4 million as of June 30, 2024, an increase of $4.1 million from $216.3 million as of March 31, 2024, and an increase of $2.1 million from $218.3 million as of June 30, 2023.

The Company’s ratio of gross loans to deposits was 96.7% as of June 30, 2024, compared to 96.3% as of March 31, 2024, and 82.9% as of June 30, 2023.

Short-term borrowings were $12.0 million as of June 30, 2024, compared to $10.0 million as of March 31, 2024, and no short-term borrowings as of June 30, 2023. The Company had approximately $454 million in available borrowing capacity from the Federal Reserve Bank, the Federal Home Loan Bank, and through its various Fed Funds lines as of June 30, 2024.

Subordinated notes totaled $26.1 million as of June 30, 2024, compared to $26.0 million as of March 31, 2024, and June 30, 2023.

Stockholders’ equity was $110.9 million as of June 30, 2024, compared to $102.6 million as of March 31, 2024, and $92.6 million as of June 30, 2023. The increase in stockholders’ equity from March 31, 2024, and June 30, 2023, is attributable to net income and an increase in common stock and paid-in capital resulting from the issuance of non-voting common shares related to the Company’s investment in BCS during the second quarter 2024.

The Company’s tangible common equity to tangible assets ratio was 11.0% as of June 30, 2024, compared to 10.6% as of March 31, 2024, and 13.5% as of June 30, 2023. The Bank’s Tier 1 leverage ratio was 12.9% as of June 30, 2024, compared to 13.0% as of March 31, 2024, and 15.9%as of June 30, 2023. The Company’s tangible book value per share was $8.49 as of June 30, 2024, an increase of 6.2% from $8.00 as of March 31, 2024, and an increase of 16.5% from $7.29 as of June 30, 2023. The increase in tangible book value per share from March 31, 2024, and June 30, 2023, is attributable to net income as well as the increase in common stock and paid-in capital resulting from the issuance of non-voting common shares related to the Company’s investment in BCS during the second quarter 2024.

Total assets increased 4.8% to $1.0 billion as of June 30, 2024, from $963.5 million as of March 31, 2024, and increased 47.4% from $684.9 million as of June 30, 2023. The increase in total assets from March 31, 2024, was primarily driven by an increase in gross loans and interest-bearing deposit cash equivalents, partially offset by a decrease in investment securities. The increase in total assets from June 30, 2023, was primarily driven by an increase in gross loans, partially offset by a decrease in investment securities.

Asset Quality

The provision for credit losses on loans totaled $283 thousand for the second quarter of 2024, compared to no provision for the first quarter of 2024 and $408 thousand for the second quarter of 2023. Net loan charge-offs in the second quarter of 2024 totaled $29 thousand, or 0.01% of average net loans (annualized), compared to no net loan charge-offs in the first quarter of 2024 and $100 thousand, or 0.09% of average net loans (annualized), in the second quarter of 2023.

Nonaccrual loans increased by $374 thousand to $6.5 million during the second quarter and decreased by $648 thousand from June 30, 2023. Loans past due 90 days and still accruing interest increased to $1.1 million compared to $33 thousand at March 31, 2024, and no loans past due 90 days and still accruing interest as of June 30, 2023.

There was no other real estate owned as of June 30, 2024, March 31, 2024, and June 30, 2023.

Total non-performing assets totaled $7.6 million as of June 30, 2024, an increase of $1.5 million from $6.1 million as of March 31, 2024, and an increase of $494 thousand from $7.1 million as of June 30, 2023. Non-performing assets, excluding guaranteed portions, totaled $2.2 million as of June 30, 2024, an increase of $659 thousand from $1.6 million as of March 31, 2024, and an increase of $362 thousand from $1.9 million as of June 30, 2023.

Loans past due 30-89 days and still accruing interest totaled $1.1 million as of June 30, 2024, a decrease from $3.4 million as of March 31, 2024, and a decrease from $3.1 million as of June 30, 2023.

The ratio of total non-performing assets to total assets was 0.75% as of June 30, 2024, compared to 0.64% as of March 31, 2024, and 1.04% as of June 30, 2023. The ratio of non-performing assets, excluding guaranteed portions, to total assets was 0.22% as of June 30, 2024, compared to 0.16% as of March 31, 2024, and 0.27% as of June 30, 2023.

Segment Highlights

SBA Lending and Commercial Banking

Loan originations by the Bank’s SBA and Commercial Banking Divisions totaled $126.9 million, compared to $136.6 million in the first quarter of 2024 and $80.2 million in the second quarter 2023. Loan sale volume increased by 14% to $77.9 million, compared to $68.6 million in the first quarter of 2024, and increased by 118% from $35.7 million in the second quarter of 2023. Gain on sale of loans increased by 52% to $3.2 million, compared to $2.1 million in the first quarter of 2024, and increased 96% from $1.6 million in the second quarter of 2023. The average pretax gain on sale of loans margin was 4.36%, compared to 3.04% in the first quarter of 2024, and 4.53% in the second quarter of 2023.

Gaming FinTech

GBank’s partner, BankCard Services, LLC (“BCS”), has been actively developing its Pooled Player and Pooled Consumer Accounts “Powered by PIMS and CIMS”™, recently securing its third patent for this intellectual property. BCS is carving out a niche by referring startup digital wallet companies in both gaming and consumer programs/applications. BCS and GBank now have 14 active prepaid access and PPA/PCA clients. Currently, BCS and GBank are conducting due diligence for 4 new prepaid access and PPA/PCA clients, with anticipated onboarding in future quarters. Gaming FinTech deposits averaged $32.4 million during the quarter, compared to $34.1 million in the first quarter of 2024.

Credit Card

The Bank launched its GBank Visa Signature® Card in the second quarter of 2023. The GBank Visa Signature® Card targets prime and super-prime consumers, offering 1% cash rewards on gaming transactions and 2% cash rewards on all other purchases. Since the product launch in 2023, the Bank has entered into several marketing referral agreements, with four such agreements in place as of June 30, 2024.

Credit card balances were $919 thousand as of June 30, 2024, compared to $439 thousand as of March 31, 2024. Total open credit card lines were $3.7 million as of June 30, 2024, compared to $2.1 million as of March 31, 2024. Through July 11, 2024, the Bank has processed over $10 million in gaming transactions through its credit card product.

Earnings Call

The Company will host its Q2 2024 quarterly earnings call on Wednesday, July 31, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. PST. Interested parties can participate remotely via Internet connectivity. There will be no physical location for attendance.

Interested parties may join online, via the ZOOM app on their smartphones, or by telephone:

ZOOM Video Conference ID 826 3030 7240Passcode: 549549

Joining by ZOOM Video Conference:

Log in on your computer at
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82630307240?pwd=TU4yZXJqMEc2VGZoUm5rRTl0OVFxdz09
or use the ZOOM app on your smartphone.

Joining by Telephone

Dial (408) 638-0968. The conference ID is 826 3030 7240. Passcode: 549549.

Click here to learn more about GBank Financial Holdings Inc.

Cautionary Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, without limitation, statements regarding certain of the Company’s goals and expectations with respect to future events that are subject to various risks and uncertainties, and statements preceded by, followed by, or that include the words “may,” “will,” “could,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “project,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” “pursuant,” “target,” “continue,” and similar expressions. These statements are based upon the current belief and expectations of the Company’s management team and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties that are subject to change based on various factors (many of which are beyond the Company’s control). Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from management’s projections, forecasts, estimates and expectations include, but are not limited to: the impact on us or our customers of a decline in general economic conditions and any regulatory responses thereto; potential recession in the United States and our market areas; the impacts related to or resulting from bank failures and any continuation of uncertainty in the banking industry, including the associated impact to the Company and other financial institutions of any regulatory changes or other mitigation efforts taken by government agencies in response thereto; increased competition for deposits and related changes in deposit customer behavior; the impact of changes in market interest rates, whether due to continued elevated interest rates or potential reductions in interest rates and a resulting decline in net interest income; the persistence of the inflationary pressures, or the resurgence of elevated levels of inflation, in the United States and our market areas; the uncertain impacts of ongoing quantitative tightening and current and future monetary policies of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System; effects of declines in housing prices in the United States and our market areas; increases in unemployment rates in the United States and our market areas; declines in commercial real estate values and prices; uncertainty regarding United States fiscal debt and budget matters; cyber incidents or other failures, disruptions or breaches of our operational or security systems or infrastructure, or those of our third-party vendors or other service providers, including as a result of cyber-attacks; severe weather, natural disasters, acts of war or terrorism, geopolitical instability or other external events; regulatory considerations; our ability to recognize the expected benefits and synergies of our completed acquisitions; the maintenance and development of well-established and valued client relationships and referral source relationships; acquisition or loss of key production personnel; changes in tax laws; the risks related to the development, implementation, use and management of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence and machine learnings; potential increased regulatory requirements and costs related to the transition and physical impacts of climate change; and current or future litigation, regulatory examinations or other legal and/or regulatory actions. These forward-looking statements are based on current information and/or management’s good faith belief as to future events. Although the Company believes that the assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements are reasonable, any of the assumptions could prove to be inaccurate. Therefore, the Company can give no assurance that the results contemplated in the forward-looking statements will be realized. Due to these and other possible uncertainties and risks, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. The inclusion of this forward-looking information should not be construed as a representation by the Company or any person that the future events, plans, or expectations contemplated by the Company will be achieved. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or any person acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements above. The forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect circumstances or events that occur after the date the forward-looking statements are made, except as required by law. All forward-looking statements, express or implied, included in the press release are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement.

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SOURCE GBank Financial Holdings Inc.

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Kidney Patients Back Bipartisan Bill to Expand Disability Employment

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U.S. Representatives Hoyer and Sessions Lead AbilityOne Modernization Bill

Kidney Disease and Jobs are Focus of National Disability Employment Month

WASHINGTON, Oct. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP), the nation’s oldest and largest independent kidney patient advocacy organization, today announced plans to accelerate national grassroots patient advocacy in support of bipartisan legislation that will modernize the federal AbilityOne program. The American Procurement Improvement Act (APIA), H.R. 10443, is championed by U.S. Representatives Pete Sessions (R-TX) and Steny Hoyer (D-MD). AAKP defines kidney disease as both an American healthcare and workforce issue and fights to expand career opportunities and job protections for all Americans impacted by kidney disease, disabilities, and chronic diseases.

The AbilityOne program creates private sector employment opportunities for over 41,000 Americans with severe vision and other disabilities, including nearly 3,000 American Veterans. In FY 2025, the program generated nearly 48 million direct labor hours, an 8 percent increase and a significant measure of disability employment growth, with workers working and working more hours. AbilityOne delivered more than $4.7 billion in products and services to the Federal government in FY 2025 and drew discouraged workers into the U.S. labor force while supporting greater workforce participation, increasing economic independence, and self-sufficiency. The AbilityOne mission taps the underutilized workforce of people with significant disabilities to deliver high-quality, mission-essential products and services to federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

The APIA legislation removes outdated statutory barriers to hiring, retention, advancement, and movement into careers of choice, including emerging fields and new lines of business. It also modernizes federal procurement by aligning AbilityOne with contemporary procurement practices and streamlines procurement processes so the program can respond faster to emerging federal agency priorities. The APIA legislation protects taxpayer interests, strengthens program accountability and stewardship by preserving oversight, transparency, and worker protections while modernizing AbilityOne Commission authorities. The legislation is seen as an opportunity to improve federal procurement and strengthen the federal government’s domestic supplier base.

Over 36 million Americans live with kidney disease, over 600,000 are on dialysis, and nearly 100,000 are awaiting a kidney transplant. Further, interrelated cardiovascular, kidney, and metabolic diseases have impacted more than 25% of the adult population and are a leading cause of death. More broadly, the American Heart Association estimates that 90% of U.S. adults, or about 240 million people, have some degree of interconnected cardiovascular, kidney, or metabolic health conditions. For kidney patients dependent upon status-quo, in-center hemodialysis, burdensome thrice-weekly dialysis sessions force many patients, against their own choosing, into unemployment, disability, and dependency. AAKP believes dialysis-related unemployment, and the associated costs borne by families and taxpayers, is one of the media’s least-reported stories in legacy kidney care. AAKP’s policy agenda focuses on transplant readiness, more opportunities for organ transplants, more flexible, patient-centered home dialysis solutions, and stronger job protections for both kidney patients and living organ donors.

AAKP President Edward V. Hickey, III, a chronic kidney disease patient, stated, “AAKP strongly endorses the American Procurement Improvement Act (APIA) and expresses our deepest gratitude to Representatives Steny Hoyer and Peter Sessions for their bipartisan leadership and commitment to Americans managing disabilities and their efforts to secure meaningful employment opportunities with solid wages. People impacted by disability and chronic diseases face tremendous hurdles to continued employment and return to the workforce – especially America’s proud Veterans. This legislation reflects consensus language among stakeholders, including advocates, employers, and organized labor, and sends a very positive message, amid national economic concerns, that the voices and needs of disabled Americans and their families are heard and not forgotten by the U.S. Congress. We encourage Congress to step up and pass this legislation before the close of the year.” Hickey is a U.S. Marine Corps Veteran, a former senior congressional aide, and has served in appointed roles in two presidential administrations, including the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM). At OPM, he was heavily involved in policy issues related to federal Veterans preference in civil service hiring and expanded federal job opportunities. He currently serves on the American Board of Internal Medicine’s (ABIM) Nephrology Specialty Board and as the Chair of the AAKP Veterans Health Initiative, the largest kidney health outreach program outside of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

October is National Disability Employment Month, and AAKP and its allies remind elected and appointed government leaders to address health and employment concerns that impact patients, families, and communities. Through multiple partnerships, AAKP leads the kidney community in providing kidney patients and transplant recipients, including Veterans, access to virtual job fairs and employment skills training opportunities. AAKP is currently sponsoring virtual job fairs, in partnership with CareerEco, on January 13, 2027, and May 18, 2027, that will service Veterans and military families. AAKP’s past collaborations have included webinars with Idealist and virtual disability and Veteran hiring fairs with Bender Consulting.

AAKP Vice President and Chair of Policy and Global Affairs Paul T. Conway, a 49-year kidney patient and 29-year transplant recipient, stated, “The AbilityOne program has supported private sector employment for people managing disabilities and chronic diseases for nearly ninety years and reflects the exceptional American values of self-reliance and independence. Representatives Steny Hoyer and Pete Sessions have consistently shown respect for the creativity, talents, and skills of disabled citizens and have dedicated their public careers to expanding job opportunities in the workforce and across the federal supply chain. The American Procurement Improvement Act increases accountability for taxpayer funds and will result in more well-paying jobs for Americans whose desire and capacity to work and contribute are underappreciated.” Conway is a former Chief of Staff for both the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management and a former Deputy Secretary for Health and Human Resources for the Commonwealth of Virginia. He has overseen multiple federal and state disability employment, workforce training, and health service programs throughout his public career. He is the past Chair of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Patient Engagement Advisory Committee (PEAC) and serves on the Observational Study Monitoring Board of the Kidney Precision Medicine Program (KPMP) administered by the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIH/NIDDK).

To advance the APIA, AAKP is working with former U.S. Representative Tony Coelho, Chair of the Partnership to Improve Patient Care as well as the Alliance for Expanding America’s Workforce. Along with AAKP, APIA is endorsed by over 60 national patient and disability organizations, labor unions and employers including the American Association of People with Disabilities, SEIU, Bender Consulting, National Council of SourceAmerica Employers, CEO Commission for Disability Employment, the Arc of the United States, National Organization on Disability, National Down Syndrome Society, National Disability Rights Network, National Federation of the Blind, Melwood Inc., WORK Inc., ORC Industries, Employment Source, Opportunity Center, Inc., PARC, ACHIEVE Human Services, Inc., Human Technologies, InspiriTec, PORTCO Inc, PRIDE Industries, Phoenix, Pueblo Diversified Industries, and the Association of People Supporting EmploymentFirst (APSE).

AAKP, alongside a broad and diverse coalition of patient organizations, transplant experts, and Congressional allies, is also working to secure passage of the Living Donor Protection Act (LDPA), S. 1552/H.R. 4582 and H.R. 4583, in 2026. The bipartisan bill protects living organ donors from job and insurance discrimination based solely on their decision to donate a kidney to save another life, barriers cited most often by potential organ donors. The bipartisan legislation is led by Senator Tom Cotton (R-AK) and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY). It was voted out of the Senate HELP Committee on February 26, 2026, with full bipartisan support, the endorsement of AAKP, the larger kidney community, and the American Council of Life Insurance (ACLI).

In 2018, with bipartisan support from Congress and the Trump Administration, AAKP and transplant professionals worked with the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) legal team and the DOL Wage and Hour Division to have DOL issue Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) protections for living organ donors, based on the original intent of the FMLA’s Congressional co-sponsors (click here to read the letter and click here to watch the video). Congressional passage of the LDPA in 2026 will codify the DOL’s 2018 FMLA job protections and prohibit insurers from discriminating against living donors. Increased living organ donation, improved transplant readiness among kidney patients, and greater opportunities for transplantation have been national goals for decades and were reinforced in 2019 through the Executive Order on Advancing American Kidney Health.

Follow AAKP on social media at @kidneypatient on Facebook, @kidneypatients on X, and @kidneypatients on Instagram, and visit https://aakp.org/ for more information. AAKP patient advocates advance bipartisan kidney policy including: passage of the bipartisan law modernizing the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) (2023); lifetime transplant drug coverage for kidney patients (2020); the historic Executive Order on Advancing American Kidney Health signed by President Donald Trump (2019); job protections for living organ donors under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) via the U.S. Department of Labor (2018); and Congressional approval of HIV positive organ transplants for HIV positive patients (2013).

MEDIA CONTACT:
Brendan LaCivita
National and Medical Media Specialist
blacivita@aakp.org
(813) 906-7740

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SOURCE American Association of Kidney Patients

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BioVid Launches Mimetics™, AI Research Audiences Built on How Physicians Reason and Decide

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Modeling physician response patterns and behavior, showing an 80–90% match with real physicians on content, reasoning, and emotion. 

BRISTOL, Pa., Oct. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — BioVid, a life science consultancy, today announced the launch of BioVid Mimetics™, a research platform that gives pharmaceutical teams mimetics: synthetic physician audiences modeled on how those audiences reason and decide. Its respondent models are grounded in BioVid’s proprietary MindSet Modeling™ program, large-scale, multi-specialty surveys of practicing physicians that measure the mindsets shaping how they process information, make judgments, and decide. The models are aligned with secondary data on clinical practice, moving beyond generic AI role-play to model the decision logic behind treatment choices.

Like a mimetic drug, each BioVid mimetic is tested against the original: real physicians.

Prescribing data shows what physicians choose, not why. Pharma teams now face more of those “why” questions than research budgets and timelines can absorb. BioVid Mimetics™ applies the social and behavioral science of clinical judgment to model how physicians interpret evidence, weigh benefit against risk, and decide when they know enough to act.

The name comes from pharmacology, where a mimetic earns trust by doing the work of the original molecule. Every BioVid mimetic is tested against that standard, bringing the firm’s long-standing commitment to science-based research to a new method.

“At BioVid, we’ve always believed that better commercial decisions start with a deeper understanding of human behavior,” said Peggy Hirtle, CEO of BioVid. “Our goal was never simply faster or cheaper respondents. It was to reflect how physicians actually reason, with the same scientific rigor clients already trust from BioVid. Mimetics is a new way to put human understanding to work, never a replacement for it.”

“A synthetic respondent can sound right and still reason wrong. The real test is whether it reasons the way the audience does,” said Marco Barcella, Executive Director, Product & Technology at BioVid. “Where the decision warrants, we run the same study with a human cohort and a mimetic cohort and compare the findings, the reasoning, and the mental and emotional responses directly. Clients see where mimetic findings hold and where human research should lead.”

In BioVid’s validation work to date, mimetic and human cohorts have shown an 80% to 90% match on content, reasoning, and emotion across thousands of parallel tests.

BioVid Mimetics™ is available off the shelf or tailored with a client’s own primary research. It supports message and concept testing, positioning, drivers and barriers, segmentation, and opportunity assessment, and includes:

Mimetic Respondents: Mimetic or hybrid studies, with mimetic fieldwork complete in one to two weeks after receipt of required inputs, followed by a full report and readout from BioVid’s research team.

Mimetic Segments App: Segments that client teams question directly, share materials with, and return to between research waves.

Client Customization: Models tailored with a client’s own research, segment profiles, and CRM data, exclusive to that client and firewalled from all others.

To learn more, visit www.biovid.com/mimetics. 

About BioVid

BioVid is a life science consultancy applying behavioral science and AI to commercial and market access strategy. Its offerings include the CIAIRA™ AI platform, Tumor Worlds™, and BioVid Mimetics™. BioVid is a recognized leader in new product demand estimation, commercial communication optimization, and customer and patient segmentation research.

Visit www.biovid.com.

Media Contact:
Sal Zerilli, PhD, Executive Director, Knowledge and Innovation, BioVid
szerilli@biovid.com | 267.201.4008

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SOURCE BioVid

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Egan-Jones Finds Steady CLO Credit Metrics as Interest Rates Turn Higher

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NEW YORK, Oct. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Egan-Jones released its monthly report on the collateralized loan obligation (CLO) market, finding that credit metrics across the deals it rates held steady even as interest rates and high-yield spreads moved higher in September. For investors, the publication sets these steadier portfolio measures against a tighter rate backdrop.

Among Egan-Jones’ measures, the weighted average rating score, a gauge of the default risk in a deal’s underlying loans where a lower score indicates stronger credit, has improved over the past year. The share of assets rated CCC+ or lower, the weakest tier of loan ratings, has been stable to slightly lower, with a median of 6.1%. As of September 2026, Egan-Jones rated 1,568 CLO deals.

The steadier metrics come as financing conditions shift. The 5-year Treasury yield rose 60 basis points to 5.09%, its highest close of 2026, and on September 16 the Federal Reserve raised rates by 25 basis points, its first increase since 2023. High-yield spreads widened to 312 basis points from their late-August low, while new CLO issuance totaled 91 deals ($38.2 billion), down 12.5% by count from a year earlier.

Higher rates cut both ways for CLOs, according to the analysis: coupons on the underlying loans reset upward, but so do the interest burdens of the borrowers. Egan-Jones points to rising loss severity on distressed exchanges and other selective defaults, and identifies software loans, pressured by concerns over disruption from artificial intelligence, as the weakest sector in CLO portfolios.

Egan-Jones also compares its ratings with those of other agencies across 20 deals, ranking the tranches where views differ most. On that comparison, Egan-Jones currently tends to take a more positive view of CLO credit quality than other credit rating agencies. A full sample rating report on MP CLO VIII, whose largest industry exposure is High Tech Industries at 15.9%, is included.

Taken together, the findings describe a market in which issuance has eased and borrowing costs are rising, while the credit profile of Egan-Jones-rated portfolios remains stable. Watching where pressures such as software exposure and loss severity are building may help investors assess CLO risk as the rate cycle turns.

About Egan-Jones Ratings
Egan-Jones, an NRSRO founded in 1995, offers timely and accurate credit ratings and proxy services.

Media Contact:
sales@egan-jones.com
+1 212 425 0460

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SOURCE Egan-Jones Ratings Co.

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