Amid an uncertain future for open banking, varying views on data sharing could pose a setback. JPMorgan, for one, is asking for data sharing companies to pay for access to consumer data, Chief Executive Jamie Dimon said in his annual letter to shareholders in April. According to the Banking Policy Institute, it’s costly for banks […]
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US retail giant Gap Inc. has appointed Jody Gerson, Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG), to the company’s Board of Directors, effective immediately.
“Gap Inc. has long been a cultural icon, bridging fashion, music, and identity,” said Gerson, in a statement issued on Monday (September 15).
Added Gerson: “I’m honored to join Gap Inc.’s Board of Directors and excited to bring my perspective and experience in the creative industries to the table.
“Equally, I’m energized to support Richard Dickson’s vision and draw inspiration from Gap’s remarkable renaissance as a brand that’s become synonymous with the culture of music.”
Described as a “trailblazer in global music and entertainment,” Gap noted that Gerson brings “more than three decades of leadership at the forefront of culture, where she has championed creativity, inclusion, and innovation”.
The company added: “As the first female CEO of a major music publisher and the first woman to chair a global music company, she has transformed UMPG into a creative powerhouse for songwriters and artists worldwide.”
“Jody is a cultural force in her own right,” said Richard Dickson, President and CEO of Gap Inc.
“Jody is a cultural force in her own right. Her insights into fashiontainment – our platform at the intersection of fashion, music and celebrity – are unmatched.”
Richard Dickson, Gap Inc.
Added Dickson: “Her insights into fashiontainment – our platform at the intersection of fashion, music and celebrity – are unmatched.
“At Gap Inc., we’ve always believed that style is a form of storytelling, and Jody’s ability to amplify voices and shape cultural moments will be invaluable as we continue redefining what it means to be an iconic, purpose-led house of brands.”
“Jody’s ability to connect culture and commerce is exactly what makes her such a dynamic leader,” said Mayo A. Shattuck III, Chair of the Board, Gap Inc. “Her vision and creativity will help us strengthen our brands’ resonance with the next generation of consumers.”
Gap added in its statement announcing Gerson’s appointment that, “since joining UMPG in 2015, Gerson has led the signing of globally influential artists including Adele, Harry Styles, Kendrick Lamar, SZA, and Coldplay, and spearheaded landmark acquisitions of the renowned Bob Dylan, Neil Diamond, and Sting catalogs.”
She also serves on the boards of the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Ancestry.com, Project Healthy Minds and the National Music Publishers Association, and is a co-founder of the nonprofit She Is The Music.
Gap said that Gerson’s appointment comes on the heels of the company’s viral success with music driven fashion campaigns, such as ‘Better in Denim’ featuring the pop group Katseye, which garnered over 400 million views, 8 billion impressions “and became the No.1 TikTok search”.
The company added that Gerson’s expertise across industries is “critical to [Gap’s] long-term strategy and she will help reinforce the company’s commitment to maintaining a diverse and dynamic Board”.Music Business Worldwide
The complaint lays out a timeline where the Miami-Dade foreclosure court, Mirabal says, never had the right to rule on his property in the first place. He points to a March 2020 dismissal with prejudice—meaning the case should have been over for good—followed by a December 2024 dismissal without prejudice, which came after the property had already been conveyed to KP Investments Miami, LLC on November 13, 2024. Mirabal alleges that these legal twists allowed the defendants to keep pushing for his eviction and to cloud the title to his home.
What’s more, Mirabal claims that the assignment was signed by someone acting as “Attorney in Fact” for IndyMac Bank at a time when the bank no longer existed. He argues that this violated the trust’s rules and New York law, which he says should make the foreclosure judgment a legal nonstarter.
For those in the mortgage business, this isn’t just another homeowner-versus-bank story. Mirabal’s complaint takes aim at the way mortgage assignments are handled, especially when it comes to trusts and securitization. He’s asking the court to declare the foreclosure judgment and everything that followed it void, to stop any further attempts to enforce it, and to make sure the original loan documents are preserved.
The case also highlights the risks that come with documentation and compliance. If Mirabal’s claims hold up, it could mean more scrutiny for how mortgages are transferred into trusts, especially after the fact. That’s something every mortgage professional, from servicers to secondary market players, should be watching closely.
It’s important to remember that these are just allegations at this point. The defendants haven’t had their say in court yet, and no final decision has been made. But as this case moves forward, it’s sure to be one to watch—not just for the parties involved, but for anyone in the mortgage industry who cares about the rules, the paperwork, and the risks that come with getting them wrong.
Key Points
For months, income-driven repayment processing has been a source of frustration for student loan borrowers. In August, the Department of Education reported (PDF File) that it processed 305,641 IDR applications. That figure marks one of the best months since courts required public updates earlier this year.
The backlog now stands at 1,076,266, down significantly from nearly 2 million in the spring. For borrowers, this means faster processing of applications that determine monthly payment amounts and eligibility for long-term student loan forgiveness.
PSLF buyback processing also saw it’s best month yet, with 5,400 PSLF buyback requests processed. However, the backlog of buyback requests still grew, highlighting that progress on this front is slow.
The improved processing signals that the Department may be allocating more resources to address longstanding delays. Still, over a million cases remain undecided, and how quickly the agency can sustain this pace remains a pressing question, especially as new repayment programs such as the Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) are set to launch in 2026.
The Department of Education had it’s best month of 2025 when it came to processing income-driven repayment plan requests. The Department reported that it processed 305,641 requests. The Department also reported that the backlog of requests dropped to 1,076,266.
While those are both good signs, some of the numbers may be misleading. For example, the number of outstanding requests likely includes a large number of applications that will never be processed – specifically for borrowers who selected the SAVE repayment plan or “choose the lowest repayment plan option”. Both of those options were blocked by the court, and the Department has said they will be deleting those applications from the processing queue.
|
IDR Processing Backlog |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Month |
April |
May |
June |
July |
August |
|
Processed |
79,349 |
285,694 |
186,731 |
304,844 |
305,641 |
|
Backlog |
1,985,726 |
1,582,641 |
1,511,504 |
1,386,406 |
1,076,266 |
Public Service Loan Forgiveness has long carried a reputation for red tape, and the PSLF buyback program is no exception. Borrowers can use the buyback program to retroactively “buy back” payments that could have been made during forbearance.
In August, 5,600 buyback cases were processed, the highest monthly total to date. That marks an improvement over July’s 3,280 completions and reflects steady growth since the spring.
Yet the backlog remains daunting: more than 74,000 cases are pending. Many borrowers still report waiting nearly a year for a decision, far longer than the program was designed to handle.
Since buyback cases are managed by a small, specialized team, it limits how many applications can be cleared each month. At the current rate of processing, it would take more than 13 months to clear the backlog.
|
PSLF Processing Backlog |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Month |
April |
May |
June |
July |
August |
|
Processed |
1,472 |
3,312 |
2,224 |
3,280 |
5,600 |
|
Backlog |
49,318 |
58,716 |
65,448 |
72,730 |
74,510 |
The mixed picture leaves borrowers balancing cautious optimism with lingering concerns. For those applying to IDR plans, the shorter queue suggests they may not face the same long waits as in the past. In talking with borrowers, the fastest applications being processed are those that are linking their data to the IRS Data Retrieval Tool, and ensuring that all options are selected for accessing a spouse’s income.
Especially now, as repayment plan options for borrowers are clear, decisions can be made.
For PSLF participants, patience remains necessary. Teachers, nurses, and other public service employees close to forgiveness may find themselves stuck waiting for buyback credits to post, despite documented eligibility. While processing speed is improving, the queue is still long enough that some borrowers could remain in limbo well into 2026.
It’s one of the big reasons we recommend many borrowers approaching PSLF forgiveness may be better served NOT going for buyback, but rather simply resuming payments.
The latest report shows some gains in application processing, but the broader system remains under strain. Staff reductions at the Department of Education raise questions about whether these improvements can continue. At the same time, the transition away from the SAVE plan toward IBR and the upcoming RAP plan will create new administrative burdens.
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Editor: Colin Graves
The post Student Loan IDR Backlog Drops Below 1.1 Million appeared first on The College Investor.
Remote work has become a defining feature of the modern job market, offering flexibility, autonomy, and a better work-life balance. In response to this shift, more companies have permanent remote work policies in place, expanding access to legitimate remote, work-from-home jobs across industries. With increased competition among job seekers looking for remote jobs hiring now, however…
American Express has redesigned its website, making it easier to quickly add Amex Offers to your cards. As you can see in the image above, each offer now has a + button that you need to click to add that offer to the selected card.
But you can quickly click this button continuously on multiple offers now. Before the redesign, when clicking Add Offer, it would open the offer details and you would need to wait a few seconds.
Now after clicking the + button, it will quickly add the offer without opening details, while you keep adding other offers.
This is only a minor improvement for those who like adding these offers manually. But it’s worth mentioning that you are better off doing this with automatic tools such as Savewise, Max Rewards or CardPointers. These tools help you add the same offer to multiple eligible cards. When adding offers manually to one card, that offer will disappear from other cards in your name.
One pundit believes the share price could rise in excess of 50%.
Monday was a good day to be invested in Scholar Rock (SRRK 6.31%) stock. The clinical-stage biotech received a nod from an analyst initiating coverage on its shares, a move that sent its price more than 6% higher across the day. That rate was well higher than the 0.5% increase of the S&P 500 index.
Well before market open, Leerink Partners’ Mani Foroohar launched his coverage of Scholar Rock, rating the healthcare stock as an outperform (i.e., buy) at a price target of $51 per share. That anticipates considerable growth in the value of the company’s equity, as it’s — coincidentally — more than 51% higher than Scholar Rock’s most recent closing price.
Image source: Getty Images.
The biotech’s leading investigational drug is apitegromab, an add-on therapy that targets a disorder called spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). According to reports, Foroohar’s main source of optimism is the prospects for the drug, which is currently being reviewed for approval by both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA, a regulator for the European Union).
In his inaugural note on Scholar Rock, the analyst also waxed bullish on the background of the company’s team, characterizing it as the most experienced in the commercialization of rare diseases among its covered healthcare stocks.
If Scholar Rock can win approval from one or both of those major regulators for apitegromab, it would be well positioned for success. However, I need to caution that getting the green light isn’t enough for a biotech — a new medicine must be effectively rolled out and marketed if it’s going to have any chance at success. So far, though, the indications look good for the company.
Eric Volkman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Consumers increasingly are looking to AI for financial advice. Fifty-one percent of consumers are looking to AI for financial information or advice, according to a recent JD Power report. Most are tapping ChatGPT and Google Gemini, but some users are using Microsoft Copilot, Meta AI and others, according to the report. Consumers are asking the […]
Imagine creating a perfect replica of your top-performing sellers—but instead of someone whose capacity for work is limited by time and geography, this replica can work alongside human sales reps continuously. These autonomous personal agents can identify, nurture, and even close deals by engaging customers across channels. Their power lies not just in executing tasks, but in thinking ahead: anticipating next steps, adapting to changing market conditions, integrating across systems, and continuously learning.
