The Stories You Couldn’t Stop Reading: Our 9 Most-Read Stories of the Year
- F.I. Editorial Team
- Dec 29, 2025
- 4 min read
If we had to summarize the business lending industry in 2025 with one word, it would probably be "Audacious."
This year wasn't just about rates and regulations. It was about billion-dollar frauds, news anchors turned felons, and SEC complaints that read like bad screenplays. You, the Funder Intel audience, clearly have a taste for the dramatic, and the data proves it.
We crunched the numbers on our traffic, and the results are in. From regulatory headaches to true crime thrillers, here are the Top 9 Most Viewed Blogs of 2025, ranked in ascending order.
Scroll down to see what took the #1 spot (hint: it cost Wall Street $2.3 billion).
9. The "Carroting" Scheme & Global Headwinds
Kicking off our list is a classic "mixed bag" of industry intel. While the macroeconomic talk about the falling dollar was important, what really grabbed your attention was the arrest of bad actors running a "Carroting" scheme—dangling fake Line of Credit offers to hook desperate merchants. It was a grim reminder that in this industry, if an offer looks too good to be true, it’s probably a trap.
8. The SBA Flips the Switch
Nothing gets the broker community clicking quite like a fee change. When the SBA announced the reinstatement of guarantee fees back in March, it sent a ripple through the ecosystem. This story was pure utility—you needed to know when the costs were going up so you could set expectations with your borrowers. A dry topic? Maybe. Crucial for your wallet? Absolutely.
7. The Fall of the Kingpin
The Par Funding saga finally reached its conclusion. Joseph LaForte, the man at the center of the $404 million scheme, was sentenced, bringing to a close one of the most aggressive enforcement actions in industry history. This story was a "must-read" for anyone wanting to know just how hard the DOJ is willing to swing the hammer when alternative lending crosses the line into racketeering.
6. The Guilty Plea (That Wasn't the End of the Story)
Kris Roglieri's name appears twice on this list, proving he was the undisputed main character of 2025's legal drama. At #6, we have the guilty plea. After months of denials and legal maneuvering, the "Prime Capital" founder finally admitted to the fraud and was hit with a staggering $55 million judgment. It was a massive story, but surprisingly, not even the most viewed Roglieri update of the year...
5. Texas Drops the Hammer (HB 700)
While fraud grabs headlines, regulation changes business models. The signing of House Bill 700 in Texas was the single biggest compliance shift of 2025. Requiring registration and disclosure for commercial financing in the Lone Star State forced ISOs and Funders to scramble. This article was your playbook for survival, explaining exactly what you needed to do to keep writing deals in Texas without getting fined.
4. "Yo Homie!" (The SEC’s Best Reading Material)
You couldn't make this dialogue up. When the SEC released the complaint detailing the inner workings of a massive MCA fraud, the text messages were... colorful. The phrase "Yo Homie! The MCAs are crankin!" became an instant industry meme, proving that even while committing securities fraud, some people just can't resist bragging via text. A hilarious, terrifying read that went viral for all the wrong reasons.
3. The Anchorwoman’s Downfall
It had all the elements of a Netflix documentary: A glamorous TV news anchor, a fintech startup (Blueacorn), and a massive PPP fraud scheme. The trial of Stephanie Hockridge captivated the industry because it showed how deep the "easy money" rot of the pandemic era really went. You didn't just read this one for business intel; you read it for the sheer spectacle.
2. Bail Denied: The Roglieri Saga Peaks
Interestingly, the process was more popular than the result. The Roglieri story that grabbed the #2 spot wasn't his guilty plea, but the dramatic denial of his bail. The image of a high-flying CEO being deemed a flight risk and kept behind bars while his empire crumbled resonated deeply. It was the moment the industry realized: He isn't getting out of this.
1. The Main Event
Here it is. The most read, most shared, and most shocking story of 2025.
When First Brands imploded, it didn't just take down a company; it punched a $2.3 billion hole in the factoring industry. This wasn't a "small business" scam; this was institutional-grade deception that fooled some of the smartest money on Wall Street.
Why was this #1? Because of the scale. It was a reminder that whether you are funding $10k MCAs or $100M factoring lines, the risk of fraud is the constant shadow in our business. If you missed this deep dive, go back and read it now, it is the definitive case study of 2025.
Here is to a profitable, and hopefully slightly less "interesting", 2026.
Comments