AmeriTrust Financial is taking its shot at solving the challenge of generating sustained momentum in an area of auto financing that’s frustrated the industry for decades.

Used-car leasing.

On Tuesday, the independent automotive finance company announced the launch of a fintech-driven lending platform designed to expand used-car leasing for franchised and large independent dealers nationwide.

Backed by institutional investors and a group of billionaires, according to a news release, AmeriTrust said it is scaling rapidly across the continental United States.

“With grocery bills up and used-car prices still high, consumers need a better path to affordability than simply stretching loan terms,” said Jeff Morgan, CEO of AmeriTrust Financial and former national lease partner to Tesla.

“While extending terms can reduce payments, it also increases negative equity and default risk. Used-car leasing is a smarter alternative — and today, only a handful of OEMs provide used-vehicle lease options at scale, leaving a significant gap in the market,” Morgan continued in the news release.

Here’s how AmeriTrust’s system is designed to function.

Dealers can submit a single retail loan application to AmeriTrust and receive side-by-side decisions for both a loan and a lease.

AmeriTrust’s technology can automatically convert the application for lease structuring, helping dealers offer leasing without added paperwork or specialized calculations.

Through used-car leasing, the company said dealers can advertise lower monthly payments without extending loan terms.

“Leasing makes up 25 percent of the auto finance market for new vehicles,” Morgan said. “But while the used-vehicle market is roughly three times larger, leasing accounts for only about 3 percent of used-vehicle financing — and much of that is still tied to OEM certified pre-owned programs.

“As an independent lender, we have the flexibility to lease any make or model, certified pre-owned or not. The growth opportunity is enormous, and the market is underserved. AmeriTrust is scaling quickly to close that gap,” he went on to say.

In addition to side-by-side loan and lease decisions, AmeriTrust also offers:

—Pre-filled contract and title documentation: AmeriTrust automatically pre-fills all contract paperwork, including title applications and other state-specific forms, helping dealers avoid errors that can delay funding, require re-contracting, or even jeopardize the sale.

—Leases for every type of driver and credit tier: From leases with no mileage and wear-and-tear penalties to options for subprime credit, AmeriTrust offers multiple used-car lease structures designed to approve as many customers as possible.

—Payment calculators tied to real-time inventory: At no cost, dealers can connect their inventory to AmeriTrust’s portal and generate loan and lease payments that reflect actual deal terms, not estimates. While a customer is in-store, dealers can compare vehicles across terms, lease types and credit tiers to find the best fit.

—Exceptionally fast decisioning and funding: Dealers receive decisions within minutes, and most contracts are funded the same day.

—Free dealer lease training: AmeriTrust will host Q&A sessions and training resources to help dealers understand the nuances of used-car leasing, so they can present lease options to customers with confidence.

In response to this market demand, AmeriTrust Financial attracted investment over the past year from institutional investors and multiple billionaires through its parent company, AmeriTrust Financial Technologies Inc.

AmeriTrust Financial currently operates in 28 states, with plans to expand across the entire continental United States over the next several months.

To sign up with AmeriTrust, franchised and large independent dealers can call (800) 600-6872. Approved dealers can submit loan applications through DealerTrack, RouteOne or AmeriTrust’s proprietary portal.