EasyKnock says its sale-leaseback deals have helped hundreds of people improve their finances. An NPR investigation found some homeowners who enter into these deals lose tens of thousands of dollars and few buy their houses back. Sylvia Jarrus for NPR hide caption
Randee Noggle stands in front of her home in Taylor, Mich., on June 30, 2024. She sold the house to the sale-leaseback company EasyKnock, which announced Thursday it's going out of business. Sylvia Jarrus for NPR hide caption
Political commentator and YouTuber Benny Johnson (left) speaks with Eric Trump, a son of former President Donald Trump, during the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. Johnson made videos for Tenet Media. The Justice Department accused a company matching Tenet's description of working closely with employees of Russian state broadcaster RT to covertly spread pro-Russian narratives in the United States. Johnson says he was not aware of Tenet's ties to Russia. Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
Randee Noggle stands in front of her home in Taylor, Mich. on June 30, 2024. She bought the house in 2018 using money she inherited from her grandmother. Sylvia Jarrus for NPR hide caption
When Lester Shreffler's rent to EasyKnock went up, he fell behind and received a notice to vacate. He and his daughter scrambled to find this rental home in Farmersville, Texas. His lease is up at the end of July, and he's not sure where he's going to go next. Zerb Mellish for NPR hide caption
The cargo ship Dali sits in the water, surrounded by four concrete dolphins, after running into and collapsing the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, 2024, in Baltimore. Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images hide caption
Police recovery crews work near the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge after it was struck by the container ship Dali in Baltimore. Eight members of a construction crew repairing potholes were on the bridge when the structure fell into the Patapsco River at around 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday. Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images hide caption