Finance and Insurance

Consumers' trend toward used cars, especially certified pre-owned, could eventually slow the growth in sales of extended service contracts.... Read More »

Ally Financial, the financial services company once known as GMAC, is introducing a brand campaign using the theme "Do It Right."... Read More »

Chevy feat: Stopping the Bolt - without the brake; Tesla probes fatal crash; Cars.com going solo; Subprime share of loans drops; Mercedes drones deliver; NFL calls up Ford F-Series.... Read More »

As a rising number of vehicles come off lease, used-vehicle sales are climbing. Reliable cars at lower cost are drawing more prime-quality customers to the used side of the showroom.... Read More »

Leasing continued its upward trend in the second quarter, again reaching all-time-high penetration levels, and used-vehicle leasing is growing with it, Experian Automotive says.... Read More »

Dealers should consider F&I training to be an asset, not a hassle, and should encourage long-term coaching to help employees stay on top, a panel of F&I trainers said at the auto finance Industry Summit last week.... Read More »

Dealertrack and F&I Express have partnered to offer dealerships connections with more than 130 F&I product providers. Through the Dealertrack eMenu and the Dealertrack Aftermarket Network, dealers will be able to access product rates, generate contracts and forward contracts to the providers.... Read More »

Subprime loan share is declining despite chatter around a subprime bubble, Experian said today in its second-quarter State of the Automotive Finance Market report. Subprime and deep subprime share of new and used loans and leases dropped to 22.8 percent in the second quarter, compared with 23.3 percent a year ago.... Read More »

A longtime Ford Credit executive is taking over as CEO.... Read More »

Chinese households, traditional savers with an aversion to debt, are rapidly warming to the idea of borrowing to buy a car, as automakers push financing deals to boost sales and margins in an increasingly competitive market.... Read More »

Learning about customers' habits and lifestyle has become a best practice for today's F&I managers. With knowledge, the next big F&I trend could be customizing products to a car buyer's individual needs, says Forrest Heathcott, president of F&I product provider and trainer JM&A Group.... Read More »

Many consumers hesitate to lease because they fear unknown and uncontrollable factors, according to a study by F&I provider EFG Cos.... Read More »

Car ownership and financing are ripe for innovation over the next 25 years, with most changes leading to more options for consumers and decisions for dealers.... Read More »

Bridging language gap between humans, self-driving cars; VW turnaround timeline; Walser's luxury buy; New Ford Credit CEO; 'Like a big bomb'; Porsche product pipeline.... Read More »

Ford Motor Credit Chairman and CEO Bernard Silverstone will retire Oct. 1. He will be replaced by COO Joy Falotico.... Read More »

Chase, the consumer and commercial lending arm of JPMorganChase & Co., has launched a digital car shopping and financing tool for its customers in partnership with TrueCar Inc.... Read More »

Another Takata tragedy: Truck in fatal crash; Unifor strike vote; Cadillac boss on defense; Chase, TrueCar launch direct shopping, loan program; BMW, Chevy Olympics marketing gold.... Read More »

At GM, new uses for Flint water bottles; Another legal victory, but fight remains; VW dealer settlement said to exceed $1.2B; Bosch theft case examined; Trees, blight and '46 Chevy.... Read More »

The parent company of Protective Asset Protection will acquire Florida F&I provider United States Warranty later this year, the companies said last week. The deal is expected to help Protective grow in areas where United States Warranty already has a presence, such as in the Southwest and West, Protective said.... Read More »

Moody's Investor Service's lead retail analyst said this week that new-vehicle sales, which hit a record 17.5 million last year, will be hurt by the student loan debt crisis as consumer demand for cars eventually slacks. Younger people, now saddled with more than $1.3 trillion in debt, won't be able to fill the demand gap because they won't have the money, the analyst said.... Read More »

Overly long F&I product menus can confuse customers. To keep them in check, dealers should periodically review their F&I offerings against the vehicles they sell and the general wants and needs of their customers to “make sure everything aligns,” suggests Marie Knight, vice president for strategic relationships at Zurich North America.... Read More »

Comedian John Oliver devoted nearly 18 minutes of his weekly HBO show “Last Week Tonight” on Aug. 14 to subprime auto lending, loans, which he said closely resembles the buildup to the subprime mortgage crisis that led to the Great Recession.... Read More »

Uber, Volvo to develop self-driving XC90 SUVs; Lawyers implicate Bosch in diesel scheme; Bottleneck at VW plant; S. Korea widens automaker probe; TV host rips subprime-lending trend.... Read More »

The leasing market continues to grow but the rate of growth won't last forever. For both banks and finance companies, outstanding lease accounts have posted double-digit growth this year through June, Equifax says.... Read More »

Dealers ranked Mercedes-Benz Financial Services tops in lender services satisfaction for the second straight year, data from J.D. Power latest U.S. Dealer Financing Satisfaction Study show.... Read More »