The man described on Monday by the Wall Street Journal as the "new king of subprime lending" is a major Democratic donor.
Wesley Edens decided to make a $124 million investment in a subprime lender in 2010, and the investment is now valued at $3.5 billion.
In recent elections, Edens has shelled out tens of thousands of dollars to Democratic candidates and committees, including $26,000 to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
He also co-owns the Milwaukee Bucks with fellow Democratic donor Marc Lasry, who has been an active fundraiser for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign and also has ties to the Russian mafia.
Edens defends the practice of subprime lending, stating that it is "not a bad thing."
"It’s not how I want my epitaph to read," Edens said of being labeled "king" of the practice, "but it’s not a shameful thing helping people finance themselves. It’s not a bad thing."
His $124 million investment went into Springleaf Holdings Inc., which would become the largest subprime lender in the United States if it can finalize a $4.25 billion purchase of Citigroup's subprime lending branch.
The deal is being scrutinized by the Justice Department.
Though Edens doesn't believe subprime lending is a "bad thing," Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton has repeatedly called for cracking down on the practice, which extends high interest rate loans to individuals with low credit ratings.
The average interest rate of Springleaf's loans is 26 percent.
Edens describes the Springleaf deal as "the biggest home run" of his career.