Make it seven months in a row that analysts have spotted an uptick in auto defaults. And it’s also the longest upward streak in a decade. The auto portion of the S&P/Experian Consumer Credit Default Indices moved higher again in January, according to data released on Tuesday by S&P Dow Jones Indices and Experian. [Read More]

You’ve just spent three hours with a customer and when it’s time to run their credit, you learn the bank won't even loan them a pen. So, you decide to discuss credit up-front with your next customer and they’re visibly annoyed. Sure enough, that next customer is prime, and now has a frustrated look on […] [Read More]

Tight supplies and more competition for a shrinking pool of cars. That’s the story in the wholesale vehicle market these days Auto auctions had approximately 227,000 sales of vehicles up to 8 years in age last month, which was down nearly … [Read More]

Cyrus could be the newest teammate at your dealership who is willing to work literally at any time of day or night. DealerOn and Pypestream announced a strategic partnership on Monday with the result being the firms bringing to market what they called an “immediate breakthrough.” DealerOn and Pypestream are delivering what they believe to […] [Read More]

In the spirIt of Valentine's Day, CARFAX is starting the week by “showing its love” for its dealer partners and recognizing its third annual CARFAX Top-Rated Dealers, a program that spotlights stores with best customer reviews. The average ratings score for these stores is 4.6 out of 5. “CARFAX has nearly 3.3 million verified customer […] [Read More]

Monday’s dealer roundup includes the growth of a 3-year-old California group along with the latest charity efforts of an Atlanta-area group in business since the early 1970s. Beginning first in the Golden State, Hello Auto Group announced it has opened a new Mazda dealership in San Diego’s Kearny Mesa community. The dealership and service center […] [Read More]

WalletHub recently released its latest Auto Financing Report, compiling lists of what analysts classified as the Top 20 cities where consumers overspend on vehicles and where they spend the least. Perhaps managers and underwriters could review the lists and say these cities are where finance companies have the most and list risk in their portfolios […] [Read More]

Fitch Ratings acknowledged that artificial intelligence and machine learning  are increasingly deployed in credit and risk functions at financial institutions, enabled by greater data availability and affordable computing capacity While AI and ML can improve operational efficiency and analytical outcomes, Fitch pointed out that using those tools carries risks of “black box” decision-making and data, […] [Read More]

“You don’t normally see quite this big a rollercoaster ride on these lines, but the last two years threw all the rules out the window. So, everyone’s kind of reacting.” While this quote from Joe Miller could really apply to any aspect of wholesale automotive (or society in general?), the vice president of client experience […] [Read More]

On Friday, new enhancements arrived for the flagship automated sales and marketing platform from automotiveMastermind (aM), which is part of IHS Markit. The provider of predictive analytics and marketing automation solutions for dealerships highlighted that the updates to Mastermind are designed to help dealership partners attract customers, maintain profits and sell more vehicles, as well […] [Read More]