Along with naming a new chief risk officer, Ally Financial on Wednesday announced that it will offer consumer auto financing products for vehicles purchased on Beepi, an online platform launched last year that uses technology to conduct transactions online or via smartphone.

Ally auto financing products will be available to Beepi customers on nearly all makes and models.

The addition of Ally auto financing products to Beepi's marketplace comes as the mindset of American consumers is shifting around online vehicle purchases. Recently released results from a survey conducted by Harris Poll on behalf of Ally found that more than one in four Americans (27 percent) said they have purchased or would consider purchasing a vehicle online, and almost half (47 percent) think that purchasing cars online will become mainstream in the future.

Additionally, respondents noted that the following aspects of purchasing a vehicle would be more appealing to do online: comparing prices of different vehicles (70 percent), browsing a large selection of vehicles (63 percent) and applying for and securing financing (32 percent).

"At Ally, we realize the way consumers are shopping for and purchasing vehicles is evolving and we're able to leverage our inherent digital capabilities to support this shift,” said Tim Russi, president of auto finance at Ally.

“As a leader in the industry, Ally is well-positioned to provide a range of financial products to auto consumers, whether they purchase a vehicle at a traditional auto dealership, or through an online marketplace like Beepi,” Russi said.

Through Beepi, qualified customers across the credit spectrum are presented a finance option from Ally. Upon acceptance, the consumer finalizes the transaction with Beepi and completes their purchase.

"We are pleased to be working with Ally, a leader in the auto finance industry, to bring the Beepi promise of transparency and value to more consumers,” Beepi chief executive officer Ale Resnik said.

“Beepi has never been business as usual. We’ve changed the ways cars are bought and sold. Now we're changing the way cars are financed,” Resnik added.

Ally and Beepi are also exploring other opportunities to expand their relationship. Beepi is now fully operational in 15 major metropolitan areas across the U.S. Only 18 months after the company's launch, nearly 40 percent of Americans can buy or sell Beepi vehicles.

As with any Beepi purchase, buyers can take advantage of a 10-day money-back guarantee. The app experience also can provide the option of purchasing vehicles with credit cards or Apple Pay, enabling the convenience of a one-touch payment all through a mobile phone.

While Beepi offers free 3,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranties with every vehicle, buyers also have the ability to purchase extended service contracts and warranties. They can even select the color of the bow to be placed on their vehicle at delivery, all through the app.

In addition, people who want to keep track of their favorite makes and models can set up a “Beep me when available” notification to get alerts when those vehicles are available for sale.

The Beepi iOS app includes the following features:

— Pay in full completely in app with Apple Pay or up to five credit cards

— Full search & filtering capability of Beepi’s inventory of certified cars

— “Beep me when available” notifications to be alerted when favorite makes/models are available

— Bow Selector, allowing buyers to choose the bow adorning their car upon delivery; choice of 12 colors, plus special limited edition red/green or blue/silver combination bows for the holidays

— Ability to add warranty coverage

The iOS app is free and now available for download from the App Store. To learn more about Beepi, visit www.Beepi.com. 

Ally names Shevsky as chief risk officer

In other company news, Ally also named David Shevsky as chief risk officer for the company, effective immediately. 

In this role, Shevsky will have responsibility for the risk framework, processes and oversight for the company. Prior to this position, Shevsky served as the chief risk officer for the Ally Bank subsidiary beginning in 2011.    

“Dave is an accomplished leader and long-time Ally executive who brings broad operational and risk experience from his nearly 30 years with the company and has been an outstanding contributor in establishing Ally's risk appetite and prudently growing Ally's leading businesses,” Ally chief executive officer Jeffrey Brown said. 

“As Ally embarks on its journey to deepen customer relationships and expand our product offerings, Dave will be an important partner in ensuring that robust analyses and risk management continues to be part of the fabric of our business,” Brown continued.

Shevsky joined Ally in 1986 where he began his career with a series of positions supporting the auto finance operation from a credit analysis and risk perspective.  During his career, he supported both the domestic and international auto finance operations, and in 2004, he became a senior vice president of enterprise risk for the company and began to take a company-wide view of commercial credit risk and capital management. 

When Ally became a standalone company in 2006, Shevsky played a key role in establishing a more robust risk management function, and when the company became a bank holding company in 2008, he was responsible for establishing a loan review function, which he did until becoming the chief risk officer for Ally Bank in 2011. 

Prior to joining Ally, Shevsky served in the United States Air Force from 1979 until 1984.