Weekly Roundup: 12 Finance Press Releases You Need to See

A roundup of the most newsworthy financial press releases from PR Newswire this week, including Howard Lutnick's confirmation as U.S. Secretary of Commerce, a Black entrepreneur's bid for TGI Fridays and more.

NEW YORK, Feb. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- With thousands of press releases published each week, it can be difficult to keep up with everything on PR Newswire. To help finance journalists and consumers stay on top of the week's most newsworthy and popular releases, here's a recap of some major stories from the week that shouldn't be missed.

The list below includes the headline (with a link to the full text) and an excerpt from each story. Click on the press release headlines to access accompanying multimedia assets that are available for download.

1. Renting is Still More Affordable Than Buying in All but Two Major U.S. Metros
   According to the Realtor.com® January Rent Report, most metros have become more affordable for both buyers and renters in the past year; however, renting a median-priced unit is still more affordable for median wage earners than buying the median priced for-sale listing in all major U.S. metros except two major cities.
2. Howard Lutnick Confirmed as 41st United States Secretary of Commerce; Steps Down From His Positions at Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.
   Lutnick led Cantor Fitzgerald for four decades and rebuilt the company after losing 658 of its 960 New York-based employees, including his brother Gary, in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. The Cantor Fitzgerald group of companies now employs more than 14,000 professionals and is widely recognized as a leader in global financial and commercial real estate services.
3. Nikola Initiates Comprehensive Voluntary Chapter 11 Sale Process
   The publicly traded EV truck maker filed voluntary petitions under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. Nikola intends to market and sell all, substantially all, or a portion of its assets and effectuate an orderly wind down of its businesses.
4. G5ive Restaurant Group Aims to Acquire TGI Fridays
   Spearheaded by 30-year-old Louisiana Black entrepreneur Cory Griffin, G5ive Restaurant Group is making headlines with its ambitious plan to acquire TGI Fridays through an ownership consortium. This move represents a significant step toward increasing Black ownership in the national restaurant industry.
5. Addepar Introduces Cutting-Edge Solutions for Managing Alternatives
   The new capabilities are purpose built to enhance data-driven decision-making and boost operational efficiency for advisors and institutions managing complex portfolios with alternative investments.
6. 69% of CFOs expect higher returns from sustainability initiatives than from traditional investments - Kearney
   Research conducted by Kearney and We Don't Have Time surveyed 500 CFOs across the UK, U.S., UAE, and India to understand how CFOs are embedding sustainability within their strategies. Regardless of geopolitical uncertainty and increased financial pressure, the data highlights CFOs' confidence in the long-term value and profitability of sustainable investments.
7. Sherwin-Williams to Acquire BASF's Brazilian Architectural Paints Business for $1.15 Billion in All-Cash Transaction
   The transaction adds a leading producer of architectural paints in Brazil to the Sherwin-Williams portfolio. BASF develops, manufactures and sells a comprehensive portfolio of innovative products under the well-known Suvinil and Glasu! brand names to professional painters, designers, architects, general contractors and consumers across Brazil.
8. How Latino Professionals Are Redefining Leadership in the Era of AI, Remote Work & Digital Transformation
   The 2025 ALPFA Convention will take place July 26-31 at Caesars Forum in Las Vegas, serving as the platform for professionals to accelerate their careers and embrace sustainable leadership. With exclusive networking opportunities, development programs, and the third annual pitch competition providing startups access to capital, ALPFA is creating access.
9. Rocket Mortgage Unveils RocketRentRewards: Transforming Rent Payments Into Homeownership
   With a Rocket mortgage, homebuyers earn 10% back on the last 12 months of rental payments – receiving up to $5,000 in lender credits toward closing costs. With the national average rent at $1,800, that translates to $2,160 applied toward a client's closing costs – one of the biggest financial hurdles for first-time homebuyers.
10. Rise in Americans' savings intent may signal shift back to weaker, pre-pandemic consumer spending norms-- Bain & Company/Dynata Consumer Health Indexes
    Brian Stobie, senior director in Bain & Company's Macro Trends Group, said: "This shift may pose challenges if businesses are basing their expectations for future consumer behaviors on the boom years of the pandemic recovery, when consumers deviated from these norms toward outsized spending."
11. BNP Paribas' Securities Services Business Adopts Broadridge's Global Class Action Solution to Maximize its Clients' Global Asset Recovery Opportunities
    Broadridge provides a comprehensive, proprietary technology solution for global class action services that will help clients identify and act on asset recovery opportunities. This includes a seamless process for identifying, filing, and recovering investment losses, backed by Broadridge's industry expertise.
12. Bambusa Therapeutics Raises Approximately $90 Million in Series A Financing to Advance Next-generation Bispecific Antibodies for Immunology & Inflammation Diseases
    The round was led by new investor RA Capital Management, with participation from new investors including Janus Henderson Investors, Redmile Group, Invus, and ADAR1 Capital Management. Two of Bambusa's four programs are on track to enter the clinic in Q1 2025 and mid-2025, respectively.

For more news like this, check out all of the latest finance-related releases from PR Newswire.

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