Repossessions and recoveries will be one of the main topics covered during Used Car Week, which begins on Monday at the Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas.

In fact, the first session of the entire event is a discussion with Chris Schellenberger, who is the founder and CEO of PURR, digital platform reshaping vehicle remarketing through retail consignment.

“Repos are misunderstood. Most see them as losses, but they’re actually the highest-yield asset in used cars when handled right,” Schellenberger said in a message to Cherokee Media Group ahead of Used Car Week.

“Yes, repos are rising, but the real change is who’s holding the risk,” Schellenberger continued. “Lenders are sitting on more cars, dealers are selective, and the inefficiency gap between auction and retail recovery keeps widening.”

TransUnion reported the percentage of accounts more than 60 days past due rose to 1.45% in the third quarter, up 4 basis points year-over-year, although the pace of growth has slowed.

Analysts pointed out delinquency rates among 2024 vintages remain elevated compared to 2019, especially within prime and below-prime risk tiers, signaling continued pressure on credit performance.

“Lenders always talk about three things: losses, control, and compliance. They want better recovery math, cleaner processes, and less risk. This year they’ve started asking about re-sell and refinance loops, turning recovery into re-performance. That’s the snowball effect we’re building out,” Schellenberger said.

“Repos got a bad name because of the process, not the product. Once you remove middlemen and fund recon properly, they’re just retail-ready units waiting to sell. Dealers now see them as clean, low-risk inventory they can profit on immediately,” he went on to say.

Among some of the other Used Car Week sessions focused on repossessions and recoveries:

Cutting Keys, Cutting Costs: Maximizing Efficiency at the Lot

In today’s fast-moving recovery and remarketing environment, every minute—and every mile—matters. This session dives into the growing trend of performing key cutting directly at the repossession agency’s lot. Industry experts from every corner of the asset recovery and lending ecosystem will explore how this shift is helping to streamline operations, reduce costs, and improve turnaround times.

Repo Real Talk: Aligning Agents, Lenders, and Forwarders for Success

Our expert panel of industry leaders will dive into today’s most pressing challenges and opportunities impacting agents, lenders, and forwarders. Gain practical strategies, uncover alignment gaps, and hear directly from voices across the repossession spectrum.

Maximizing Collateral Recovery: A Blueprint for Auto Lenders

As delinquencies and repossessions climb, lenders are under growing pressure to optimize recovery strategies, reduce deficiency losses, and adapt to shifting compliance demands — all while maintaining borrower trust and operational agility. This session offers a forward-looking exploration of how leading finance organizations are rethinking recovery as a strategic asset. We’ll examine how modern solutions — including asset management services, skip tracing, repossession optimization, and insurance integration — can move from transactional functions to core pillars of risk and performance management. Rooted in current data and industry insight, the session will provide practical guidance for recovery leaders looking to build resilient, scalable, and forward-compatible recovery operations.

There’s still time to make plans for Used Car Week to learn more about repossessions and other business strategies. Registration details are online at www.usedcarweek.biz.