CEO Mark Ernst

H Block Inc. has named Gregory Macfarlane as chief financial officer, effective June 4. The Kansas City-based tax preparer (NYSE: HRB) said Macfarlane would lead all parts of its finance and reporting functions. He will take the role currently filled by Jeff Brown, who will move to the job of chief accounting and risk officer under a previously announced plan. Brown, a longtime H Block employee, became interim CFO in early 2010 and was given...  

Despite shifts during the past year, H Block Inc. CEO Bill Cobb says the company has made strides. During a speech at The Central Exchange in Kansas City on Wednesday, Cobb discussed some of the strategies he’s used at H Block (NYSE: HRB) and offered advice about business leadership. One key shift of late was H&R Block’s April announcement that it would cut 350 jobs and close about 200 offices. However, Cobb said the past year has brought...  

H Block Inc. saw credit-default swaps jump after the Kansas City company came up short of analysts' financial estimates, Bloomberg reports. Credit-default swaps typically rise as investor confidence wanes, Bloomberg reports. On Thursday, the swaps saw the biggest increase since May 2010. H Block (NYSE: HRB) reported financials on Wednesday and announced that it would be laying off 350 workers and shuttering 200 offices nationwide.  

Tax preparer H Block Inc. said it plans to lay off 350 full-time employees and close about 200 "underperforming" company-owned offices and cut back its seasonal workforce, the Kansas City Business Journal reports. According to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the moves are expected to save H Block (NYSE: HRB) $85 million to $100 million annually by the end of fiscal 2013. The company, which has seven locations in...  

H Block Inc. is closing about 200 offices across the country, a move that will affect about 350 employees. A spokesman for the Missouri-based tax preparation firm said it will not release a list of specific offices that are closing. H Block (NYSE: HRB) has more than 15 locations in the Austin area. The company made the cut public in a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing and estimates that the move will save them between $85...