DES PLAINES, Ill. — The National Insurance Crime Bureau spotted another widespread drop in the amount of vehicle thefts nationwide; this time it was last year as compared to 2008. Officials now believe vehicle thefts throughout the country have trended downward for six consecutive years.  Based on data obtained from the National Crime Information Center, NICB indicated that […] [Read More]

MOBILE, Ala. — As the song says, "a little help from my friends …" it has been said that a skip-tracer is only as good as his contacts, and I firmly believe that is 100 percent true. Several years ago, I was watching a movie about the first group of FBI profilers and how they worked […] [Read More]

DALLAS — Fortum Corp., a provider of license-plate recognition technology to the repossession and recovery industry, has just rolled out a program that includes a free camera system for approved agents. Company executives explained that along with the two-camera LPR system, agents also can become part of Fortum Recovery's national forwarding network. They indicated this status […] [Read More]

BINGHAM FARMS, Mich. — The sixth annual Vincentric Best Value in America awards were unveiled late last week, and leading the way were Ford and Honda, each of which took home six segment awards. Vincentric announced 35 vehicle category award winners Friday, and plans to reveal the four Advanced Fuel Technology awards (for compact, midsize, crossover, […] [Read More]

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Men and women think, speak and process information very differently.  It would be rather unique to go thru each day and not experience a perplexing interaction with the opposite gender with regards to communicating, especially in the retail business world.    So I guess it is safe to say that the secret is out […] [Read More]

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — With Memorial Day coming in two weeks, analysts from TrueCar.com believe the projected average discount could rival the highest at any point in the year. According to the site's TrueTrends Report for May that aggregates this data, the average discount off of a new vehicle is projected to be at least […] [Read More]

CARY, N.C. — The leading story this past week at AutoRemarketing.com shared a lengthy analysis from KAR Auction Services' Jim Hallett that not only discussed his company's quarterly performance, but also examined the entire industry. Also stirring plenty of interest was a story that delved into Kelley Blue Book's Automotive Brand Indicator. The top five stories from AutoRemarketing.com this […] [Read More]

ATLANTA — Certified pre-owned and used models have picked up considerable retail price momentum. That's according to AutoTrader.com's Trend Engine Report for May, which tracked and revealed price movements that occurred in April. The vehicle whose CPO price jumped the most was for the Ford F-150. Year-over-year price comparisons for this truck are up 35.7 percent. Another vehicle from […] [Read More]

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Which auto brand has the youngest buyers? According to a TrueCar.com study released this week, it is Mitsubishi, followed closely by Mazda and Volkswagen, respectively. TrueCar.com indicated that 18.3 percent of Mitsubishi buyers were between the ages of 18 and 34, which tops the industry. Meanwhile, 18 percent of Mazda's customers and […] [Read More]

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Automobile Dealers Association repeated its petition late Tuesday for its membership to reach out to members of the U.S. Senate. The plea comes as crucial legislation that some argue would significantly impact dealer-assisted financing and more is about to be put to a vote sometime this week, with some expecting the vote to come […] [Read More]