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Tax Guard and Casca Partner to Bring Verified IRS Data into AI-Powered Lending

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New integration helps lenders cut manual work, reduce fraud, and make faster, more confident credit decisions.

WESTMINSTER, Colo., April 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Tax Guard, a Cogency Global company and the leading provider of real-time IRS tax data services, today announced a partnership with Casca, the first AI-native loan origination system. Together, the companies are redefining how lenders verify and evaluate borrower risk, combining trustworthy tax data with intelligent automation in one seamless workflow.

As lenders adopt AI-driven workflows, maintaining strong due diligence while increasing speed remains a key challenge. This partnership ensures that lenders can achieve both. Casca automates up to 90% of manual effort across the loan origination lifecycle—from applicant intake through closing—enabling banks and lenders to process loans up to 30x faster than industry averages.

As a longtime industry partner, Tax Guard gives lenders direct access to verified tax transcripts that are critical for assessing creditworthiness and fraud risk. With Tax Guard’s verified data integrated into Casca’s automated workflow, lenders can manage origination and due diligence with more data and more informed credit decisions.

“AI can accelerate lending, but trusted data remains essential,” said Rachel Sexton, VP of Product at Tax Guard. “By integrating verified IRS tax transcript data directly into Casca’s workflow, lenders can automate more of the process while maintaining the diligence and risk controls required for confident credit decisions.”

“Casca is built on the principle that small business owners deserve faster, fairer access to capital,” said Lukas Haffer, CEO and co-founder of Casca. “By automating the intake and analysis of financial information, we help lenders make smarter, more timely credit decisions. Tax Guard’s IRS-verified tax transcripts are a critical part of the data powering our decisioning; it’s a great example of reducing friction for both borrowers and lenders. This helps cut application abandonment and lets small business owners stay focused on running and growing their businesses.”

To learn more about the partnership details and for more information on Tax Guard, please visit tax-guard.com.

About Tax Guard

Tax Guard, a Cogency Global Company, is the first provider of real-time IRS tax data services, helping lenders assess credit and fraud risks. Trusted by industry professionals nationwide, our proprietary risk assessment tools streamline due diligence research and offer our users ongoing peace of mind. Tax Guard has led the industry since its founding in 2009 and is headquartered in beautiful Westminster, Colorado.

Cogency Global, founded in 1980, is a leading provider of regulatory, corporate compliance, statutory representation, secured transaction, and lending due diligence solutions.

About Casca

Casca is the first AI-native loan origination system, purpose-built to transform commercial and small business lending. Founded in 2023 by banking infrastructure and machine learning experts from Stanford University, Casca replaces legacy lending systems with an automation-first platform that enables banks and lenders to process loans up to 30x faster than industry averages.

Casca is backed by Y Combinator, Canapi Ventures (70+ financial institution LPs), Peterson Ventures, Clocktower Ventures, The Fintech Fund, and the Sarah Smith Fund. The company raised a $29M Series A in August 2025, bringing total funding to $33M. Casca’s flagship customers—Live Oak Bank, Huntington National Bank, and Bankwell Bank—all invested directly in the company.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tax-guard-and-casca-partner-to-bring-verified-irs-data-into-ai-powered-lending-302746273.html

SOURCE Tax Guard

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LEAP Group Relaunches HumanView, a Growth Intelligence System Built to Explain Why Customers Behave the Way They Do

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Reimagined from the ground up, HumanView pairs statistical modeling with expert analysts to turn millions of real-world customer signals into business decisions

LOUISVILLE, Ky., Oct. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — LEAP Group today announced the relaunch of HumanView, its growth intelligence service. The new version has been rebuilt from the ground up and now has a dedicated home at leapgroupnetwork.com/humanview.

HumanView analyzes what customers say and do across social platforms, e-commerce sites, review platforms, search behavior and user-generated content, including signals from Reddit, TikTok, YouTube, Meta, Amazon and Walmart+ that general AI tools cannot always access. Because the data reflects unprompted, real-world behavior, it avoids the response bias built into surveys and focus groups.

The service works in three layers. HumanView captures signals at scale, decodes millions of records through validated statistical models such as regression, correlation and clustering, and then relies on experienced analysts to interpret the patterns. Clients receive clear, human-validated insights instead of another dashboard.

“Machines find the patterns. Humans find the point,” said Alan Gilleo, CEO at LEAP Group. “The first version of HumanView showed us how much customers reveal when nobody is asking them questions. This version is built to explain why they act the way they do, and to put those answers in front of everyone making decisions, from product to service to marketing.”

HumanView focuses on three areas:

Growth Intelligence: customer motivations and how people perceive a brand and its competitors

Market and Category Intelligence: product pain points, service friction, unmet needs and competitive gaps

Audience Intelligence: new segments, positioning opportunities and gaps in the market

Every model is designed and validated by data scientists and benchmarked before it informs a recommendation.

To learn more about HumanView, visit leapgroupnetwork.com/humanview.

About LEAP Group
LEAP Group is a boutique marketing agency holding company with offices in Louisville, Indianapolis, Cincinnati and Chicago. Guided by the belief that brands should “Market Less. Matter More.,” LEAP gives clients access to specialized experts across its entire network. Learn more at leapgroupnetwork.com.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/leap-group-relaunches-humanview-a-growth-intelligence-system-built-to-explain-why-customers-behave-the-way-they-do-302918557.html

SOURCE LEAP Group

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STEPHEN A. SMITH ADDRESSES WHITE HOUSE DINNER ATTENDANCE, REAFFIRMS COMMITMENT TO HBCUs AND PROTECTING CORPORATE INVESTMENT IN BLACK EDUCATION

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NEW YORK, Oct. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Stephen A. Smith, media mogul, New York Times bestselling author, and proud 1991 graduate of Winston-Salem State University, is addressing the public discussion surrounding his decision to attend a White House dinner with President Donald Trump, emphasizing his commitment to the long-term financial stability of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

For Smith, the decision was rooted in a commitment to institutions that have educated generations of Black leaders, professionals, entrepreneurs, and public servants.

“I will always advocate for HBCUs and the students whose futures depend on them,” Smith said. “My reason for attending the White House dinner was to discuss the challenges these institutions face in securing long-term funding and to make the case that corporate America must continue to invest in them.”

Smith acknowledged federal support through the FUTURE Act while expressing concern that political tensions surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) could discourage private companies from supporting HBCUs. He maintains that these institutions deserve sustained corporate partnerships, philanthropic contributions, and public investment.

“If we truly believe in free-market capitalism, businesses should be able to support educational institutions and charitable causes without fear of criticism or repercussions,” Smith said. “HBCUs have made extraordinary contributions to this country. They deserve sustained public and private investment.”

Ashley Christopher, Esq., Founder and CEO of the HBCU Week Foundation, recognized Smith’s advocacy and decision to engage with the administration.

“Stephen A. Smith has been a powerful advocate for HBCUs, using his platform and influence to shine a national spotlight on our institutions,” expressed Christopher, “His continued support of HBCU Week helps advance our mission of connecting students with life-changing educational opportunities, and we are proud to have him as our ambassador.”

Since Smith became an HBCU Week Ambassador in 2019, the initiative has facilitated more than 15,000 on-the-spot college acceptances and raised and awarded more than $150 million in scholarships, according to the HBCU Week Foundation.

As public discussion continues, Smith is emphasizing the importance of ensuring HBCUs have the resources and partnerships needed to educate future generations and expand opportunities for students.

CLICK HERE to watch Smith’s full response to his White House visit.

MEDIA CONTACT:

media@mrsasinc.com

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/stephen-a-smith-addresses-white-house-dinner-attendance-reaffirms-commitment-to-hbcus-and-protecting-corporate-investment-in-black-education-302918547.html

SOURCE Straight Shooter Media

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Advantex Announces Completion of Financing and Extension of Maturity Date of Previously Issued Debentures

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TORONTO, Oct. 23, 2026 /CNW/ — Advantex Marketing International Inc. (CSE: ADX) (“Advantex”), a leader in the merchant cash advance and loyalty marketing products for merchants, today announced the completion of a $250,000 secured debt financing. Advantex issued a $250,000 non-convertible debenture which bears an interest rate at 12% per annum and matures December 15, 2027. The proceeds raised from this issuance of the Debenture will be used for working capital purposes.

Advantex has also extended the maturity of its existing $700,000 in 12% secured debentures from October 10, 2026 to December 15, 2027.

About Advantex Marketing International Inc.

Advantex provides working capital to merchants. Advantex also provides specialized marketing programs that enable members of Aeroplan to earn Aeroplan points at participating merchants.

Advantex shares trade on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the symbol ADX. For more information go to Advantex’s profile on www.sedar.com

Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of applicable securities laws relating to the future business and operations of Advantex. Actual results and developments may differ materially from those contemplated by these statements. The business and operations of Advantex described herein is dependent on a number of factors and is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause actual results to differ material include, but are not limited to, changes in Advantex’s economic and competitive conditions including but not limited to the industry sectors in which Advantex operates.

The statements in this news release are made of the date of this release. Forward-looking statements are made based on management’s beliefs, estimates and opinions on the date the statements are made and Advantex undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change, except as required by applicable law.

SOURCE Advantex Marketing International Inc.

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