San Francisco-based Bank of the West is making investments to strengthen dealer relationships. At the top of the priority list is a dealer portal, slated for release by yearend.
“We continue to invest in the dealer interface,” Executive Vice President of Personal Finance Michael Pereira told AFN. “We need to be engaging with our dealers to make sure their needs are fully taken into account.”
The portal will provide dealers with a designated channel for interacting with the bank, said Kim Gershon, senior vice president and head of auto. Specifically, it will give them insight into current business and deals in flight, as well as up-to-date information on their portfolio with the bank.
Bank of the West culled data from outside consultants and experience gleaned from parent company BNP Paribas to develop the portal, Gershon said. Pereira called it “an integrated process” combining market research with insight from dealer partners.
For now, the bank will continue to develop the dealer platform and eventually begin a testing period in which dealers pilot and assess the portal over the course of its development.
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