Refresh your finances with Spruce, a mobile banking app built by H&R Block

KANSAS CITY, Mo., Sept. 22, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fall is a season of change, making it the perfect time to take a look at personal finances and money habits with the help of Spruce, a mobile banking app built by H&R Block  (NYSE: HRB)1. Today, the company announces two new and enhanced features, Round Up and Credit Score Monitoring2, adding to a robust product feature set designed to help improve customers' financial health.

In current times of historic inflation, many are looking to save money wherever possible. Spruce makes it easy for customers to turn spare change into savings with the addition of its new Round Up feature. This optional feature allows customers to automatically round up transactions to the next dollar amount and deposit the spare change into their savings account. When customers opt-in to Round Up through the Spruce app, they can see how spare change quickly adds up and helps build savings.

Spruce partner Liz Rotz3 says she’s benefitted from Spruce saving features and looks forward to having even more savings tools at her disposal with the addition of Round Up.

“Inflation has made things more expensive this year, so we are shopping around a little more than usual to find items that are on sale,” said Rotz. “Every penny adds up, so I look forward to using Spruce’s new Round Up feature to see how it can help increase my savings even more,” she adds.

As borrowing costs continue to rise nationwide, having a solid credit score is key. Spruce has enhanced the credit score monitoring feature2, adding new capabilities that allow users to take a deeper look into factors impacting their credit score. To activate the feature, customers visit the credit tab in the app to complete a simple activation process. After that, they’ll gain access to view their FICO® score any time. Spruce customers will also be able to tap into monthly updates and additional information about the factors that could be impacting their score. By staying informed, customers can always know where their credit stands, which is good habit for financial health.

“With the goal of supporting each Spruce customer in their unique financial needs, the credit score feature offers a personalized view of a customer's credit score and individualized breakdowns explaining how different factors impact their number,” said Les Whiting, chief financial services officer, H&R Block. “By offering credit score insights in the context of a customer’s banking app, we’re providing an access hub for analyzing one’s complete financial picture, equipping consumers to better understand credit in the context of spending, saving and borrowing.”

Spruce launched in early 2022 and proudly serves more than 160,000 customers who will have access to these new and enhanced features that support financial health improvements.

“Since its launch Spruce has worked to break down barriers of access and offer equitable financial services for everyone. Both collectively and individually these new features align with our goal of making the best in fintech available to all people,” said Whiting.

1. Spruce is a financial technology platform built by H&R Block, which is not a bank. SpruceSM Spending and Savings Accounts are established at, and the Spruce debit card is issued by, Pathward™, N.A., Member FDIC, pursuant to license by Mastercard®. Mastercard and the circles design are registered trademarks of Mastercard International Incorporated.
2. Credit score is FICO® Score 8 based on Experian data. Your lender or insurer may use a different FICO Score than FICO Score 8, or another type of credit score altogether. FICO® is a trademark of Fair Isaac Corporation. This is a separate service from your Spruce bank accounts, provided by Pathward, N.A. This product does not report to credit reporting agencies.
3. Rotz received compensation from H&R Block for Spruce content in 2022.
   
   

About H&R Block

H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE: HRB) provides help and inspires confidence in its clients and communities everywhere through global tax preparation services, financial products, and small business solutions. The company blends digital innovation with human expertise and care as it helps people get the best outcome at tax time and also be better with money using its mobile banking app, Spruce. Through Block Advisors  and  Wave, the company helps small-business owners thrive with innovative products like Wave Money, a mobile-first, small-business bank account and bookkeeping solution, that manages bookkeeping automatically. For more information, visit H&R Block News  or follow @HRBlockNews  on Twitter.