Editing H&R Block (section)

===Recent history===
[[File:H&R Block in Gillette, Wyoming.jpg|thumb|An H&R Block in [[Gillette, Wyoming]]]]

H&R Block acquired MECA Software, a 1980s [[Personal financial management|PFM]] company that created the TaxCut software, in 1993.<ref name="Schifrin93">{{cite news |title=H&R Block's crown jewel |last1=Schifrin |first1=Matthew |url=https://www.nexis.com/docview/getDocForCuiReq?lni=3SJB-3GS0-0019-F32C&csi=8399&oc=00240&perma=true |newspaper=[[Forbes]] |date=6 December 1993 |quote=Anderson has gotten the company moving fast in the new direction. In October, Block announced it would pay $ 44 million for ailing Fairfield, Conn.-based MECA Software, Inc., a company whose main products include TaxCut, Andrew J. Tobias' Managing Your Money and Fidelity Online Express. |url-access=registration |access-date=22 February 2018}}</ref> In 1995, H&R Block sold MECA,<ref name="Fisher95">{{cite news |title=2 banks to buy Meca Software for personal financial program |last1=Fisher |first1=Lawrence M. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/05/11/business/2-banks-to-buy-meca-software-for-personal-financial-program.html |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=11 May 1995 |access-date=22 February 2018}}</ref> but retained TaxCut.<ref name="NYT95">{{cite news |title=H&R Block sells personal finance software holding |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/03/29/business/company-news-h-r-block-sells-personal-finance-software-holding.html |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=29 March 1995 |access-date=22 February 2018}}</ref>

The company began to expand in the 1990s into the financial services arena, offering mortgage loans,<ref name="Hallinan02">{{cite news |title=H&R Block faces issues with mortgage business |last1=Hallinan |first1=Joseph T. |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB103706997739674188 |newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |date=12 November 2002 |quote=Bears contend that Block has limited experience in the mortgage business. It bought Option One in 1997, and Option One in Irvine, Calif., has itself been in business only since 1993. |access-date=22 February 2018}}</ref> banking and business services.<ref name="AP19Aug99">{{cite news |title=Block has first-quarter losses of $37.1 million |url=https://www.nexis.com/docview/getDocForCuiReq?lni=3X6X-7DC0-00HV-62X5&csi=8399&oc=00240&perma=true |publisher=[[Associated Press]] |date=19 August 1999 |quote=In June, Block purchased McGladrey & Pullen LLP, the nation's seventh-largest accounting firm, for $ 240 million. The company said that purchase has pushed revenue for its business services to $ 24.2 million during the first quarter, compared to $ 1.3 million last year. Including McGladrey & Pullen, H&R Block has acquired eight accounting firms since May 1998. |url-access=registration |access-date=22 February 2018}}</ref> H&R Block purchased Olde Discount Stockbrokers in 1999<ref name="AP1Dec99">{{cite news |title=H&R Block buys discount broker |url=https://www.nexis.com/docview/getDocForCuiReq?lni=3Y13-17W0-009F-S0RT&csi=8399&oc=00240&perma=true |publisher=[[Associated Press]] |date=1 December 1999 |quote=Tax preparer H&R Block has completed its $850 million purchase of Olde Financial Corp., the nation's fourth-largest discount broker. |url-access=registration |access-date=22 February 2018}}</ref> and operated as a full-service securities broker-dealer under the name H&R Block Financial Advisors. In 2008, the company sold its H&R Block Financial Advisors unit to [[Ameriprise Financial]] for $315 million.<ref name="Dealbook08">{{cite news |title=H&R Block sells brokerage business to Ameriprise |url=https://dealbook.nytimes.com/2008/08/13/hr-block-sells-brokerage-business-to-ameriprise/ |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=13 August 2008 |access-date=22 February 2018}}</ref> At the time, the unit managed $30 billion in assets and employed 900 financial advisors in the U.S.<ref name="Dealbook08"/>

RSM McGladrey Business Solutions was created in 1999 when H&R Block acquired the assets of [[McGladrey|McGladrey & Pullen]], aside from its auditors and attest services which remained under ownership of McGladrey's partners.<ref name="GlobeandMail30June99" /><ref>{{cite news |title=RSM McGladrey, H&R Block, McGladrey & Pullen Expected to Announce Deal |author=Michael Cohn |url=https://www.accountingtoday.com/news/rsm-mcgladrey-h-amp-r-block-mcgladrey-amp-pullen-expected-to-announce-deal |work=[[Accounting Today]] |date=9 December 2009 |access-date=10 April 2018}}</ref> Following the acquisition H&R Block became the sixth-largest accounting firm in the U.S.<ref name="GlobeandMail30June99">{{cite news |title=H&R Block to buy McGladrey & Pullen Cash, debt deal to make tax giant 6th-largest U.S. accounting firm |url=https://www.nexis.com/docview/getDocForCuiReq?lni=4M8C-DTH0-TW7J-32B0&csi=8399&oc=00240&perma=true |newspaper=[[The Globe and Mail]] |date=30 June 1999 |quote=H&R Block Inc. announced that it is buying McGladrey & Pullen LLP, a Bloomington, Minn. accounting firm, effectively making the tax preparation giant the sixth-largest U.S. accounting firm. |url-access=registration |access-date=26 February 2018}}</ref> McGladrey had 100 offices in 25 states and offered accounting, consulting, tax services, and international business services to mid-sized companies. Through an alliance with McGladrey & Pullen and other accountancies, the Block subsidiary operated in 70 countries under the RSM International name. In 2011, H&R Block sold the unit back to McGladrey & Pullen.<ref>[http://www.bizjournals.com/triad/news/2011/12/01/McGladrey-completes-purchase.html Kansas City Business Journal | date=Dec. 1, 2011]</ref>

H&R Block hired Jeff Jones, a former [[Target Corporation]] and [[Uber]] executive, as president and CEO on October 9, 2017.<ref name="Reuters17">{{cite news |title=H&R Block names former Uber executive Jeff Jones as CEO |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-h-r-block-ceo/hr-block-names-former-uber-executive-jeff-jones-as-ceo-idUSKCN1B21JI?il=0 |newspaper=[[Reuters]] |date=22 August 2017 |access-date=14 December 2017}}</ref><ref name="Davis17">{{cite news |title=H&R Block taps former Uber president Jeff Jones as CEO |last1=Davis |first1=Mark |url=http://www.kansascity.com/news/business/personal-finance/article168575957.html |newspaper=[[The Kansas City Star]] |date=22 August 2017 |access-date=14 December 2017}}</ref> He replaced Tom Gerke, who was interim CEO following the retirement of former CEO Bill Cobb.<ref name="Reuters17"/><ref name="Dornbrook17">{{cite news |title=H&R Block names former Uber president as its new CEO |last1=Dornbrook |first1=James |last2=Kaberline |first2=Brian |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/news/2017/08/22/h-r-block-ceo-jeff-jones.html |newspaper=[[American City Business Journals|Kansas City Business Journal]] |date=22 August 2017 |access-date=14 December 2017}}</ref> Jones has said he sees H&R Block as a [[financial services]] company and a [[retail]] company, and aims to grow the company.<ref name="Dornbrook17"/><ref name="Davis17"/>

H&R Block started its first Global Technology Center in India in October 2017. This was created with the vision to grow H&R Block's Product Engineering and IT Solutions Development platforms. It is located in [[Technopark, Trivandrum]], Kerala.{{citation needed|date=February 2020}}<ref>{{Cite web |title= |url=https://www.linkedin.com/company/hrb-india/}}</ref>

H&R Block announced in June 2019 that it would acquire [[Wave Financial]], a Canadian financial technology company offering bookkeeping, accounting, and payroll services for small businesses.<ref name=Otani19>{{cite news |title=Tax Prep Giant H&R Block Rides the Wave |last1=Otani |first1=Akane |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/tax-prep-giant-h-r-block-rides-the-wave-11560282172 |date=June 11, 2019 |access-date=December 11, 2019}}</ref> H&R Block acquired Wave for US$405 million (C$537 million).<ref name=Gagliordi19>{{cite news |title=H&R Block to acquire Canadian fintech startup Wave |last1=Gagliordi |first1=Natalie |publisher=[[ZDNet]] |url=https://www.zdnet.com/finance/h-r-block-to-acquire-canadian-fintech-startup-wave/ |date=June 11, 2019 |access-date=December 11, 2019}}</ref><ref name=CP19>{{cite news |title=H&R Block buys Toronto accounting software firm Wave Financial for $537M |work=[[The Canadian Press]] |url=https://www.thestar.com/business/2019/06/11/hr-block-buys-toronto-accounting-software-firm-wave-financial-for-537m.html |date=June 11, 2019 |access-date=December 11, 2019}}</ref> Wave operates as an independent subsidiary by Wave CEO Zahir Khoja from [[Toronto, Ontario]].<ref name=Gagliordi19/>