SIOUX FALLS, S.D.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar 3, 2026--
Pathward®, N.A. (“Pathward” or “bank”) announced it has been named one of Monitor’s2026 Best Companiesin Equipment Finance in the Community Impact category. Monitor, a national equipment finance trade publication, recognizes best companies in the equipment finance ecosystem in its latest issue, where it highlights Pathward’s commitment to employee-driven volunteerism, charitable giving and initiatives that expand financial access and strengthen communities nationwide.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260303916777/en/
“Our approach to community engagement is guided by our commitment to powering financial inclusion and expanding financial access,” said Pathward’s Senior Vice President of Communications, Sustainability and Public Policy Catherine McGlown. “This recognition speaks volumes about our culture of serving the underserved. I want to congratulate and recognize every member of our team for using our collective talents to better the communities where we live and work.”
Pathward employees volunteered nearly 5,000 hours and supported more than 180 organizations across the country in fiscal year 2025. This emphasis on community involvement also helped Pathward earn Great Place To Work Certification™ for the third consecutive year in 2025, with 92% of employees responding to the survey reporting that they feel good about the way the organization contributes to the community.
In addition to encouraging volunteerism, Pathward actively donates to and supports charitable organizations near its Sioux Falls headquarters, including St. Francis House, McCrossan Boys Ranch, EmBe and the Veterans Community Project. Through employee-driven programs such as Matching Gifts and Dollars for Doers, Pathward team members have also supported nonprofits nationwide, such as the Boys & Girls Clubs of Kentuckiana, Habitat for Humanity of Oakland County, the Arizona Community Foundation, and the Furniture Bank of Metro Atlanta, among others. Pathward’s total donations to these organizations in fiscal year 2025 exceeded $1.2 million.
Monitor’s recognition underscores Pathward’s ongoing commitment to creating positive, sustainable change while fostering a workplace culture that values service, inclusion and purpose.
Read Pathward’s feature in the January/February 2026 issue of Monitor at https://www.monitordaily.com/profile/pathward/.
Learn more about Pathward’s Community Impact Program at https://www.pathward.com/about-us/sustainability/.
About Pathward®
Pathward®, N.A., a national bank, is a subsidiary of Pathward Financial, Inc. (Nasdaq: CASH). Pathward is focused on financial access and strives to increase financial availability, choice and opportunity across our Partner Solutions and Commercial Finance business lines. The strategic business lines provide support to individuals and businesses. Learn more at Pathward.com.
Pathward has been named one of Monitor’s 2026 Best Companies in the Community Impact category.
MCKINNEY, Texas (AP) — A Texas teenager who fatally stabbed a 17-year-old track athlete from a rival team during a competition was convicted of murder Tuesday in a trial that drew attention far beyond the booming Dallas suburb where the two students attended different high schools.
A jury rejected Karmelo Anthony’s claims of self-defense during a confrontation with Austin Metcalf in stadium bleachers last year. Most people who testified were students who described a heated exchange over Anthony's refusal on a rainy spring day to leave a tent that belonged to Metcalf's team.
Anthony, now 19, did not testify at trial and faces up to life in prison after a sentencing hearing in which his mother was the only witness. His lawyer had an arm around him when the guilty verdict was announced.
Notoriety about the case spread, in part, because of social media posts that amplified the killing in racial terms. Anthony is Black; Metcalf was white. Lawyers on both sides, however, told jurors that the tragedy had nothing to do with race.
Jurors, who deliberated for less than three hours, had the option of a lesser charge, manslaughter, but didn’t choose it. The same jury will determine the sentence.
“He’s very sorry for what he did. Please, have mercy on my son,” Anthony's mother, Kala Hayes, pleaded to jurors shortly after the guilty verdict.
Earlier Tuesday, jurors heard dueling narratives from prosecutor Bill Wirskye and defense attorney Mike Howard about what happened in April 2025.
Several schools were competing when Anthony sat under the Memorial High School tent that was perched in the bleachers. Metcalf and others had repeatedly told Anthony to leave, witnesses testified, leading to an escalating confrontation.
Howard told jurors during his closing argument that Metcalf had “no legal right to put his hands on Karmelo.”
“Texas law does not require that you wait until you get hit,” Howard said. “In that split second of chaos, you must put yourself in his shoes.”
During the nearly weeklong trial, prosecutors said that Anthony provoked Metcalf, and witnesses have testified that Anthony was the aggressor.
“This is not self-defense, folks. It’s murder plain and simple,” Wirskye said.
Anthony at one point reached inside a bag and replied: “Touch me and see what happens,” according to a police report.
Metcalf pushed Anthony, according to witnesses, who said Anthony then pulled out a knife and stabbed him in the chest. The teens, both from Frisco, didn't know each other.
“You don’t get to meet a shove with a stab, especially if you provoke the shove,” Wirskye said.
The prosecutor also made a broader pitch to the jury: “Ultimately, this case is about accountability. What kind of community do you want to live in.”
The trial drew lines of spectators hoping to find seats in the gallery and unfolded amid heavy security at the Collin County courthouse. As police officers watched Tuesday, dozens of people stood outside the courthouse in 90 degree Fahrenheit heat (32 degrees Celsius) to await the verdict. There were wails of grief from one woman — “This isn’t real!” — when the result became known.
Frisco is one of Texas’ fastest-growing cities that is dotted with dozens of modern school campuses and gleaming athletic facilities.
Several students testified that Metcalf, after ordering Anthony to leave his team’s tent, scoffed before Anthony reached into a bag and pulled out a knife.
One teen recalled Metcalf telling Anthony, “You don’t have anything in that backpack. It’s Frisco.”
The parents of Anthony and Metcalf have said they were good students who planned to go to college.
Associated Press writer Ed White in Detroit contributed to this report.
A crowd gathers by Collin County Sheriffs vehicles parke in front of the Collin County courthouse after the Karmelo Anthony verdict was reached Tuesday, June 9, 2026, in McKinney, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
An Austin Metcalf supporter holds a sign as law enfrocement officilals walk past in front of the Collin County courthouse following the verdict in the trial was reached Tuesday, June 9, 2026, in McKinney, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Karmelo Anthony supporters voice their opinions in front of the Collin County courthouse after a verdict was reached Tuesday, June 9, 2026, in McKinney, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
An emotional Karmelo Anthony supporter is consoled by another outside the Collin County courthouse after the verdict was reached in the trial Tuesday, June 9, 2026, in McKinney, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Law enforcement officials stand in front of the Collin County courthouse after the verdict was reached in the Karmelo Anthony trial Tuesday, June 9, 2026, in McKinney, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
A person walks around announcing the guilty verdict in the Karmelo Anthony trial in front of the Collin County courthouse, Tuesday, June 9, 2026, in McKinney, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Supporters for Karmelo Anthony demonstrate in front of the Collin County courthouse Thursday, June 4, 2026, in McKinney, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
A Collin County seriff drives past the front of the county courthouse Thursday, June 4, 2026, in McKinney, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
