Uncle Sean's Update - 12/22/23

Ho Ho Ho - Happy Friday!!!
 
Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas 🎄full of peace, love, and joy; and hoping that everyone gets to spend quality time with loved ones. ❤️  Be sure to keep an eye on the skies Sunday night as Santa Claus 🦌🛷🎅🏻 makes his rounds!  Here is the abbreviated Christmas edition of the Uncle Sean Update for 12/22/23:

• CSI announced they have acquired Hawthorn River after years of expanding partnerships between the two firms.  The merger enhances CSI customers’ loan origination capabilities across all loan types for both commercial and consumer accounts; AND as a single-point loan origination solutions to non-CSI community banks through strategic channel partnerships and API integrations with other technology and service providers.  NICE!!!!!  😊

• In the spirit of the season and the spirit of payments…  Did you know that The Salvation Army (Kettle Pay) accepts Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, Venmo, and even bitcoin or Ethereum as well as bank transfer (via Plaid)???

• My friends over at Atomic are making news again announcing they have partnered with OneSource Virtual (an official Workday partner) to provide “a simplified and secure direct deposit management solution to millions of American workers. This partnership will enable Atomic to directly connect with OneSource Virtual customers to provide their employees with unparalleled control and flexibility over their financial lives.”

• Just in time for the Holidays…  Affirm (BNPL) expands their partnership with Walmart (already present at walmart.com and in the Walmart app) to the self-checkout lanes at Walmart stores allowing eligible consumers the option to pay-over-time with Affirm at over 4,500 Walmart stores in the U.S. as Affirm continues to break out of online only.
  • I can’t help but wonder if One is watching….???

• Astra partners with Knot bringing together Knot’s card-on-file switching solution and Astra’s API-driven instant funding platform through the same interface.

• 👀 Looks like someone made the naughty list….  The CFPB and the DOJ have sued developer and lender Colony Ridge for alleged 'bait and switch' land sales and predatory financing targeting Hispanic consumers. 

• Quick macroeconomic / counterparty risk event for my credit superfreaks (like Uncle Sean) out there…  Keeping an eye on supply chain and pricing issues as ocean freight is impacted by conflict in the Red Sea and is beginning to effect air freight prices / availability as well...

• Interesting Personnel moves this week:
  • Chime has hired Shara Chang as Chief Compliance Officer.
  • Lincoln Savings Bank appoints Sean Willett as CEO.
  • Narmi welcomes Norm DeLuca as a Strategic Advisor with a specific focus on revolutionizing business banking.

• Notable FinTech funding for the week:
  • Ampla (integrated banking, bill pay, and credit for consumer brands) closed a $275M credit facility.
  • Backer (529 education savings platform) raised $9.5M in Series A funding and announced the acquisition of Saving For College (savingforcollege.com).
  • Future (sustainable economy focused payments and rewards platform) raised $6.5M in capital and acquired Fan Rewards—an AI-driven rewards platform for fans of artists and influencers.
  • Vestwell (infrastructure for employer sponsored workplace savings platform) raised $125M in Series D funding round.
  • LawFi (mobile first point-of-need financing for legal fees) raised $2.5M in Pre-Seed funding.

 
 
Random Uncle Sean stuff:

• Check out the amazing pictures of the Iceland volcano eruption (technically a fissure eruption) – very cool!!!!

• ‘Tis the season for kids everywhere to track Santa’s Yuletide journey through the North American Aerospace Defense Command's NORAD Santa Tracker.  This NPR article from 2014 gives a detailed account of how it all began in 1955 (in the middle of the Cold War) by an accidental typo in a Colorado Springs newspaper that resulted in a phone call on the secret hotline at the Continental Air Defense Command, now known as NORAD.
  • Speaking of Santa….  With all the unsolicited emails these days from folks trying to sell me contact data / lists of executives in specific industries…  Why hasn’t anyone contacted me and Dan Heilveil about Santa’s naughty list???  Imagine the possibilities…  🤠🤣
• Interesting timelines regarding some of our classic Christmas TV shows:
  • A Charlie Brown Christmas first aired on television on December 9, 1965.
  • Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer holds the top spot for the longest continuous-running Christmas TV special with its premier airing on December 6, 1964 and every year since.
  • Frosty the Snowman originally aired on December 7, 1969.
  • Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town debuted on December 14, 1970.
  • A Christmas Story first aired on November 18, 1983.
  • Miracle on 34th Street has a complicated history, the classic version (and arguably the best) was first released in 1947 with subsequent remakes in 1955, 1959, 1973, and 1994.
  • It’s a Wonderful Life is probably the most complicated one…  First aired in 1946 to little fanfare.  However, it’s popularity soared after the copyright expired in 1974 causing the film to lapse into the public domain.  “This allowed TV networks, who were looking for cheap holiday-oriented content, to program it heavily for more than two decades without paying any royalties to its producers.  It was during this near-constant airplay that the film was rediscovered by the American public earning its status as a holiday classic.”
• Okay – some real quick Dad / Bad jokes because I have to start my Christmas shopping fairly soon – LOL!!!!!  😊
  • If you are traveling by air this Holiday season, rest easy knowing that statistically speaking – most airplanes only crash once…. 😲 ✈️
  • Work-from-home tip for these next 10 days:  Blow on the wine that’s in your mug so everyone on the Zoom meeting thinks it’s coffee.  BRILLIANT!!! 😀
  • Uncle Sean PSA – if you buy a watch online and it says you can swim with it, this only applies if you can already swim without it…  Just sayin’…

 
 
Have a GREAT weekend, a very Merry Christmas to all, and please stay safe!!!  ❤️
 
Uncle Sean
 
 
Sometimes known as Sean Mayo – contact me directly for scope and pricing of custom reports / analysis projects at [email protected] | 214-604-6961 – or you can contact FedFis Sales Team at 512-960-0911 | [email protected] #FedFisHasTheData FedFis
 
FedFis, LLC disclaimer – The views and opinions of Uncle Sean are of his own and may not necessarily represent the views, endorsements, and/or opinions of FedFis, LLC – we all know he’s a little bit different; but that’s why we love him.