DES PLAINES, Ill. — The National Insurance Crime Bureau and IGS, a Las Vegas-based provider of skip-tracing, asset location and collateral recovery services to lenders, recently formed a partnership to better monitor vehicle portfolios. The agreement is meant to offer auto lenders and vehicle finance companies a full-service monitoring solution for vehicles that might end up […] [Read More]

PITTSBURGH — Less than a week after announcing the opening of an office in the Midwest, Chase Auto Finance unveiled a new location on Tuesday in Pennsylvania. Executives explained this new Custom Finance office in Pittsburgh is meant to serve the subprime financing needs of dealers throughout western Pennsylvania. They mentioned the office houses an underwriting […] [Read More]

TORONTO, Ontario — Though it has been a longtime vehicle-valuation resource for dealers, Canadian Black Book is now reaching out to consumers, as well.  The company recently rolled out a new Web site that boasts of a "Trade-In Value" estimator for consumers and also provides new tools and advice features throughout. In addition to being able to use […] [Read More]

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. — Canadian auction prices showed improvement in April, and it appears the massive drops-off from the winter have stopped, according to the latest OPENLANE Market Index Report. More specifically, auction prices climbed 4 percentage points month-over-month. "Canadian prices showed upward trend in April, ending the month 4 percentage points above March levels," officials […] [Read More]

OTTAWA, Ontario — Toyota Canada is sponsoring a museum exhibit making its debut next month that highlights the country's auto industry history. "In Search of the Canadian Car" is an exhibition that will be featured for the next five years at the Canada Science and Technology Museum in Ottawa. It delves into the nation's achievements in […] [Read More]

DEARBORN, Mich. — Rumors are apparently starting to circulate that Ford is looking into winding down its Mercury line, according to a report out Thursday. Citing two people "familiar with the plan," the report indicates that Ford's top executives are preparing a proposal to kill Mercury that could be presented to directors in July. Apparently, the […] [Read More]

SAN DIEGO — A newcomer to the vehicle history provider segment, instaVIN, is looking to remove the cost to dealers who provide or purchase these kinds of reports — at least for a limited time. Company executives are ready to give individuals a free accident report through quick access via mobile phones. Dealers and consumers can obtain […] [Read More]

PARK RIDGE, N.J. — This week marked another development in the story surrounding the acquisition of Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group, as Hertz Global Holdings filed a registration statement on Form S-4 with the Securities and Exchange Commission. This news was revealed less than two weeks after the two companies announced that they both filed for antitrust approval […] [Read More]

CARY, N.C. — Topping reader interest at AutoRemarketing.com was a story about yet another recall issued by Toyota, this time involving certain Lexus LS models. Also drawing plenty of attention was the news coming out of Europe centered on the latest planned acquisition by Volkswagen. The top five stories from AutoRemarketing.com this week are: 1. Toyota […] [Read More]

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — While May's market hasn't exactly been glimmering, the upcoming Memorial Day weekend should provide a nice lift to new-vehicle sales and help push the month's seasonally adjusted annualized rate above the April level, according to Edmunds.com. Analysts with the site indicated that such higher-than-average sales on Memorial Day weekend have become standard fare for […] [Read More]