Auto Finance News | The News That Drives the Industry

AFS 2018

Navy Federal to Strengthen Mobile App as Consumer Preference Evolves

Online Platform Drives 15% of PenFed’s Direct Loan Volume

Digital Customer Experience Takes Center Stage at Auto Finance Sales & Marketing Summit

Navy Federal to Strengthen Mobile App as Consumer Preference Evolves

Navy Federal Credit Union is looking to bolster its digital presence as members increasingly turn to online channels to finalize the vehicle finance process, company Consumer Lending Product Strategist Jennifer Felts told Auto Finance Excellence. In the first quarter of 2019, more auto loan applications came in via the credit union’s digital channels than its call center and branches. […]

Online Platform Drives 15% of PenFed’s Direct Loan Volume

Online originations have grown to as much as 15% of Pentagon Federal Credit Union’s direct loan volume since TrueCar started powering the credit union’s online car-buying service in early 2016, Ivan McBride, PenFed’s vice president of automotive lending products and sales, told Auto Finance News. “TrueCar’s buying service is a significant piece of our direct […]

Digital Customer Experience Takes Center Stage at Auto Finance Sales & Marketing Summit

Distinguished executives from USAA Bank and CarFinance.com are set to discuss best practices for optimizing the digital lending experience at the Auto Finance Sales & Marketing Summit during a session entitled “Delivering the Digital Customer Experience.” The discussion will take place Monday, May 13, at 4:00 p.m. PT at the Omni San Diego. The panel […]

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Innovation & Mobility

Refinance Startup to Stretch Footprint, Double Lender Partners by Yearend

MotoRefi, an automotive refinance startup, is eyeing geographic and partnership growth after securing $4.7 million in seed funding last month, Chief Executive Kevin Bennett told Auto Finance News. Founded in 2017, MotoRefi is a technology platform that connects consumers looking to refinance vehicles with a handful of national and regional lenders that personalize offerings online […]

Tesla Analysts Skeptical of Bold Autonomy Plans Ahead of Results

Uber’s Self-Driving Arm Gets $1 Billion Investment Ahead of IPO

AFN Announces DEMOvation Participants

Digital Customer Experience Takes Center Stage at Auto Finance Sales & Marketing Summit

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From Auto Finance Excellence

How Lenders Can Strengthen Dealer Relations With Technology

Navy Federal to Strengthen Mobile App as Consumer Preference Evolves

Videos

Westlake Exec Outlines Auto Finance Strategy for the Current Economic Cycle [VIDEO]

From Profitability to Viability, Execs Weigh In on Subscription Services [VIDEO]

Hyundai Capital America CEO on the Challenges the Company Faces and His Push for Efficiency [VIDEO]

Westlake Exec Outlines Auto Finance Strategy for the Current Economic Cycle [VIDEO]

Technology tools will help lenders navigate and excel in the current financial cycle, said Paul Kerwin, Westlake Financial EVP and CFO, at the 18th Annual Auto Finance Summit. “For auto finance, we’re really in a new cycle and a new game,” Kerwin said. “The cycle started in 2009. Everything was pretty easy — there wasn’t […]

From Profitability to Viability, Execs Weigh In on Subscription Services [VIDEO]

OEMs are still trying to crack the code of profitability and consumer interest in subscription services. Leading providers in the space weighed in on this relatively new method of car utilization, in a session at the 18th Annual Auto Finance Summit. Mason McLead, vice president of engineering at car-as-a-service company Fair, defined a subscription as […]

Hyundai Capital America CEO on the Challenges the Company Faces and His Push for Efficiency [VIDEO]

Hyundai Capital America CEO and President Ross Williams spoke at the 18th annual Auto Finance Summit about the company’s strong growth and the challenges he’s dealing with today. “I remember celebrating reaching $10 billion in assets seven years ago. A couple of years later it was $20 billion. A couple of years later it was $30 billion,” said […]

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Cracking the Code: How to Manage Dealer Relations in the Digital Age

From the April issue: In auto finance, the lender-dealer relationship is one of symbiosis. Yet, in an age where technology is continually advancing, and financing is becoming faster, lenders and dealers agree that being mindful of and maintaining the human relationship is paramount to cultivating a prosperous partnership. Advances in technology — machine learning, artificial […]

Nicole Casperson and Joey Pizzolato
April 23, 2019
Features, Operations, Strategy, Technology

Refinance Startup to Stretch Footprint, Double Lender Partners by Yearend

Bianca Chan
April 23, 2019
Innovation & Mobility, Operations, Strategy, Technology, Update

Tesla Analysts Skeptical of Bold Autonomy Plans Ahead of Results

Tesla Inc. and its Chief Executive Elon Musk made some bold claims at the company’s investor day on Monday, but Wall Street analysts are far from convinced. Musk said Tesla is now making the best self-driving chip in the world, speaking during a discussion that largely focused on the electric vehicle maker’s plan for autonomous […]

Bloomberg News
April 23, 2019
Innovation & Mobility, Technology

‘Diminished’ Tax Season Stymies CPS 1Q Revenue

Tax season, as the auto finance industry has traditionally known it, “probably doesn’t exist anymore,” a factor that contributed to lower revenue at Consumer Portfolio Services last quarter, said CEO Charles Bradley during the company’s first-quarter earnings call last week. The Irvine, Calif.-based lender reported revenue of $88.2 million, down 14.8% from $103.6 million year […]

Joey Pizzolato
April 22, 2019
Capital Markets, Earnings, Strategy

Weaker Credit Quality Spurs Higher Loss Forecast for Exeter Securitization

Moody's Investor Service bumped up cumulative net loss expectations 1% in Exeter Finance’s most recent securitization to offset the weaker credit quality of the underlying loans. The weighted average credit score for the $572.9 million transaction was 556, “the lowest Fico seen in recent transactions,” said Moody’s Senior Credit Officer Daniela Jayesuria of the securitization slated […]

Bianca Chan
April 22, 2019
Capital Markets, Update

How Lenders Can Strengthen Dealer Relations With Technology

Restrained auto sales growth, millennial reluctance regarding vehicle ownership, and ridesharing are changing demand and increasing competition. Savvy lenders are adapting to these trends with technology while establishing and solidifying dealer relationships to generate lending opportunities. Two types of technology are especially important for solid dealer relations. No. 1 is integration with dealer management systems, […]

Lana Johnson
April 22, 2019
Auto Finance Excellence, Technology

BMW Financial to Explore Compliance Strategies at Auto Finance Risk Summit

BMW Financial Services’ compliance manager, Richard Corthell, has joined the speaker faculty at the Auto Finance Risk Summit to discuss the various ways lenders can establish an organizational structure that assigns compliance responsibility. Corthell takes the stage on Thursday, May 16 at 9:05 a.m. PT for a presentation where he’ll guide the audience through strategies […]

Joey Pizzolato
April 19, 2019
Compliance

Navy Federal to Strengthen Mobile App as Consumer Preference Evolves

Bianca Chan
April 19, 2019
Auto Finance Excellence, Sales & Marketing, Technology

Tech Partnerships Help Drive Digital Transformation in Auto Finance

Aclaro, a company that develops tools for companies in the automotive industry, recently announced game-changing news that validates its mission of helping small, scrappy dealerships compete with larger competitors. As part of its efforts to deliver five-star service for its clients, Aclaro joined the Microsoft Partner Network, allowing the company to continue building its business […]

How Lenders Should Leverage the Power and Promise of Artificial Intelligence

Technology does not wait for rules or regulations. Artificial intelligence (AI) is no exception. The potential profit associated with fintech speeds up innovation, but it also increases the risk of implementing machine intelligence without assessing potential hazards. Simply put, we do not understand how some machines solve problems with deep learning algorithms. This risk can […]

How to Leverage Current Machine Learning and AI Tools in Auto Lending

Auto dealers have heard the hype about how machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) are going to transform their businesses. Typically, there are usually two binary outcomes that are discussed. On one hand, the promise of the future seems so bright. Instead of relying on intuition and gut feeling, many divisions of their businesses […]

The Value of User Experience When Managing Risk

Much has been written about the rise of machine learning and artificial intelligence and how it will impact the auto lending industry. While there has been a significant amount of hype, the promise of artificial intelligence is simply game changing. The most obvious application is that thinking machines will be able to assess risk and […]

The Benefits of Artificial Intelligence in Auto Lending

We are inundated with discussion about how new technologies promise to change the way that we do business and live our lives. Yes, many of these proclamations offer rhetorical flourish and grand visions. That said, there are new technologies available and startups that are maximizing these technologies to transform the auto industry — even today. […]

How Lenders’ Response Time Influences Dealer Relationships

Automotive OEMs rate vehicle performance by the time it takes to go from zero to 60 in seconds. This is a measure of energy conversion – fuel, spark, movement. While this is a mechanical situation, a comparison can be made to business response times. While fuel is a potential auto loan customer, the spark is […]

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