Finance
Opposition blasts state attempt to assist major haredi school system in financial trouble
The coordinator of the opposition in Israel’s Knesset Finance Committee, MK Vladimir Beliak (Yesh Atid), criticized on Thursday reports that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had promised to assist a major haredi school system affiliated with United Torah Judaism MK and Knesset Finance Committee chairman, MK Moshe Gafni, that is currently under legal scrutiny for financial mismanagement.
In a post on X, Beliak wrote that he had received “more and more reports” that Netanyahu had promised to find funding to aid the private haredi school system known as the Hinuch Ha’atzmai (literally “Independent Education”) pay its employees’ salaries and social security benefits for the month of July.
The school system has been in financial trouble since a report in February by the Finance Ministry’s Accountant General Yahali Rotenberg laid out a series of financial irregularities. Beliak accused the prime minister of attempting to unlawfully assist the school system in order to prevent a political rupture with his political ally, at least until the end of the Knesset summer session on July 28.
Beliak warned the “prime minister’s office, the head of the Knesset Finance Committee (Gafni) and all those who are involved in the matter – we are following closely. We will scour with an iron comb every relevant transfer (of funds) that arrives at the finance committee. We will conduct an uncompromising professional, parliamentary, and legal struggle, we will reflect the reality, and we will update regularly,” Beliak wrote.
Gafni threatened a number of weeks ago to quit his position as Knesset Finance Committee chair if a solution was not found to save the school system from bankruptcy, and the inability to do so could lead to a political rupture in the coalition. This could happen irrespective of another crisis regarding the end of the haredi exemption from IDF service.
Financial mismanagement led schools unable to pay salaries
Despite being privately run, the Hinuch Atzmai and its Shas-run counterpart, Bnei Yosef, enjoy special legal status and receive full state funding. The two systems have received over NIS three billion annually in state funding during the past few years, and they share characteristics with government bodies – they are directly connected to the government’s MERKAVA funding system, and they employ a finance-ministry-appointed accountant to run their finances. However, these school systems are not prone to the same level of oversight as public schools. The presence of the publicly appointed accountant has enabled the systems to avoid effective financial scrutiny, as they have argued that their finances are state-run and therefore not their responsibility.
However, the February report found that the Hinuch Haatzmai had bypassed its accountant and amassed a tax debt of over NIS 80 million, and another report found that the school system had accrued additional operational debts of over NIS 300m. The Hinuch Haatzmai is also facing dozens of challenges in court, including six class actions suits against alleged violations of employees’ rights, including unexplained salary deductions, unpaid work hours, and more. These legal challenges could lead to hundreds of millions of additional shekels of debt.
As a result, the Hinuch Haatzmai in May suffered a bank account foreclosure, and at first was unable to pay its employees’ salaries in June. The Finance Ministry agreed to loan the necessary funds for June, but the system now faces the same challenge for July.
Rotenberg in February threatened that if a solution was not found by July 1, the Hinuch Atzmai and Bnei Yosef school systems would be disconnected from the government’s MERKAVA funding system, and the finance ministry would remove its accountant. This would force the systems to employ independent financial management, and bear full responsibility if it failed to meet tax requirements and financial commitments.
However, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Minister in the Education Ministry Haim Biton (Shas), and representatives from the Justice Ministry have attempted in recent weeks to come up with an arrangement that would lead to closer oversight of the systems, while keeping them afloat financially by continuing full state funding. FINANCE MINISTRY representatives reasoned that if this did not happen, the Hinuch Hatzmai, which has over 100,000 students and thousands of employees, would collapse, and the state would need to intervene regardless.
Members of the opposition opposed such an arrangement, as did the Movement for Quality Government in Israel (MQG). In a letter dated July 2 to Rotenberg, Biton, Finance Ministry legal adviser Asi Messing, Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara, and State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman, MQG called on the Finance Ministry to “publish clarifications to the arrangement that was made, the alternatives that were examined, and the implications on state coffers.”
In an accompanying statement MQG said, “The new arrangement, the details of which have not yet been officially published, which is supposed to include the disconnection of the educational networks from the government’s Merkava system, the opening of separate bank accounts, and the hiring of accountants to supervise budgetary management, may even make the situation worse.”
MQG listed what it viewed as five problems in the arrangement:
First was “absence of substantive reform.” According to MQG, “The arrangement does not include significant structural or financial changes in the conduct of the networks.”
Second was “continued unlimited funding.” MQG argued that “despite the repeated warnings of the accountant-general and the attorney-general, the arrangement continues to allow funding of the private party-political educational networks, without a complete disconnection from the government budgets and without a plan to repay their debts.”
MQG described the third problem as “increasing the state’s responsibility without compensation.” According to MQG, under the new arrangement, “The state takes on additional responsibility for the conduct of the networks, without requiring them to act in accordance with the rules of proper administration and the curricula of the ministry of education.”
The fourth problem, according to MQG, was a “lack of transparency,” as “the details of the arrangement and its consequences for the public have not been officially published, which raises serious concerns about the integrity of the process.”
Finally, MQG pointed out that Biton himself was the former manager of Bnei Yosef, and therefore was caught in a conflict of interest and should not have been involved in the negotiations.
MQG proposed the following steps:
“1. Full and transparent publication of the details of the arrangement that is being drawn up; 2. The establishment of a government inquiry committee to examine the set of relations between the state and the party-political education networks; 3. Re-examination of the funding model, incorporating the principles of transparency, equality and good governance; 4. Preventing the involvement of those who have a conflict of interest in the decision-making process; and 5. Creating a long-term plan to put the networks on a proper footing and to implement uniform standards throughout the education system.”
Gafni’s office said in response to a Jerusalem Post query that it “did not know” about the issue. The prime minister’s office did not respond.
Finance
Plano-Based Finance of America Announces $2.5B Partnership with Funds Managed by Blue Owl to Expand FOA’s Home Equity Lending
Graham Fleming, CEO of Finance of America [Composite image; source: Finance of America/DI Studio]
Finance of America Companies, a leading provider of home equity-based financing solutions for a modern retirement, and funds managed by Blue Owl Capital, a leading alternative asset manager, announced an enhanced $2.5 billion strategic partnership to accelerate product innovation and distribution for the nation’s fast-growing retirement demographic.
With more than 10,000 Americans entering retirement age every day, the market for home equity access continues to expand. FOA said its collaboration with New York City-based Blue Owl positions it to capture significant share in this rapidly evolving sector.
“This is a pivotal moment not just for Finance of America, but for the senior finance market as a whole,” Graham Fleming, CEO of Finance of America, said in a statement. “By aligning with Blue Owl, we are creating a platform of scale and innovation to better serve one of the fastest-growing demographics in the United States.”
The enhanced partnership includes, per FOA:
- $2.5 billion commitment for new product innovation, providing scale and liquidity to support origination growth across multiple asset classes
- $50 million equity investment in Finance of America, enhancing long-term alignment between the companies and supporting FOA’s continued growth initiatives
- Joint innovation and product-development initiative focused on the continuous rollout of new, differentiated financial products tailored for people looking to maximize freedom, security, and opportunity throughout their retirement
This product expansion will complement FOA’s existing industry-leading reverse mortgage product suite while strengthening the company’s commitment to innovation and its role as a leader in delivering powerful financial solutions for retirees.
FOA said it continues to empower retirees with responsible, flexible access to capital to support aging in place, healthcare expenses, and lifestyle goals.
The partnership reinforces Finance of America’s mission to provide comprehensive, retirement-focused financial solutions, with the goal of expanding beyond reverse mortgages to become the nation’s leading, full-spectrum home equity lending platform, the company said.
“We believe Finance of America is uniquely positioned to redefine how financial products are delivered to retirees,” said David Aidi, senior managing director and co-head of Asset Based Finance at Blue Owl.
“This partnership provides the capital, the strategic alignment, and the innovation engine to build category-defining products at scale,” added Ray Chan, senior managing director and co-head of Asset Based Finance at Blue Owl.
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Finance
Bérangère Michel announced as BBC Group Chief Financial Officer
The BBC has announced that Bérangère Michel has been appointed to the role of Group Chief Financial Officer.
Bérangère brings extensive experience from her 16-year career at the John Lewis Partnership, where she held senior roles including Chief Financial Officer, Customer Service Executive Director, Operations Director and Finance & Strategy Director.
Prior to joining the John Lewis Partnership, Bérangère spent 11 years at the Royal Mail Group in a number of finance, change and strategy roles, including as Finance Director of the property division.
In an expanded role as BBC Group Chief Financial Officer, Bérangère will be responsible for the overall BBC Group financial strategy, with a remit across BBC Public Service, BBC Studios and the BBC’s commercial subsidiaries. She will play a leadership role and will sit on both the Executive Committee and, for the first time, the Board.
This position will strengthen the BBC’s financial leadership, support its transformation, and make the best use of the licence fee and commercial opportunities. Bérangère will report to the Director-General and will take up the role in early January.
Director-General Tim Davie says: “Bérangère brings a wealth of experience from her time at the John Lewis Partnership and will play a critical role in shaping our new financial strategy. I’m pleased to welcome her to the BBC, and to both the Executive Committee and Board.
“Bérangère’s appointment to this expanded role comes at an important time for the BBC, as we look ahead to Charter renewal and continue to accelerate our transformation to deliver outstanding value for our audiences.”
BBC Chair Samir Shah says: “The role of Group Chief Financial Officer will be hugely important as we build a BBC for the future, and I look forward to welcoming Bérangère to the Board.”
Bérangère Michel says: “I am delighted to be joining the BBC, an institution whose purpose and mission I have always admired. It’s a privilege to be part of shaping its exciting future at such a crucial moment and I cannot wait to get started.”
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Finance
ATI Promotes Longtime Leader to CFO and SVP of Finance
Rob Foster, incoming CFO of ATI Inc., effective Jan. 1, 2026 [Photo: ATI}
ATI Inc., a Dallas-based manufacturer of high-performance materials for the aerospace and defense industries, announced that James Robert “Rob” Foster will be promoted to senior vice president of finance and chief financial officer, effective January 1, 2026.
Foster succeeds Don Newman, who will serve as strategic advisor to the CEO beginning January 1. As previously announced, Newman will retire on March 1, 2026, and serve in an advisory capacity in that time to allow for a smooth transition.
“Rob is a proven P&L leader with enterprise-wide experience in the areas that matter most to ATI’s continued growth,” Kim Fields, president and CEO, said in a statement. “He brings deep expertise not only in finance but also as an operational leader. Rob played a pivotal role in the successful Specialty Rolled Products transformation, consistently helping ATI to deliver strong returns and shareholder value. I look forward to partnering with him as we enter our next phase of profitable growth.”
Foster, a longtime ATI leader, brings both operational expertise and financial discipline to the CFO role, the company said. He most recently served as president of ATI’s specialty alloys & components business, where he improved efficiency, grew capacity, and advanced the company’s role as a global leader in exotic alloys. Foster previously served as vice president of Finance, Supply Chain, and Capital Projects, overseeing ATI’s global finance organization, capital deployment processes, and enterprise supply chain performance. Earlier in his career, he led Finance for both ATI operating segments and the Forged Products business.
“I’m honored to become ATI’s next CFO,” said Foster. “ATI is well-positioned with a strong balance sheet, focused strategy, and significant opportunities ahead. I look forward to working with our team to drive disciplined investment, operational excellence, and long-term value creation for our shareholders.”
Newman added, “Rob is an exceptional leader who understands ATI’s strategy, operations, and financial drivers. He has delivered transformative results across the organization. I look forward to supporting a seamless transition as we pursue this next step in our succession planning.”
Before joining ATI in 2012, Foster held senior finance roles at API Technologies Corp. and Spectrum Control Inc., where he led ERP implementations, acquisition integrations, and internal control enhancements. He began his career as an auditor at Ernst & Young (EY).
ATI produces high-performance materials and solutions for the global aerospace and defense markets, and critical applications in electronics, medical, and specialty energy.
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