During the government shutdown and SNAP pause, a lot more people turned to strangers to ask for loans

SoLo Funds, a community banking platform in which members fund loans for other members, has seen a surge in requests for loans from federal workers.

For many Americans, 2025 has been tough economically. Tariffs have raised the price of goods from coffee to clothing, inflation is still rising, and more than 1 million jobs have been cut since January.