For more than a year, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, an unelected government agency tasked with regulating the consumer finance market, has doggedly pursued what it views as “disparities” in auto lending. On this issue, you have to respect their determination: They’ve let nothing stand in their way, including lack of evidence. It came as […] [Read More]

Reynolds and Reynolds announced this week that Reynolds Document Services has partnered with the Chicago Automobile Trade Association (CATA) to launch the Reynolds LAW Illinois F&I Library, a comprehensive catalog of standardized, legally reviewed finance and insurance (F&I) documents that can be used by dealers who are CATA members. The LAW Illinois F&I Library of […] [Read More]

Much of the business at Matthews Motors in Clayton, N.C., is from customers in subprime credit tiers. Fulfilling the needs of this segment is something of which store owner Steve Matthews understands the importance and opportunity. “There will always be people with bad credit. We work extra hard to get them in a nice car […] [Read More]

Days after Toyota and Honda announced they are calling for a coordinated industry-wide joint initiative to independently test Takata airbag inflators that have been the subject of recent recalls, the Merchant Law Group announced it is launching Canada-wide class action litigation in Ontario and Saskatchewan regarding the defective airbags. The airbags in question contain inflators […] [Read More]

Q: What are three things you should accomplish before the end of the year? Julian says… I am going to give you a different approach: What’s one of the things that you need to do every three years? Think about what lawyer you would go to if you thought every dime you’ve got is on […] [Read More]

The results of November’s Dealertrack Technologies TradeTracker Used Vehicle Market Report remain relatively on point with the year’s trends. The Ford F-150 remains the top most-appraised vehicle and top most looked-at domestic vehicle by domestic owners for the month of November, a trend that has remained prevalent for the last three months and year-to-date. The […] [Read More]

A common problem for many dealers is consumers not having enough money to put down on a vehicle.  This situation usually results in one of three ways: you accept less, you defer the down payment, or you don’t sell the vehicle.  Here is a prime example for a vehicle that you would normally ask for […] [Read More]

Here we are — the holidays are upon us.  As usual, the IRS is warning of a delay in tax refunds. Everyone is stocking up on inventory, hoping for a grand tax season. Customers are not making preparations to deal with the holidays. Special finance operations are still interfering with BHPH sales.  So what are you […] [Read More]

While speaking to a group of business owners at an event, I asked the audience if anyone had an eight-track tape player. One person raised his hand.  (If you are too young to know what an eight-track tape is, substitute cassette tape, or ask someone in their 40s. Either way, it was prior to the […] [Read More]

Since my retirement from active skip-tracing eight years ago, I now have the opportunity to sit back and observe the industry closely. Since I’ve taken on a teaching and training role, reaching a new generation of skip-tracers with MasterFiles, I hear much talk and concern on the topic of best practices and compliance. To the […] [Read More]