TCF National Bank (TCF Bank), a subsidiary of TCF Financial Corporation (TCF) (NYSE: TCB), today announced that it raised more than $50,000 for Make-A-Wish Minnesota. Donations were accepted at all 98 TCF Bank branches in Minnesota and collected during team member fundraising events. During the past two years, TCF Bank customers and team members donated more than $150,000 to the 

“No child should have to battle a life-threatening condition and no family should have to choose between medical expenses or family experiences,” said Kent Engler, director of retail banking at TCF Bank. “Every two years our team members in Minnesota vote to fundraise for two nonprofit organizations and this year they committed to fundraise for Make-A-Wish Minnesota through 2018. We hope our fundraising efforts help to provide experiences for children and families that last a lifetime.”

“It’s organizations like TCF Bank that help dreams come true for children with life-threatening illnesses,” said Mia Broos Hoagberg, president and CEO of Make-A-Wish Minnesota. “We are humbled by TCF Bank’s team members and customers who have supported us and will continue to support us through 2018.”

In addition to supporting Make-A-Wish Minnesota through fundraising efforts, the bank invites Make-A-Wish children to be TCF Bank Kickoff Kids at University of Minnesota football games at TCF Bank Stadium®. TCF Bank Kickoff Kids are featured on the big screen as they run out and pick up the tee after kickoff.

TCF Bank is committed to building better communities. During the past four years, TCF Bank raised more than $500,000 for Make-A-Wish Minnesota, Animal Humane Society and Minnesotans’ Military Appreciation Fund. TCF Bank also supports high schools and students with free financial education courses in nearly 75 high schools, including Minneapolis Public Schools, to help students make smarter financial decisions.

About TCF
TCF is a Wayzata, Minnesota-based national bank holding company. As of September 30, 2016, TCF had $21 billion in total assets and 341 branches in Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, South Dakota and Wisconsin, providing retail and commercial banking services. TCF, through its subsidiaries, also conducts commercial leasing, equipment finance, and auto finance business in all 50 states and commercial inventory finance business in all 50 states and Canada. For more information about TCF, visit tcfbank.com.

About Make-A-Wish Minnesota
Make-A-Wish Minnesota grants the wishes of Minnesota children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. According to a 2011 U.S. study of wish impact, most health professionals surveyed believe a wish-come-true can have positive impacts on the health of children. Kids say wishes give them renewed strength to fight their illnesses, and their parents say these experiences help strengthen the entire family. With the help of generous donors and more than 700 Minnesota volunteers, Make-A-Wish Minnesota grants a wish somewhere in the state every 27 hours. It has granted nearly 5,000 wishes since its inception in 1982. Visit Make-A-Wish Minnesota at mn.wish.org to learn more.

Financial Gravity Companies, Inc. (OTC: POIL) is pleased to announce Charles Carrol Financial Planners in Plymouth, MA as a new partner.

After many years serving in diverse roles at firms including Merrill Lynch and Fidelity, which included managing an international book of business in excess of $3 Billion, Carroll W. “Bill” Hayes, MBA, CFP® established Charles Carroll Financial Planners in 2008.

Bill holds an MBA from the Sawyer School of Management, and has served as a Commissioner on the Disciplinary and Ethics Commission of the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards.

Mr. Hayes commented, “We built a practice around not wasting our clients’ energy, time, and money. We thought we had devised a better way to help businesses achieve these goals. Then we saw Financial Gravity’s answer to the business owner’s greatest pain point – taxes. Financial Gravity has put together the people, the process, and the outcome that business owners frustrated by unanswered questions about their TAXES have been searching for. Business owners have been looking for Financial Gravity’s solutions for decades; D.C. Metro businesses will be astonished!”

Dave Crowley, Financial Gravity President and Chief Strategy Officer, remarked, “Bill and Charles Carrol Financial Planners are very seasoned but forward-thinking professionals. We are very pleased to have them as partners.”

• 26.12.2016 -- 02:30 pm

Financial IT speaks with Stuart Lacey, CEO & Founder of Trunomi at Fintech Connect Live 2016 Part II 

• 26.12.2016 -- 02:24 pm

Financial IT speaks with Stuart Lacey, CEO & Founder of Trunomi at Fintech Connect Live 2016 

2016 had a financial fraud being committed once every 15 seconds, compelling financial institutions to buckle up. The trend will continue through 2017 with newer, more innovative attempts. Imperative therefore to think innovatively to stay ahead of the game.

Axoni, a leading provider of distributed ledger technology to the financial services industry, announced today the completion of an $18 million Series A financing round led by Wells Fargo and Euclid Opportunities, ICAP’s fintech investment business, bringing Axoni’s total funding to date above $20 million. The financing round also included participation from Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan, Thomson Reuters, Andreessen Horowitz, FinTech Collective, F-Prime Capital Partners, and Digital Currency Group.

Axoni has established itself as a leader in distributed ledger technology for the financial services industry through a variety of successful, high-profile deployments, including the optimization of post-trade data management for credit default swaps, equity swaps, and foreign exchange derivatives, implemented in partnership with more than a dozen global banks and financial infrastructure providers. These customer use cases further validate how distributed ledger technology has the potential to streamline multi-party workflows, reduce reconciliation costs, and provide greater transparency to financial markets.

“We are delighted to have strategic support from global leaders in financial services,” said Greg Schvey, CEO of Axoni. “The changes already underway based on distributed ledger technology will have a profoundly positive impact on the industry. Axoni is excited to help drive that progress alongside our investors and clients.”

“Axoni has developed proprietary Smart Contract technology and has successfully validated this technology in a variety of Capital Markets use cases. We have been impressed by the high-caliber team, their deep domain knowledge, and disciplined approach to product development. We are delighted to support Axoni in the next phase of their development,” said C. Thomas Richardson, Head of Market Structure and Electronic Trading Services at Wells Fargo Securities.

"Since we started working with Axoni over a year ago, we’ve been impressed with their knowledge of financial services, as well as their expertise with how distributed ledger technology can intersect with other evolving technologies. They have quietly built their credibility with key financial players and have emerged as one of the leaders in this rapidly evolving space," said Richard Kerschner, Chief Corporate Development Officer for ICAP Post Trade, Risk and Information Services. Legal representation for Axoni related to the financing included Buhler Duggal & Henry LLP, as well as Latham and Watkins, LLP.

Legal representation for Axoni related to the financing included Buhler Duggal & Henry LLP, as well as Latham and Watkins, LLP.