Saint Andrew's Society

• ENGLEWOOD, N.J., Oct. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Englewood Health has appointed two new physician leaders to oversee behavioral health and health equity.
• "We are delighted to welcome Dr. Spariosu as director of behavioral health," says Hillary Cohen, MD, senior vice president for medical affairs at Englewood Health.
• Under her leadership, Englewood Health will build on its success and further meet the behavioral health needs of our communities."
• Under her guidance, Englewood Health will implement targeted interventions designed to improve health outcomes and health equity for our communities."

• The move towards a cashless society started 50 years ago with the introduction of the Bankcard and was driven by technological advancements.
• But it really took off with the COVID pandemic when consumers and retailers were reluctant to handle potentially infected notes and coins.
• This raises the question, is a cashless society inevitable?

The phenomenal growth of the digital payments

• A recent report by the Australian Banking Association paints a vivid picture of the digital payment industry’s explosive expansion.
• The use of digital wallet payments on smartphones and watches has soared from $746 million in 2018 to over $93 billion in 2022.
• Cash only accounts for 13% of consumer payments in Australia as of the end of 2022, a stark contrast to 70% in 2007.
• The astonishing speed at which Australians have embraced digital payments places the country among the top users of cashless payments globally, surpassing the United States and European countries.

Are government regulations necessary?

• With increasing concern over cyber attacks, the regulations will help reduce the risk of fraudulent activities and money laundering and help identify suspicious transactions, maintaining the integrity of the financial system.
• Also, regulation will promote fair competition and market stability by levelling the playing field and by preventing monopolies.
• Consequently, regulations were introduced to hold card providers to a standard of responsible behaviour.
• The new regulations will help Australians navigate this transition more confidently.

• CHICAGO, Aug. 17, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A new TransUnion (NYSE: TRU) study, “Debt Consolidation in a Rising Economy,” found that amidst a period of growth in credit card balances and originations, consumers continue to turn to unsecured personal loans as a way to consolidate high interest credit card debt.
• The study examined which consumers were turning to unsecured personal loans (UPL) for credit card debt consolidation as opposed to those who used them to refinance existing UPLs, or for other purposes.
• The study found that credit card debt consolidators saw a decrease in their credit card balances of 57%, on average, after consolidating.
• “After paying off credit card debt and increasing open to buy on their cards, these consumers not only save on interest over time, but they also see an improvement to their credit scores.”
  Credit Card Debt Consolidators Saw Significant Declines in Credit Card Debt Following UPL Origination, But for Many It Did Not Last

• CHANTILLY, Va., Aug. 03, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Associa Community Management Corporation , and Associa Select Community Services , two leading providers of community management services throughout the greater Virginia, Maryland, and Washington D.C. areas, continued their efforts to help those in need when team members volunteered at two separate community outreach events.
• CMC volunteers packed 700 power packs for the organization’s Power Pack Program, which provides weekend meals to Fairfax County school students experiencing food insecurity.
• The company also mounted a food drive to help FFO continue its work.
• “Both events saw a great turnout by our team members who went above and beyond in their efforts,” said Associa Community Management Corporation Branch President John Tsitos, CMCA®, AMS®, PCAM®.