DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

Insufficient staffing, indiscriminate hiring practices, training failures, “tolerance of unacceptable behavior” and “not holding their staff members accountable” can imperil patients, the foundation said. Step one in VA hospitals’ sexual assault protocol involves providing “non-judgmental acknowledgement of incident,” noting important details and contacting VA police or local law enforcement. Two were at HCA hospitals and one was at a facility operated by nonprofit BayCare Health System. In one 2020 report involving HCA Florida West Tampa Hospital, the mother of a patient alleged her child had been molested. He said he has handled eight other cases involving sexual assaults at Florida hospitals over the past five years.

Persons: ”, Ray, ” Myers, Harlow Sumerford, Ryan Brown, Brown, Ray —, ” Brown, “, Michelle Simpson Tuegel, Larry Nassar, George Tyndall, Michael Adno, BayCare’s, ” Mary Marandi, BayCare, Brianna Hammer, Jeovanni, Hammer, Hechavarria, Julie Love, Love, Donia Goines, Jaclyn Bevis, ” Ryan Fogg, Fogg, ” Paxton Greer, Jesse Barber, ’ Paxton Greer, Greer, Tyler Eoute, ” Greer, ‘, ’ ” Greer Organizations: Citrus, HCA Florida Fawcett Hospital, Veterans Affairs, U.S ., HCA Healthcare, U.S . Marine Corps, USA, University of Southern, Citrus Hospital, NBC, West Florida, HCA, Health, HCA Florida West Tampa Hospital, Adult Protective Services, West Tampa Hospital, Plant Hospital, of Health, Department of Health, Coral Hospital, Lee, Cape Coral Hospital, Coral, HCA’s Trident Medical, Trident Medical, NBC News Locations: Port Charlotte, Citrus, University of Southern California, Gulf Coast, Florida, West, Fort Myers Florida, West Palm Beach , Florida, Charleston , South Carolina

As Wall Street financiers snapped up huge swaths of the nation’s rental housing market in recent years, the deals sailed through unchallenged. But large purchases of rental homes and apartment buildings by private equity firms like KKR are another cause, research shows. The Private Equity Stakeholder Project, a nonprofit that monitors the industry’s impact on individual Americans, has identified more than 5,100 apartment complexes owned by more than 30 private equity companies in America, totaling almost 1.4 million units. Jim Baker, executive director at the Private Equity Stakeholder Project, welcomes the scrutiny the senators are bringing to the KKR transaction. More than two-thirds of the apartment units in those states are owned by private equity, he said.

Persons: Sen, Elizabeth Warren, ” Warren, Raphael Warnock of Georgia, Peter Welch of, Ron Wyden, Kamala Harris, Ohio Sen JD Vance, Donald Trump’s, Noelle Porter, Noelle Porter Noelle Porter, Porter, “ They’ve, ” Porter, “ We’ve, we’ve, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Jim Baker, Washington — Organizations: Wall Street, KKR, NBC News, Harvard University’s, for Housing Studies, Harvard, Income Housing Coalition, Ohio, Companies, Equity, Housing, Financial Reform, Financial, National Housing Law, Navy Yards, Washington , D.C, Brookfield Properties, Asset Management, District of Columbia, Federal Trade Commission, Brookfield, Federal Housing Finance Agency, Private Locations: Peter Welch of Vermont, Oregon, United States, U.S, Puerto Rico, America, Washington ,, California , Colorado , Florida, Georgia, North Carolina , New Jersey , Texas, Washington

And if the worst were to happen and Bridger defaulted on the debt, Gallatin County wouldn’t be on the hook. The second item that wasn’t publicly discussed involved collateral damage to Gallatin County if Bridger’s bonds, known as conduits, went bad. Neither did former commissioner Skinner, whom NBC News called to talk about his vote on the Bridger bond. “Gallatin County should expect that Bridger will not cover any of the costs to unwind this transaction,” he said. At the 2020 meeting about the bond issue, Sean Bowen, a deputy county attorney, was asked whether the county was comfortable approving it.

Persons: Tim Sheehy, Bridger, Gallatin, ”, Joe Skinner, Sheehy vies, Sheehy, Donald Trump, Democratic Sen, Jon Tester, Blackstone, Louise Johns, Justin Marlowe, ” Marlowe, ” Sheehy, didn’t, Sam Davis, Bridger’s, Nathan Bilyeu, wasn’t, Marlowe, ‘, ’ ”, “, Zach Brown, ” Brown, Bilyeu, Skinner, Brown, it’s, Sean Bowen, Bowen, hadn’t Organizations: Bridger Aerospace Group, Navy SEAL, U.S . Senate, Democratic, New, Blackstone Group, Republican, Bridger Aerospace, Bloomberg, Getty, University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy, Municipal Finance, National Interagency Fire Center, Pilatus, Bridger, wasn’t, University of Chicago, Poor’s, NBC Locations: Montana, it’s, Gallatin County, Bozeman, U.S, Washington, Gallatin, New York City, Bridger, Mont, Helena, Chicago, Bolingbrook, ”

Less than a week after NBC News detailed how the hospital system Atrium Health of North Carolina aggressively pursued former patients’ medical debts, placing liens on their homes to collect on hospital bills, the nonprofit company announced it would cancel those obligations and forgive the unpaid debts associated with them. Some 11,500 liens on people's homes in North Carolina and five other states will be released, Atrium’s parent company, Advocate Health, said with some dating back 20 years or more. The company declined NBC News’ request for an interview about the shift. When Belk could not afford to pay them, Atrium Health pursued him in court, the company confirmed. Mike Belleme for NBC News fileBelk said he was stunned to receive a phone call from an Atrium Health executive Tuesday advising him that his debts would be forgiven.

Persons: Health, Lester Holt ”, Terry Belk, Belk, what’s, Mike Belleme, “, ” Belk, Rebecca Cerese, Atrium’s, “ I’m, Terry, ” Cerese, ” Organizations: NBC, Health, Advocate, Charlotte, NBC News, North Carolina Justice Center Locations: North Carolina, Charlotte, N.C

“I’ve been battling this for over 20 years,” Belk, 68, said of his medical debt. The burden of medical debt has contributed to financial anxiety among voters and has become an issue in the 2024 presidential campaign. Guill, who has multiple sclerosis, lives in Aiden, North Carolina, a rural community just south of Greenville. She volunteers with a nonprofit called Down Home North Carolina to help her neighbors gain access to Medicaid. “We have a ton of people with medical debt in the state because our insurance plans didn’t cover our medical bills,” she said.

Persons: “ I’ve, ” Belk, KFF, ”, Berneta Haynes, Terry Belk's, Mike Belleme, “, it’s, don’t, Cynthia Fisher, they’ve, PatientRightsAdvocate.org, Darcy Guill, Darcy Guill Guill, Harold Miller Organizations: National Consumer Law Center, U.S, NBC, Atrium Health, Health, American, of Public Health, Nonprofit, Affordable, The Commonwealth Fund, Urban Institute, Center for Healthcare Locations: South Dakota, Mississippi, North Carolina, American, Charlotte, N.C, United States, U.S, Aiden , North Carolina, Greenville

Aiming to unseat three-term Democratic incumbent Jon Tester, Sheehy is founder of Montana-based Bridger Aerospace, an aerial firefighting company. On July 1, Sheehy resigned as chief executive of Bridger to focus on his Senate campaign; the company is seeking a replacement. In mid-June, an editorial in The Wall Street Journal echoed Griffin’s view, branding Sheehy’s company Bridger a success. The PAC spent $5.3 million for Sheehy and $5.7 million against his opponent, Tester, records show. In 2022, Sheehy’s cash and stock compensation neared $5 million, and last year, he received $2.5 million, Bridger’s proxy says.

Persons: Donald Trump, Tim Sheehy, Jon Tester, Sheehy, “, Bridger, Tim, ” Katie Martin, Louise Johns, Ken Griffin, Griffin, Stephen Schwarzman, “ Tim Sheehy, ” Griffin, Marc Cohodes, Cohodes, Sheehy’s, ”, Scott Olson, Blackstone, Matthew Sheehy, Bridger’s, Blackstone Tim Sheehy, Blackstone’s, ” Jon Tester, Andrew Harnik, Schwarzman, haven’t, Farrah Saint, Surin, Matthew, Martin, Bridger ”, Montana . Don, Melinda Crawford, Todd Hirsch, Thomas A, Waldman, Yocca Carlson, I’ve Organizations: Navy, Republican, Montana, Bridger Aerospace, International, Interior Department, U.S . Forest Service, Agriculture Department, Bloomberg, Getty, Wall, Citadel LLC, PAC, Commission, The Blackstone, “ Bridger Aerospace, Blackstone, Small Business Administration, Republican National Convention, Trump, ”, Cattle Company, Tallgrass Energy, Blackstone Group, Bridger, Forest Service, Bridger Air Tanker LLC, Bridger Air Tanker, SBA, ” Companies, Federal, NBC News, Mountain Air LLC, Mountain Air, Air, Service, U.S ., “, Montana ., Rauth Locations: Bozeman , Montana, Bozeman, Mont, New York City, Bridger, America, Montana, Gallatin County, Milwaukee, Riding, disbursements, Surin, ” Saint, U.S, Los Angeles

While most of TIAA’s clients are current or retired workers at nonprofit organizations, TIAA also offers individual retirement accounts to investors online. They didn’t own enough in-house TIAA products, according to the complaint and a recording of Parkin’s presentation. But in two asset classes, the tool’s recommendations are limited to TIAA products, according to the complaint and internal documents. Morningstar selects asset classes and investments for the TIAA tool from those chosen by a retirement plan fiduciary, it said. Paras Griffin / Getty Images fileThe recent push to increase client usage of TIAA’s advice tool appears to be succeeding.

Persons: Ted Fitzpatrick, Fitzpatrick, TIAA, “, ” Fitzpatrick, ’, Chris Tobe, Craig Parkin, Rajotte, ”, Yale, Craig Warga, TIAA hasn’t, Ted Siedle, “ TIAA, ” Siedle, TIAA’s Parkin, Parkin, Thasunda Brown Duckett, “ Thasunda, ” Parkin, ” TIAA, Adriana Macias, Morningstar, Duckett, Rowe Price, TIAA’s, Paras Griffin, it’s, Steers, ‘ Organizations: SEC, New, Cornell University, University of North Carolina System, TIAA, Vanguard, Fidelity, Systems, Yale, Yale University, Bloomberg, Getty, Brown University and Harvard, NBC News, NBC, Morningstar Investment Management, of, Morningstar, “ Morningstar Investment Management, Bank of New York Mellon, Equitable Holdings, Cohen, Steers, & $ Locations: Milwaukee, TIAA, New York, New Haven, Conn, Chicago, Atlanta

☆ How private equity rolled Red Lobster
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( Gretchen Morgenson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

In this photo illustration, a cooked lobster is displayed on a plate at a Red Lobster restaurant on May 20, 2024 in Austin, Texas. Under the terms of the sale, Red Lobster would also see regular rent increases of 2% a year, the release noted. "All of the people who were supplying Red Lobster, all of the people who are essentially providing services to Red Lobster, the small businesses in the communities affected by mass layoffs, they are next in line, they are experiencing the ripple effect." Sen. Edward Markey, a Democrat from Massachusetts, where eight hospitals operated by bankrupt Steward Health Care are, recently held hearings on private equity and health care. Private equity is emerging in all parts of our economy, Markey added, but its most profound impact is in health care.

Persons: didn't, Josh Olshansky, leaseback, Red, Moody's, Andrew Park, Oscar, Robert Reich, Bill Clinton, America's, Reich, Austin Hurst, Hurst, Sen, Edward Markey, Markey Organizations: Sears, Mervyn's, Steward, Manor Care, Companies, Golden, American Realty Capital Partners, Realty, Lobster, Financial Reform, Thai Union Group, Thai Union, Steward Health, Department of Health, Human Services Locations: Austin , Texas, Canada, San Francisco, Golden, Bangkok, Thai, Arizona, Massachusetts

☆ Federal prosecutors are examining financial transactions at Block, owner of Cash App and Square
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Gretchen Morgenson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +13 min

Cash App, introduced in 2013, allows users to send and receive money instantaneously among themselves and to buy stocks and Bitcoin. As of December, Cash App had 56 million active transacting accounts and $248 billion in inflows during the previous four quarters, the company said. (Merchants are considered customers at Square, while users are considered customers at Cash App.) Cash App is not a bank, but it uses external banking partners to conduct various services. On March 29, Sutton Bank settled a consent order with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. that echoed the whistleblowers' allegations.

Persons: Jack Dorsey, Block, Venezuela —, Edward Siedle, Prosecutors, Cash, OFAC, Lawrence Summers, Sharon Rothstein, Summers, Rothstein, Lord Paul Deighton, Goldman Sachs, Deighton, Dorsey, Banks, Sutton, James Booker Organizations: Twitter, Southern, of, NBC, NBC News, Securities and Exchange Commission, Block, Foreign Assets Control, U.S . Treasury, Cash, OFAC, Goldman, Financial Market, Bank of Lithuania, Payments Lithuania UAB, PayPal, Consumer Finance Protection Bureau, Sutton Bank, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp, FDIC Locations: of New York, Cuba, Iran, Russia, Venezuela, Ohio, Sutton

☆ A new study reveals the states where private equity has the most influence on housing, health care, jobs and pensions
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Gretchen Morgenson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Since that ownership change in 2018, involving a hospital chain known as LifePoint Health, care at the health system has declined, three patients say. In recent years, private-equity firms have taken over broad swaths of the nation's economy, extending well beyond health care. The analysis, called the Private Equity State Risk Index, details private equity's involvement in those arenas in all 50 states. The index shows "the private equity threats in our own backyard and gives state leaders the tools to protect the people they serve," said Chris Noble, policy director at Private Equity Stakeholder Project. "By providing transparent data on the risks associated with private equity investments, we empower communities, working families, and policymakers to advocate for change and protect their states from the threats posed by unchecked private equity firms."

Persons: Paul Ricci, Ricci, Conemaugh, Chris Noble Organizations: Broadway Capital, Apollo Global Management, Allegheny Independent Media, NBC, NBC News, MetLife, Equity, Private Equity Locations: Chelsea , Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Johnstown, Hastings, Meyersdale, United States, Allegheny Region, New York City, Conemaugh, U.S, Arizona, Georgia, New Mexico, West Virginia, Alabama, Massachusetts, Washington, Louisiana, Michigan

☆ Private equity is being squeezed from all sides
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Edward Chancellor | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

But this time around there’s a lot more private equity money chasing a limited number of opportunities. So private equity funds could face the prospect of a prolonged period of higher borrowing costs, lower valuations, and depressed investment returns. The birth of private equity coincided with the Reagan administration’s policy of relaxing regulations and tax cuts. Recent high profile corporate bankruptcies owned by private equity include car-rental firm Hertz and retailer Toys R Us. The private equity industry could soon find itself caught in a pincer, between tighter financing on the one hand and tighter regulation on the other.

☆ Goldman Sachs M&A team doesn't get out of bed for less than $10 billion
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Goldman Sachs' M&A team operates under a similar mandate, albeit with a few more zeros. Why bother stressing over 10 $1 billion deals when you can just do a $10 billion deal? It's not just the M&A market that's facing issues. The bank has held the top spot on the year-end M&A league tables for decades, but it is hearing footsteps. More on Goldman's M&A strategy amid an industry drought.

☆ A new book by a Pulitzer Prize winner unsuccessfully tries to take down the private equity industry and fixates on Leon Black. Here's what it gets wrong.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Jonathan A. Knee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The economic and political influence of the private equity sector has exploded in the last 20 years. It's true that few topics have attracted greater attention from not only crusading journalists but serious academics than the impact of private equity ownership. This supports their belief that private equity firms "carry very little risk if the company fails." This view of a "typical" private equity deal is simply untrue: Even back in 2005, the average loan-to-value percentage for new private equity deals was 68% — firms already contributed over 30% in equity to the deals not under 10% as claimed. 'Smart buyer, dumb seller'One of the important developments in private equity of the last decades has been the emergence of major private funds focused on technology investing.

“Mission Hospital used to be where everyone would go if they wanted good care,” Jaquins said, reflecting on her previous experiences with the health care system. Sue Fischer is a longtime HCA employee who’s concerned about patient care in her facility. “We were a great system as Mission Health and we’re an even better system as HCA Mission Health,” she said. “Delays in care is the biggest patient care issue I see because of staffing,” Hernandez said. According to the CMS ranking system, Mission Hospital currently holds an above-average overall quality rating — four stars out of a possible five.

☆ This little-known firm with a weird website was central to the misappropriation of FTX customers' money, regulators say
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Gretchen Morgenson | Gretchen Morgenson Is The Senior Financial Reporter For The Nbc News Investigative Unit. A Former Stockbroker | She Won The Pulitzer Prize In For Her | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

Still, North Dimension had a crucial role in the FTX mess, regulators now say. In fact, they contend, the little-known company was central to the furtive misappropriation of FTX customers’ funds. But North Dimension Inc. also appears to have been a fake online electronics retailer, an NBC News investigation found. The second North Dimension website is sparse, with just two pages superimposed on a photo of a mountain range. An analysis by DomainTools shows this North Dimension site was created on Oct. 3, 2022, and registered in Ontario, Canada.

House Democrats are scrutinizing why the Internal Revenue Service failed to fully audit Donald Trump's tax returns when he was in the White House, despite an agency policy mandating such a review. Some insight into the lapse came in a report Tuesday from the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT), a bipartisan congressional panel that examined Trump's tax returns from 2015-20. The JCT report was issued Tuesday, after the House Ways and Means Committee voted to make Trump's 2015-20 tax returns public. Trump was the first president not to make his tax returns public since the 1970s. Neal is pressing for legislation that would require the IRS to publish and audit presidential tax returns.

☆ Sen. Warren demands answers from Silvergate Bank about its business dealings with FTX
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Gretchen Morgenson | Gretchen Morgenson Is The Senior Financial Reporter For The Nbc News Investigative Unit. A Former Stockbroker | She Won The Pulitzer Prize In For Her | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +13 min

“Life as a crypto firm can be divided up into before Silvergate and after Silvergate,” Bankman-Fried gushed in a testimonial featured recently, and prominently, on Silvergate Bank’s website. But in a conversation with an investment manager, a former top FTX employee said Silvergate was FTX’s primary banking partner. As a regulated bank, Silvergate has a duty to monitor clients’ accounts for suspicious activities that could signal fraud, money laundering or tax evasion, the filings note. FTX frequently used the Silvergate Exchange Network, according to the former FTX employee with direct knowledge of the transactions. A Silvergate spokeswoman said the change reflected a shift in functions taken on by a new president at the bank.

☆ 'Easy to bully': A corporate landlord in Cincinnati is aggressive in trying to evict tenants, critics say
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Gretchen Morgenson | Gretchen Morgenson Is The Senior Financial Reporter For The Nbc News Investigative Unit. A Former Stockbroker | She Won The Pulitzer Prize In For Her | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +13 min

“We had the exact same story and the exact same company — VineBrook Homes,” Allen told NBC News. VineBrook Homes Trust Inc., which owns over 3,000 single-family homes in the Cincinnati area, is one of the most aggressive landlords in bringing eviction proceedings against its residents, they say. A big institutional owner of over 24,000 single-family homes in mostly lower-income areas, VineBrook Homes is a real estate investment trust (REIT) with properties in 18 states, including Alabama, Indiana, Missouri and Mississippi. “I left in Dec. 2021,” Jenkins told NBC News. Vinebrook Homes owns over 3,000 single-family homes in the Cincinnati area, including many in suburbs like North College Hill.

☆ Before his epic fall, Sam Bankman-Fried was hailed as a crypto genius. Some clients saw smoke and mirrors.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Gretchen Morgenson | Gretchen Morgenson Is The Senior Financial Reporter For The Nbc News Investigative Unit. A Former Stockbroker | She Won The Pulitzer Prize In For Her | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +14 min

Until a few days ago, Sam Bankman-Fried was the king of crypto. “I’m sorry I didn’t do better,” Bankman-Fried said Tuesday in a message to investors reviewed by NBC News. The contentions of the people who spoke with NBC News are echoed in a 2019 lawsuit brought in federal court against FTX Alameda, Bankman-Fried and other executives. But the crypto market does not have the protections or price transparency found in listed stock markets, for example. FTX and Alameda, as a major crypto exchange and market maker, attracted crypto developers to list their projects for trading.

☆ Investors will reap billions if Kroger takes over Albertsons. Workers and shoppers may not be as happy.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-05 | by ( Gretchen Morgenson | Gretchen Morgenson Is The Senior Financial Reporter For The Nbc News Investigative Unit. A Former Stockbroker | She Won The Pulitzer Prize In For Her | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +11 min

Wealthy investors in Safeway’s parent, Albertsons Companies, have done better. And next week, they were slated to reap a $4 billion cash dividend in connection with a proposed $25 billion takeover of Albertsons by rival Kroger. Based on that stake and the amount of the dividend, Cerberus stands to receive roughly $1 billion of the dividend payout. Six of Albertsons’ 14 directors who voted for the dividend are affiliated with the major investors. This is the last, best and final hope for a truly unionized chain.”Nervous about the pensionThe proposed $4 billion cash dividend is large by many measures.

Ed Fischbach, on his farm in Spink County, S.D., said no to the carbon pipeline on his land. But some energy experts say safety is an issue with carbon capture pipelines — carbon dioxide doesn’t like to stay put, and the fear is that a pipeline could rupture and leak. Asked about the Mississippi leak, Hill of Summit Carbon Solutions characterized the event as tragic but anomalous. Braun says she is afraid the Summit pipeline will disturb sacred land around Whitestone Hill. Both Braun and Locke say they are happy to be forging new ties with farmers and ranchers in opposition to the Summit project.

☆ The anesthesiologist who is putting you under may work for a private-equity firm
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( Gretchen Morgenson | Gretchen Morgenson Is The Senior Financial Reporter For The Nbc News Investigative Unit. A Former Stockbroker | She Won The Pulitzer Prize In For Her | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +12 min

But some physicians and patient advocates say the health care investments of private-equity firms and their drive to reap relatively short-term profits are inconsistent with putting patients first. Independent academic studies find that private equity’s laser focus on profits in health care operations can result in lower staffing levels at hospitals and nursing homes. Neither the FTC nor U.S. Anesthesia Partners responded to voice mails seeking comment; a spokesman for U.S. Anesthesia Partners confirmed the inquiry to the Journal, saying it is cooperating. NBC News asked both of NAPA’s private-equity owners about the disputes involving the company and the research showing higher costs associated with private-equity ownership of anesthesiology practices. Covid was sweeping the country and Moses Taylor was doing its best to respond to the health care crisis, according to its lawsuit.

Search resuls for: "Gretchen Morgenson"

22 mentions found