The largest portion of Open Lending’s client base consists of credit unions. The company’s newest advisor knows that segment of financial institutions quite well.

This week, the auto financing facilitator and provider of risk analytics solutions announced Dan Berger, former president and CEO of the National Association of Federally-Insured Credit Unions (NAFCU) will be a strategic advisor to Open Lending’s executive leadership team.

As a trusted advisor, Berger will collaborate closely with Open Lending to enhance product offerings and innovation, drive market share, and further expand relationships with credit unions across the country.

Open Lending highlighted that Berger brings a wealth of expertise in the financial services industry, having led NAFCU through a period of significant growth and innovation. Under Berger’s leadership, NAFCU grew its membership by nearly 50%. NAFCU now represents approximately 56% of the industry’s assets.

“Dan’s deep experience with credit unions will help us build on our mission to serve the underserved as the economy recovers,” Open Lending interim CEO Chuck Jehl said in a news release. “His understanding of credit union operations, the regulatory landscape, and the industry mission to serve its members will be invaluable as we continue to empower lenders nationwide with our lending enablement technology.

“As the automotive finance industry is undergoing enormous changes brought on by advanced technologies fueled by an avalanche of data analytics and the capabilities of AI and machine learning, Dan knows well that true success comes from focus, discipline, results and long-term relationships. We are excited about the opportunity to partner with Dan,” Jehl continued.

Expressing his enthusiasm for the partnership, Berger said, “Open Lending’s long-standing commitment to providing innovative lending solutions to help serve the underserved aligns perfectly with my passion for advancing the credit union movement. While the current credit cycle has presented opportunities and challenges for the industry, Open Lending remains focused on providing solutions aimed at improving loan-to-share and net worth ratios.

“I look forward to adding to the next chapter of their mission of making auto lending more accessible and more affordable for consumers, and more efficient and productive for lenders,” he went on to say.