 |
Phone: 844-200-1944 Email: info@rok.biz Learn More |
 Since: February 2021 |
 |
Related Headlines
| 05/13/2021 | Video: AltFinanceDaily went to ROK Financial |
Related Videos
Tony Cimino of ROK Financial | Sidebar Chat With James Webster - ROK Financial |
On The Scene At ROK Financial | |
Stories
ROK Financial Announces Cannabis Banking Partnership with BNB Bank
January 14, 2021Great River, NY: ROK Financial, a leader in the alternative and commercial lending space is excited to announce their newest partnership with BNB Bank’s Cannabis division. This new partnership allows for ROK Financial to offer direct checking and savings to Cannabis businesses through BNB Bank.
“This new partnership is truly filling a void within the Cannabis industry” says James Webster, CEO of ROK Financial “Federal regulations make it near to impossible for Cannabis related businesses to utilize traditional banking methods. We’re proud to partner with a financial institution that sees the value and need within the industry.”
BNB Bank, headquartered in Bridgehampton, NY has 39 locations from Manhattan to Montauk. BNB Bank provides the resources of a strong financial institution, exceptional customer service, and access to a suite of leading-edge money management tools. They are publicly traded on Nasdaq (BDGE) and have a 5-star rating (Bauer Financial). Peter Su, Vice President – Private Banking BNB says: “This new relationship with ROK Financial allows us to service a wider variety of clientele. We’re excited to work with ROK Financials existing Cannabis clients as well as attracting new relationships through this partnership.”
A large majority of traditional institutions tend to shy away to offering traditional banking to the industry as a whole due to the lack of regulations and financial risk they may face. Banks also risk losing their master account with the Federal Reserve due to the ‘risk’ of the industry. “BNB Bank has a board approved Cannabis Banking Policy that we strictly abide to, and have established a compliance monitoring program providing seed to sale regulatory support to ensure we all are in compliance” says Su “We are happy to help provide needed resources to these thriving businesses.”
About ROK Financial
ROK Financial’s team committed to establishing ROK solid relationships with our clients, lenders, and partners. By providing the best financing solutions available to business owners while creating a positive association with business financing. Through our streamlined process, revolutionary technology and educated team of experts, we support business owner’s ability to create new opportunities. ROK Financial is proud to empower the heartbeat of our country, our small businesses.
Megan Capobianco
3500 Sunrise Highway
Building 100, Suite 201
Great River, NY 11739
833-337-6534
press@rok.biz
www.rok.biz
ROK Financial Announces Direct SBA Loan Access
November 23, 2020
Over the past several months the state of the economy has been by no doubt uncertain. With unemployment hitting record highs and Coronavirus cases still on the rise, business owners all across the country have been faced with many difficult decisions regarding their livelihood.
Finding business financing options during these uncertain times can be challenging and risky to not only business owners, but the banks and lenders they choose to work with.
ROK Financial truly understands the uncertainty a business owner feels during these current times. Having derived themselves from a company split back in August, the team is helping other business owners just like them navigate these unchartered waters.
“We have been working tirelessly with our lenders and partners over the past several months discussing different ways we can continue to better service our clients.” Says CRO, Patrick Manning of ROK Financial “The relationships we have built over the years allows us to become quite versatile with our product offering, in turn allowing us to better serve our business owners. That is why we are extremely excited to announce our exclusive partnership with Doug Hood, SBA Loan Consultant LLC. This unique partnership opens up direct SBA access to clients for SBA products $350,000 and above.”
Doug Hood has been facilitating SBA Loans for more than 35 years, resulting in more than $20 million in SBA Loans distributed to business owners annually. Hood said he connected with ROK via LinkedIn, “I’m on Linkedin way more than I should be, we connected at 10 or 11 o’clock at night, and we hit it off.” Says Hood. Excited at the fact that ROK offers short term financing that Doug himself would now be able to leverage in addition to his SBA Loan offerings for his clients was a win-win.
Doug now sits as the official SBA Loan Consultant under the ROK Financial umbrella for deals $350,000 and above. This unique relationship provides greater opportunities for business owners from purchasing existing businesses, refinancing existing debt, starting a business and much more.
“The worlds of Fintech and SBA have collided for the greater good” says Manning, “streamlining and modernizing a once antiquated process, which eliminates the frustration that comes along with long-term lending.”
—————
Megan Capobianco
press@rokfi.com www.rokfi.com
3500 Sunrise Highway
Building 100, Suite 201
Great River, NY 11739
833-337-6534
Idea Financial Hits Milestone, Will Still Fund in Texas
July 9, 2025
Idea Financial, a nationwide small business lender, recently surpassed $1 billion in funding since inception.
“This is a historic milestone,” said Larry Bassuk, president and co-founder of Idea Financial. “Only a few years ago, this company was just a concept with potential. Like many of the small businesses we serve, we started with confidence, grit, and the unyielding belief that we would succeed. Today, I can proudly announce that Idea Financial’s impact on the small business lending community is significant and positive. This moment belongs to our team, past and present, whose dedication has gotten us here.”
Because the company does term loans and lines of credit, it is not impacted by the recently-passed sales-based financing legislation in Texas and will continue to fund there like normal.
For background, Bassuk and Idea Financial CEO Justin Leto, actually started out in the legal profession as attorneys before taking a risk in small business lending. When AltFinanceDaily first interviewed the duo in 2019, they said, “We’re not from the finance space, we’re not from the alternative lending space either, we came at this opportunity with a different approach.”
At that time, Idea had only funded $50 million since inception. Much of Idea’s growth since then can be attributed to their broker business, which it is still growing.
“Brokers and referral partners are critical to Idea’s success,” the company said. “While our borrowers are our clients, we also consider brokers and referral partners as clients by our team. We value their business and have made it a focus to develop close, mutually beneficial relationships with them.”
“We have been so fortunate to work with such a talented team, all of whom have contributed to the incredible growth of Idea,” said Leto. “We identified a problem with small business funding when we embarked on this journey, and we are so proud to have played a role in providing the solution that has fueled so many Main Street success stories.”
Cloudsquare Launches IntelliParse to Automate Application Intake and Financial Analysis—powered by Heron
April 9, 2025Los Angeles, CA – April 9, 2025 – Cloudsquare, a leading provider of cloud-based lending platforms, today announced the launch of IntelliParse, a proprietary AI engine built to eliminate manual document processing and accelerate deal flow. Now integrated into Cloudsquare’s Origination Module, IntelliParse streamlines borrower intake, automates data extraction, and delivers real-time financial analysis—making underwriting faster, intelligent, and more scalable.
To enhance its financial parsing capabilities, IntelliParse integrates directly with Heron Data, a pioneer in AI-powered workflow automation. Heron’s platform uses advanced machine learning and large language models to automate document-heavy workflows—transforming how businesses extract, enrich, and sync financial data at a scale.
“IntelliParse is built for funders who need speed, precision, and automation across the entire intake process—without breaking the bank,” said Jeffrey Morgenstein, CEO of Cloudsquare. “Heron isn’t just a parsing tool; it’s one of the most trusted and continuously evolving AI/ML technologies in space. Heron has a deep understanding of the MCA industry and the key data points that funders need with over 130 funding customers, making them a powerful and reliable solution for funders who demand both accuracy and affordability.”
IntelliParse Unlocks Major Efficiency Gains for Funders and Brokers:
AI-Powered Application Parsing
IntelliParse dramatically reduces intake time by automatically extracting key borrower information—including business name, requested amount, entity type, and contact details—from scanned PDFs and email attachments. Using advanced OCR and machine learning, it instantly syncs all data into the Cloudsquare platform. This enables teams to process more submissions in less time, eliminate costly manual errors, and accelerate approvals without increasing headcount.
Bank Statement Analysis
Integrated with Heron Data’s industry-leading transaction intelligence, IntelliParse transforms static bank statements into real-time financial insight. It analyzes cash flow patterns, flags NSFs, detects potential fraud and uncovers actual revenue — all without requiring manual effort. The system also identifies recurring payments—revealing hidden debts and financial obligations that enhance underwriting accuracy and reduce risk.
Unlike standalone solutions that require teams to build custom dashboards or workflows, IntelliParse comes ready to use within the Cloudsquare platform. A pre-built, intuitive dashboard gives customers immediate access to actionable insights—eliminating technical lift and accelerating time to value.
“We’re proud to support IntelliParse by bringing Heron’s real-time financial intelligence into Cloudsquare’s platform,” said Johannes Jaeckle, CEO of Heron Data. “Our mission is to remove repetitive, manual work so teams can focus on smarter decisions—and this integration does exactly that.”
For more information or to schedule a demo, visit our website.
Media Contact – Cloudsquare
Cloudsquare Marketing Email: marketing@cloudsquare.io
https://cloudsquare.io/
Media Contact – Heron Data
Byron Henry
Product Owner – SMB Lending
byron@herondata.io
www.herondata.io
James Webster to Speak at Broker Fair 2025
March 31, 2025
James Webster, Founder and Executive Chairman of ROK Financial, will be a guest speaker at Broker Fair in New York City on May 19th.
James brings a passionate and innovative mindset to the businesses he and his company help grow on a daily basis. Since the age of 18, James has managed multiple sales floors, which allowed him to develop a strong business understanding and a passion for small business.
With nearly two decades of experience in financing and commercial lending, James and his team have helped thousands of business owners secure nearly $2 Billion in business financing, created thousands of new relationships with partners and strengthened their lender relationships, making them a true leader within the landscape. James and the team pride themselves on helping businesses identify their strengths and weaknesses, as well as educate them on the ways they can build on their successes by creating perpetual opportunities with business financing.
In addition to his role at ROK, James sits as the co-chairman of the Small Business Financing Association Broker Council, a non-profit advocacy organization dedicated to ensuring that small businesses can access financing solutions that are clear, secure, and fair. In this role, James establishes responsible and transparent practices for alternative lending brokers while also educating policymakers and regulators about the technology-driven platforms that have emerged in the small business lending market.
James was born and raised on Long Island where he currently lives with his wife, Melissa, and their two children, Lilyanna and Jameson. He is an active member of the Long Island community and feels a special connection to local businesses. Philanthropy plays a big role in James’ personal and business life. ROK’s main philanthropic initiative includes donating 50 meals for every deal that funds with ROK Financial, with the hope of helping end hunger in America.
When not at the office, You will either find James on a golf course or enjoying his other interests such as skiing, fishing, boating, traveling, live sporting & music events but, most of all, spending time with his family!
Brokers: Making the Leap from Working Capital into Equipment Financing
March 13, 2025
“We can finance anything that doesn’t shoot, fly or float,” says Josh Feinberg, CEO of Everlasting Capital. “So no planes, no boats, no guns.” But any other type of equipment and he’s ready to chat. As a seasoned veteran of the equipment finance industry, that conversational starting point of knowing what to ask and how to answer takes a lot of practice to develop.
“Roleplaying is like stretching before going for a run,” said Feinberg. “It makes it possible for you to be fast on your feet and really be able to have the answers.”
Everlasting Capital is a broker shop based in Rochester, NH that believes strongly in practicing calls with colleagues to develop their skills. It’s a role play. Many shops do it. But becoming seasoned at it for one product doesn’t mean that a broker automatically becomes an expert at any type of call.
“A lot of [working capital] brokers think that they’re the ones that are trying to figure out if the business owner qualifies, but to be honest with you, in the equipment space, it’s vice-versa,” Feinberg said. “The customer is actually trying to qualify you to see if you are apt to be able to finance their equipment.”
Equipment financing flips the stakes and the direction, and with that a fresh need for practice toward managing it successfully. And that’s where some brokers used to other products get stuck, because their confidence drops in being able to navigate something they don’t fully know. To that point, it can feel intimidating to discuss machinery they’re not familiar with or trucks they’ve never driven.
Feinberg believes that anyone can learn this, however, simply by talking to business owners about these things. One doesn’t need to actually spend 20 years in construction to finance equipment in that industry, for example, though it certainly wouldn’t hurt. Feinberg’s own start in the business is very simple to replicate.
“I just started talking to business owners, figuring out what they want. A lot of times [in the very beginning] I didn’t even know what the equipment did. I would have to Google it while I was on the phone with them.”
That, of course, has changed with experience. Now he and his firm have become so well acquainted with certain industries that they’ve integrated themselves within them. The dump truck market, for example, has become one of their core areas of expertise.
Despite this attainable path to success, some brokers throw up their hands and assume the process will be too hard or the financial incentive too low to even try equipment financing—even though that is generally not the case. In an era where working capital has become so competitive, it should be considered as an additional offering to maximize value at the bare minimum.
“[When] you have the one person calling like, ‘hey we have monthly payments that are single digit rates, and we can do monthly payments one to five years.’ It’s really easy to spark up a conversation and be able to ask the questions that you need to do, and then get answers back,” he said.
Advocating for other brokers to adopt his approach might seem like it would increase competition, but Feinberg explained that the market is wide open with opportunities. Moreover, he feels strongly about matching business owners with the right solution. To that end, he is also the co-founder of Equipment Broker School, a system designed for anyone needing a jump start or a refresher on the art of equipment financing. His company previously starred in an online reality show where new salespeople were trained in person in the office, and Feinberg himself recently appeared as a judge at AltFinanceDaily CONNECT’s Broker Battle in Miami Beach this past February. The event was a roleplaying competition that evaluated brokers on their ability to diagnose needs and propose solutions. It was like just another day in the office for him.
“It made me really excited to be able to be a part of the Broker Battle, just as a lot of people know, and you know especially just for myself, being able to train people on how to be able to promote, how to be able to work, and how to be able to just partake in equipment financing,” Feinberg said. “It has been a super big passion of mine, especially just within the AltFinanceDaily community as a whole.”
BriteCap Financial Expands Team to Support Growth
March 10, 2025LAS VEGAS, NV – March 7, 2025 – BriteCap Financial, a leading provider of tailored financial solutions for small businesses, has announced the addition of three key hires to support its continued growth: Cary Thomas as Director of Collections, Sherri Johnson as Senior Accountant, and Amy Thompson as Digital Brand and Content Manager. These strategic hires
underscore BriteCap’s dedication to operational excellence, financial strength, and brand innovation.
“Building a world-class team is essential to delivering exceptional value to our customers and driving sustainable, smart growth,” said Richard Henderson, CEO of BriteCap Financial. “These new additions bring valuable expertise that will enhance our operations and elevate our brand presence.”
Cary Thomas joins BriteCap as Director of Collections, bringing a wealth of expertise in financial recovery and collections management. With his extensive background in optimizing recovery strategies, he will lead initiatives to enhance efficiency, improve collection processes, and uphold strong client relationships. Thomas’s leadership and strategic approach will play a key role in strengthening BriteCap’s financial operations while maintaining a customer-centric focus.
Sherri Johnson has been appointed as Senior Accountant after making a significant impact as a contractor. With a strong track record of driving operational efficiencies, Johnson will contribute to enhancing the company’s financial stability and supporting its long-term growth.
Amy Thompson, joins BriteCap as Digital Brand and Content Manager, bringing her expertise in visual storytelling and strategic content creation to help elevate BriteCap’s digital presence.
Thompson will focus on crafting compelling visuals and engaging content across digital platforms to strengthen brand recognition, deepen customer connections, and amplify the company’s marketing impact.
BriteCap Financial, a proud member of the NMEF family of companies, has recently gained recognition for a series of strategic initiatives, including securing a $150 million credit facility last year and expanding its leadership team to position the company for long-term growth. With a focus on innovation and a customer-centric approach, BriteCap continues to enhance its product offerings, including attractive term loans for small businesses and a seamless online checkout system designed for merchant and broker convenience.
“We are excited about the momentum we are building and remain focused on driving long-term shareholder value while delivering innovative financial solutions to our customers and our broker partners who serve them,” added Henderson.
For more information about BriteCap Financial and its suite of financial solutions, visit www.britecap.com.
About BriteCap Financial
BriteCap Financial, as part of the NMEF family of companies, is a leading provider of working capital loans for America’s small business owners. Since 2003, BriteCap has been combining technology, an extraordinary experience, and non-traditional credit algorithms to provide fast, convenient and affordable working capital loans directly to businesses or through their exclusive network of broker partners. If you wish to be considered for joining our exclusive broker partner network, please visit https://www.britecap.com/partners.
Media Contacts:
For BriteCap:
David Schneider
Vice President of Marketing
BriteCap Financial, www.BriteCap.com
david.schneider@britecap.com
954-494-1606
For NMEF:
Blair Dawson
SVP, Chief Marketing Officer
NMEF, www.nmef.com
bdawson@nmef.com
203-354-1710
How Mike Brooks Battled in the Ring and Won Top Broker in Equipment Financing
March 6, 2025
“Equipment Financing is HUGE,” declares Mike Brooks, CEO of New York-based Best Connect Capital and recent winner at Broker Battle 2025 in the equipment finance category at AltFinanceDaily CONNECT MIAMI. If his name sounds familiar, it’s probably because he appeared on stage as one of six finalists in the previous year’s competition. He refused to give up after his loss and returned this year for round two, leading to him securing a title and prizes along with it. To hear him tell it, it had been a long road to get there.
When Brooks got his start as a 27-year-old broker in 2015, for example, he had technically been battling in a ring for most of his life already.
“I had [boxing] on my mind in high school, without any influence,” says Brooks, “and I walked into a gym one day and the rest was history.” That history includes 60 fights in just amateur-level boxing, resulting in 45 wins and 15 losses. When he followed that at the pro level he went 11-2-1.
“I started fighting at the regular club shows, the Golden Gloves, the metro tournaments, national tournaments, and at one point, I was ranked number seven in the whole country,” Brooks recalls. “I beat some really good fighters, lost to some really good fighters and I made it to the highest levels in the country.”
Some of those fights even aired on live TV. As he bobbed and weaved for years in the ring, he started to think about what a possible career in business might look like afterwards. When that day came, he went to work for a local financial service company on Long Island who taught him about helping small businesses access working capital. Eventually he realized it was a business that he was uniquely suited for and now he runs his own company doing it.
First, there’s the endurance aspect, he explains. There’s a lot of calls, leads that don’t pan out, and heartbreak that hits when deals get declined at the finish line.
“A very small percentage of people can be a successful broker,” Brooks says. “You have to be able to take rejections all day long.”
To that point, Brooks noticed that as the industry grew he was not the only broker offering revenue-based financing to a client. Sometimes there were even as many as four or five other brokers talking to the same client at the same time, which meant that he wasn’t going to win every one and he did not want to bend his ethics just to eke it out. That’s when he started considering another approach and expanded his offerings.
“An equipment financing deal was my first big check during [the covid] lockdowns,” Brooks says. It was a $200,000 deal for a packaging plant. The terms were very attractive and he had the help of an equipment finance veteran who mentored him through it. When it worked out, he knew he had something very big in his arsenal and he’s been offering it ever since to anyone that qualifies for it.
“I said to myself anybody that needs equipment, this is a no brainer right here,” Brooks recalls of it. Now Brooks says when there is competition, he’s almost always the only one asking questions about equipment and the only one prepared to actually move forward with a deal tied to it. Of that experience, Brooks says he’s realized that some brokers have become so accustomed to the mindset of telling customers to take a specific deal, that they don’t stop to consider what they actually want. So his approach is to go in and diagnose what it is they’re trying to do first and then advise them of their options accordingly. And that’s what he does day after day.
At Broker Battle 2025, it was very much like time spent in the office. He was expected to be his normal self, but on stage in front of a large audience, while three judges played the role of prospective client and asked him questions about what they should do. The end result of it all was that Mike Brooks, former fighter in the ring, walked away as the Broker Battle champion in the equipment finance category in 2025.
“It felt amazing to be able to showcase what I do on a daily basis,” Brooks says, making it a point to say that even the venue took note of his win and offered him a personal congratulations on social media.
In the final photo-op on stage with his prize check, Brooks was the epitome of his dual life—the suit and tie spoke of business, while the cigar and sunglasses hinted at his former life in the ring. “I was a crowd pleaser,” he jokes. “You want to be like ‘bam bam bam’ and the crowd to be like ‘AHHHH!!!’ I want them to do that. I had a great time at AltFinanceDaily.”
Looking for Brokers to submit a lead to... hello, i'm looking for brokers where i can submit a pre`qualified lead, and then the broker takes it to the finish line. rok financial has this model,... |
Loan Broker-Remote Sales... rok financial is looking for sales representatives nationwide to join our team. work remotely as an independent contractor, aggressive commission stru... |
Rok Financial is a new site sponsor... please welcome rok financial as a new site sponsor. to learn more, visit: :cool::):cool:... |
