TUCSON, Ariz. — Six months after 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie vanished from her home outside Tucson, the mother of “Today” show co-host Savannah Guthrie remains missing, with investigators still working through thousands of tips but no arrests and no confirmed suspects in a case authorities are treating as a kidnapping for ransom.

Guthrie disappeared in the early morning hours of Feb. 1 from her home in the Catalina Foothills area near Tucson. Her family has spent the past six months pleading publicly for information, even as the investigation has produced forensic evidence, surveillance footage and ransom notes without leading to her safe return.

How the case began

Nancy Guthrie was last seen around 9:30 to 9:45 p.m. on Jan. 31, when family members dropped her off at her home after a visit. When she failed to appear for church the next morning, a fellow churchgoer alerted her family, who went to check on her around 11 a.m. and found her missing.

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said early in the investigation that Guthrie had limited mobility and could not have left her home unaided, adding to the family’s alarm given her dependence on daily medication. “She’s 84, she needs her meds, her family needs her too,” Nanos said at the time, urging the public to come forward with any information.

Authorities quickly determined that a crime had occurred. Nanos told reporters that Guthrie did not leave her home on her own and described her as being of sound mind, ruling out concerns that her disappearance was related to confusion or a medical episode. Investigators later said they had identified “some very concerning” circumstances at the scene that shifted the case toward an active abduction investigation.

Ransom notes and a nationwide search

Two days after Guthrie went missing, a ransom note was sent to a local CBS affiliate, addressed to Savannah Guthrie and demanding $4 million in bitcoin by 5 p.m. on Feb. 5. The note reportedly warned that the amount would increase to $6 million if payment wasn’t made by that deadline. Arizona officials publicly released the ransom notes at the end of July, six months into the investigation, though authorities have not disclosed whether any payment was made or attempted.

Investigators from the FBI and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department have pursued numerous leads throughout the case, including a Nest doorbell camera video showing a man of average build, approximately 5-foot-9 or 5-foot-10, wearing a face mask, gloves and a black backpack near Guthrie’s home around the time of her disappearance. Despite the footage, DNA testing and forensic evidence gathered from the scene, no suspect has been publicly identified and no arrests have been made.

Fabian Pacheco, chief of detectives for the Pima County Attorney’s Office, who oversees one of the case’s tip lines, said investigators continue to hope a single piece of information could prove decisive. “It only takes one tip, just one, to break the case open,” Pacheco said in an interview that aired on “CBS Mornings,” adding that roughly 10% of the tips received so far have proven to have investigative value.

A family’s public plea continues

Savannah Guthrie, who has taken time away from her co-hosting duties on “Today” amid the investigation, has repeatedly used social media to appeal directly to whoever may be responsible for her mother’s disappearance. In a post marking the six-month anniversary on Aug. 1, Guthrie described the toll the ordeal has taken on her family. “We have lived every moment, every breath and every heartbeat in agony,” Guthrie wrote, alongside an undated photo of her mother.

In the same post, Guthrie appeared to speak directly to those responsible for her mother’s disappearance, writing that they may be afraid or conflicted about coming forward, but that “there is a way out — to tell what you know.”

Guthrie’s brother, Camron Guthrie, made a similar appeal in a video posted to his sister’s Instagram account in the earlier days of the investigation, directly addressing whoever might be holding their mother and asking them to make contact.

Sheriff Nanos has repeatedly described the Guthrie family as cooperative throughout the investigation, telling reporters early on that the family maintained close contact with investigators and had been cleared of any involvement in Nancy’s disappearance.

Where the investigation stands now

Despite the volume of evidence gathered, including video footage, forensic material and now the released ransom notes, the case remains unsolved six months after Nancy Guthrie vanished. Investigators have not publicly detailed why the ransom demand was not paid or what became of the communication after the initial deadline passed, and no updates on a specific suspect have been released.

Authorities continue to urge anyone with information about Guthrie’s whereabouts, or the circumstances surrounding her disappearance, to contact the Pima County Sheriff’s Department at (520) 351-4900, the 88-CRIME tip line at (520) 882-7463, or to submit information through the P3 Tips app or 88crime.org.

With the case now stretching past the half-year mark, investigators say they remain focused on following up on tips as they come in, while the Guthrie family continues to use its public platform to keep attention on the case. Savannah Guthrie has not indicated when, or whether, she plans to return full-time to her role on “Today,” as her family continues to wait for the answers that have eluded investigators since the night Nancy Guthrie disappeared from her home.

The FTSE 250 bank recorded a £60.7m pre-tax profit in the first half of 2026, up 41 per cent from the same period last year

Metro Bank posted its strongest half-year profit on record during the first six months of 2026, defying an industry-wide trend of branch closures while expanding its small business offering.

The FTSE 250 lender reported a pre-tax profit of £60.7m, representing a 41 per cent increase on the same period last year.

The result was underpinned by a five per cent rise in revenue to £301m. Net interest income — accounting for approximately 80 per cent of the group’s total income — led the way with an eight per cent increase to £241.5m.

Fee and other income, however, fell 13 per cent to £55m. This was partially offset by a £4.4m gain on asset sales, a turnaround from a £200,000 loss recorded in the first half of 2025.

The bank’s total loan book expanded four per cent to £9.2bn, as reported by City AM.

Metro has positioned itself to capitalise on the small business lending market as larger industry players retreat from the sector. The area that typically delivers higher margins for lenders due to the ability to charge elevated interest rates.

The bank’s core target lending, encompassing corporate, small business and specialist mortgages, surged 43 per cent year-on-year to £6.2bn, helping to offset legacy residential mortgage and consumer run-off books. The lender offloaded its £584m portfolio of unsecured personal loans at the start of 2025 as part of a broader strategic shift towards specialist lending.

The group’s net interest margin – a key indicator of profitability from lending – climbed to 3.18 per cent in the half, with Metro reporting it closed the second quarter at 3.25 per cent. The bank is aiming for a margin range of 3.4 to four per cent by December 2026.

Metro reaffirmed its targets for return on tangible equity, a key profit metric, expecting to achieve over 13 per cent by the final quarter of 2026 and over 18 per cent by 2028.

The lender also disclosed plans to press ahead with its regional expansion into Northern economic hubs, having secured new store leases across Newcastle, Leeds and Nottingham during the first half.

Major banks have broadly sought to scale back their physical presence in recent years. Barclays announced a significant reversal of strategy in April, choosing to grow its branch network beyond its current 206 sites, despite having shuttered around 80 per cent of its locations since 2019.

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The FTSE 100 bank’s pre-tax profit for the second quarter of 2026 was $10.1bn (£7.5bn), up 60 per cent from the $6.3bn secured in the same period last year

HSBC has restarted its share buyback programme after profits exceeded expectations in the second quarter of 2026.

The FTSE 100 lender – whose market capitalisation of £274bn makes it the London Stock Exchange’s most valuable company – reported $10.1bn (£7.5bn) in pre-tax profit for the three-month period, comfortably beating an internal projection of £9.5bn. This represented a 60 per cent increase from the $6.3bn achieved in the corresponding period last year.

The profit boost came as revenues rose 11 per cent to $37.7bn.

Net interest income increased eight per cent to $18.2bn, as the bank reinvested lower-yielding hedges at current higher market interest rates, a tactic known as structural hedging. The group’s net interest margin – a crucial measure of a bank’s lending profitability – rose four basis points to 1.61 per cent.

Fee income, which is prized by banks as a dependable revenue stream due to its independence from interest rates, grew nearly 10 per cent to $7.3bn, as reported by City AM.

This was powered by a strong performance across wealth – a central area of emphasis for chief executive Georges Elhedery – which expanded 20 per cent to $5.5bn.

HSBC announced it would restart share buybacks with a programme of up to $1bn, scheduled to be completed before the firm publishes its third quarter results. The group had previously pressed pause on buybacks following its move to privatise Hang Seng Bank in October 2025.

The blue-chip giant offered to pay HK$155 per share for a 36 per cent stake not already owned by the bank, valuing the holding at HK$106.1bn (£10.7bn).

In the second quarter update, Elhedery raised the bank’s cost-cutting target for the end of 2026 to $2bn, up from the original $1.5bn, which the group said was reached at the start of this year.

It expects to deliver this within the original restructuring budget of $1.8bn.

Elhedery took the reins at the bank just over two years ago and swiftly set about overhauling the group’s operations.

A central pillar of chief executive Georges Elhedery’s restructure has involved dividing the business into “eastern” and “western” markets, encompassing the Asia-Pacific and the Middle East and the Americas and Europe, respectively.

Total headcount across the group has fallen to 206,161, a reduction of 2,559 since the year-end of 2025. City AM revealed last February that the bank was poised to cut a number of investment bankers on the very same day earmarked for bonus payouts.

Subsequent reports confirmed that investment bankers at vice-president level and above received no bonus upon termination.

The Powerball jackpot climbed to an estimated $748 million ahead of Monday night’s drawing, putting the prize among the largest in the game’s history and prompting financial advisors to urge would-be winners to think carefully before claiming a ticket.

The jackpot, which carried a cash option of $325.1 million, ranked among the top 10 largest in Powerball’s history heading into Monday’s drawing, the largest since a $1.817 billion prize was won in Arkansas on Christmas Eve.

Monday’s winning numbers

The winning numbers drawn Monday night were 8, 30, 41, 48 and 54, with a Powerball number of 4. The Power Play multiplier was 2. No ticket matched all six numbers, meaning the jackpot will roll over to Wednesday’s drawing, when the prize is expected to grow even larger.

Powerball drawings are held every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. ET, broadcast live from the Florida Lottery’s draw studio in Tallahassee and streamed on Powerball.com. The jackpot was last won in May, when two tickets, one sold in Florida and one in Texas, split a $20 million prize.

The odds, and the advice, for anyone hoping to win

Odds of matching all five white balls and the red Powerball number stand at 1 in 292.2 million, considerably longer than the odds of being struck by lightning. Still, with hundreds of millions of dollars on the line, financial experts say anyone holding a winning ticket should have a plan ready well before they ever consider stepping forward to claim it.

The first piece of advice from experts is simple: stay quiet. “Don’t shout your win from the rooftop,” said Rob Burnette, a financial and investment advisor at Outlook Financial Center in Troy, Ohio, who has previously spoken with USA TODAY about lottery windfalls. Burnette said winners should get organized, make a plan and consider remaining anonymous if their state allows it.

Securing the ticket comes first

Before any spending decisions are made, experts stress that protecting the physical ticket is the single most important step. Andrew Stoltmann, an attorney who has represented lottery winners who lost their prizes due to scams or mismanagement, said the win isn’t legally secure until it’s formally claimed. “The winner is not a true legal winner until the ticket is presented to lottery officials,” Stoltmann said, warning that a lost or destroyed ticket leaves a winner with no legal recourse.

Once a ticket is secured, typically in a safe or similarly protected location, experts recommend assembling a team of professionals before visiting state lottery headquarters to claim the prize. Steve Azoury, owner of Azoury Financial in Troy, Michigan, said winners should bring on a tax attorney, a tax accountant and a financial advisor to help map out next steps. Those professionals, Azoury said, “will work hand in hand to figure out (a) plan.”

Weighing lump sum versus annuity

One of the biggest early decisions facing any jackpot winner is how to collect the money. Powerball offers two options: an annuity, consisting of an immediate payment followed by 29 annual installments that each grow 5% larger than the last, or a lump sum, a single payment equal to the total cash value of the jackpot.

Which option makes more sense depends heavily on a winner’s individual circumstances, including age, financial goals and how lottery rules handle payments to beneficiaries if the winner dies before the annuity is fully paid out. Mark Steber, chief tax officer at Jackson Hewitt, said the size of the jackpot along with a winner’s current and projected earnings should factor into that decision.

Guarding against requests for money

Experts also warn that sudden wealth tends to attract requests for loans and financial help from friends, family members and strangers alike. Azoury recommends winners designate what he calls a “fall guy,” someone whose job is to field and decline those requests on the winner’s behalf so the winner isn’t placed in the position of saying no directly. That person, Azoury said, “keeps you from giving loans to anybody,” directing people instead toward the explanation that funds are tied up in investments.

Because a jackpot of this size far exceeds the coverage limits of Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation protection, Stoltmann recommends winners deposit their winnings with a major brokerage firm, such as Merrill Lynch or Goldman Sachs, and initially park the funds in short-term U.S. Treasuries until a more detailed investment strategy is worked out.

Taxes can get complicated fast

Jackpot winners are almost certain to land in the highest federal tax bracket, and where a ticket is purchased, along with where the winner lives, can significantly affect their final tax bill. A California resident who buys and wins with a ticket in California, for example, would pay the 37% federal tax rate but owe no state tax, since California doesn’t tax lottery winnings. New York, by contrast, has the highest state tax rate on lottery winnings in the country.

Multi-state situations can complicate matters further. A California resident who buys a winning ticket while visiting another state would need to report the winnings on both federal and California tax returns, plus file a nonresident return in the state where the ticket was purchased, though a tax credit typically prevents the winner from being taxed twice on the same income. Steber said navigating those rules is best left to a professional, noting simply, “State taxes can be very tricky.”

How to play, and what’s next

Powerball tickets cost $2 and require players to select five white numbers between 1 and 69, along with one red Powerball number between 1 and 26. Players can also add the optional Power Play feature for an additional $1, which multiplies most non-jackpot prizes by two, three, four, five or 10 times. Players unsure of their picks can opt for a computer-generated Quick Pick ticket instead.

With no winner Monday night, the jackpot rolls over to Wednesday’s drawing, when the estimated prize is expected to climb even higher, giving players another shot at what remains one of the largest jackpots in Powerball history.